Plastic surgeon Dr. Marilyn Miller performs dermal fillers in her Westminster office. Dermal fillers show immediate results and last up to 6 months.
Written by: Donna Engle
The holiday look you want? Amazing.
Getting there used to mean hitting the gym months before the holiday season or dieting your way into the Wow! dress. But for those whose road to a dazzling holiday is paved with unmet intentions, new treatments and technologies can play fairy godmother to your Cinderella.
“We do get a lot of clients who know they’re going to see their families, and going to parties. They want a new look,” said Melissa Wagner, co-owner of Hair by Samsara in Sykesville.
Clients with curly hair can have it straightened for a different look; those with straight hair can have it curled. And highlights are also a way to give someone a new shinier look, Wagner said.
From head to toenails, special looks are available on “quick fix” schedules and with budgets that range from limited to the sky’s limit. Got more time? You may opt to grow longer, thicker eyelashes through Latisse or reshape your body through CoolSculpting.
Professionals agree, good looks start with good haircuts. A cut and blow dry can straighten for length or fluff out thin hair. Ponytails or chignons – knots at the nape of the neck – add a formal look.
A keratin treatment applied to hair and sealed in with heat can eliminate frizz and smooth hair cuticle for four to six months, said Allison Considine, receptionist at FreeStyle Hair and Body Spa in Westminster. Brazilian Blowout, the brand FreeStyle uses, has the advantage that hair can be washed or styled immediately after the treatment, she said.
Stress reduction: a warm towel, complimentary beverage and scalp massage with shampoo. Some male customers say they would come in for the scalp massage alone, said Betty Thomas, co-owner of Hair by Samsara.
Pressed for time? Try a 30-minute shampoo and styling blowout at The Spa at Roop’s Mill, Westminster, suggested Ashley Harmon, lead receptionist and donations coordinator.
Women, cut and style, $30-$75. Men, $20-$35. Some salons prices vary by stylists’ experience.
Some customers want a full new hair color, but a few face-framing highlights can also create a special holiday look, said Wagner.
Highlights don’t have to be blonde. “Some clients may have dark hair and don’t want any blonde, but just a kind of sparkle,” said Samsara co-owner Thomas.
A popular coloring technique is ombr–top hair one color, hair shaft a different tone.
Men also want color. “The percentage of men coloring their hair is catching up to the percentage of women,” said Skip Siperko, co-owner of Signature Salon and Spa, Eldersburg. “They have wives or girlfriends looking great and they want to look great, too,” he said.
Highlights, $35-$85; ombr, $165. Full color, women, $65-$95; men, $30-$55.
A facial at The Spa at Roop’s Mill, “can brighten your skin and remove toxins. It’s a relaxing environment, so you’re going to turn down the stress. With aromatherapy and quiet, it’s a break from reality,” Harmon said.
Other services for faces: waxing, tinting too-light lashes and brows, makeup consultations appropriate to season, customer’s skin tone and feature she wants to stand out.
A holiday partygoer may want her makeup professionally applied. Samsara’s product line includes gold and silver makeup for a shimmery look. Evening makeup calls for a more dramatic look because of the change in lighting, Thomas said.
Excluding cost of makeup purchased: $120-$185 for professional makeup, facial and waxing.
Eyelash extensions “give your face a whole different look. There’s nothing like beautiful eyes,” Siperko said. The extensions adhere to natural lashes, and need to be maintained monthly, as they shed like lashes.
Samsara offers a temporary alternative, eyelashes added to makeup for a special event.
Those with a longer time frame may try Latisse, a prescription ophthalmic solution that lengthens, thickens and darkens lashes. It is available locally through Bladerunner Hair, Nails and Skin, Westminster, in cooperation with plastic surgeon Dr. Fady Sinno, and directly through Sinno’s Westminster practice. Users will see results in approximately four to six weeks, said Rima Sinno, practice manager.
Hate your glasses? LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) surgery can correct nearsightedness, astigmatism and, to a lesser degree, farsightedness.
“If you want not to have to rely on glasses for distance, then it is a quick fix,” said Barb Howard, surgical coordinator at the Center for Total Eye Care, Westminster. Patients’ vision improves within the first few hours after surgery, she said.
Lash extension, starts at $65 for partial, starts at $100 for full set; eyelash application, $20; Latisse, $125; LASIK, $4,500. Extension maintenance, $40-$50.
Teeth whitening, the most popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry, is available through dentists or over-the-counter products.
“If you demand a quick fix, I’d suggest an in-office whitening,” said Dr. Julia Burchett, owner of Freedom Dental Care, Eldersburg. For do-it-yourselfers, she prescribes a whitener they can use at home.
Anyone can buy an over-the-counter whitening kit, but the difference is a stronger gel in prescription whiteners that gives the desired shade faster, Burchett explained. An over-the-counter whitener may take three weeks to get the desired result; a prescription whitener, one hour.
Online non-prescription, $14 -$129; dental treatment, $300-$500.
Budget-conscious partygoers can opt for an express manicure and pedicure at The Spa at Roop’s Mill. They get a professional cut, dry and polish, minus the hot towels and organic scrubs that are part of a more extensive treatment. A “quickie” pedicure at FreeStyle includes trim and polish, minus whirlpool and exfoliation.
Jessi Smith, FreeStyle senior level stylist, likes to do French nails–traditionally a nude base with white tips–with a bunch of mini snowflakes and glitter. “That keeps it holiday without making it for Christmas only,” she said.
Manicures, $20-$55; pedicures, $30-$50.
CoolSculpting can banish fat cells forever.
“The ideal candidates are people close to a typical weight, but who have stubborn areas of fat they just can’t get rid of. It’s not a weight loss strategy,” said Dr. Guy Cappuccino, who offers the procedure in his Mount Airy plastic and reconstructive surgery office.
CoolSculpting involves chilling fat cells below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They die and the body disposes of them – for good. Most patients start to see results by six weeks, and very good results by three months, Cappuccino said.
Varies. Nationally, $700 per one-hour treatment.
Dermal fillers to fill lines and enhance bone structure are a quick fix, said Westminster plastic surgeon Dr. Marilyn Miller. “It’s done in the office, you see results immediately and it lasts six months,” she said.
Patients should allow 2 ? weeks between procedure and party in case of bruising, Miller said.$325 to approximately $1,800.
