Her gift of a six-hour package of pampering — a new hairstyle and a celebrity-caliber make-up session — goes a long way to lighten their load, says Toni, 38. "They are stars for the day," she says.
Toni began donating makeovers to needy women after she was approached last year by Trina Polta, producer of "Makeover Moms," a made-for-doctor's-offices TV show that highlights mothers from all walks of life. Trina wanted to include underprivileged moms, too.
"I needed someone who understands how to pamper a woman, and create an overall experience for her," Trina says. "Toni knows what moms really need."
Celebrity treatment
Social service agencies in the Salt Lake area select women for the makeover. Sometimes it is an abused wife who needs a self-esteem boost or a single mom who never has time for herself. Others need an updated look so they can find a job.
Toni provides the pampering. Whimsy Clothing Boutique owner Carol Phillips adds a new dress, shoes and accessories.
The women's stories are often heart wrenching, Toni says. One woman left her abusive husband, arriving in Salt Lake City with her children and no place to stay. Another escaped years of abuse only when her husband died. The first hours of the makeover are often emotionally painful for the women.
"They come in hunched over. They look at the floor, not at us. They don't speak up," Toni says. "They are intimidated by the whole thing." In a pre-makeover consult, Toni asks them who they want to look like. The most frequent answers are Meg Ryan and Angelina Jolie.
Some are ready for Toni's staff to implement the transformation. Others are more hesi
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ant. "They're scared to make dramatic changes," Toni says. Sometimes she has to make special adjustments to the new hairstyle or makeup.
"If they have to wear bangs because they are ashamed of a scar, we pull the bangs down," she says. "If they've had a broken nose, we put on make-up that slims down the nose and gives a better look."
The women's attitudes change dramatically once the makeover is done. They walk taller. They make eye contact. They smile and laugh. "They're different people," Toni says. "They are feeling better about themselves. There's oomph in their step. They say, 'I do look pretty.'"
Toni hopes they are seeing themselves from a different perspective. "I want to reintroduce them to the person they knew prior to what happened to them, or the person they never knew was in there," she says.
Toni's efforts to help women in need don't end when the cameras stop rolling. She also provides makeovers for struggling job seekers selected for the Woman-to-Woman program sponsored by the Junior League of Salt Lake.
Change as inspiration
While Toni's star treatments are valued at $150, the donated makeover costs her much more. When "Mommy Makeover" cameras are rolling at Tranquility, she closes the salon to accommodate the show's crew, forfeiting the day's sales receipts.
It's worth the effort and expense, she says.
"It's easy to write a check to an organization, but you get more out of it when you are hands-on," she says. "It's amazingly powerful to see these women change. It inspires me to help more people."
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