Pink's Style Takeover - August 2014

Story by Rachel Rucker
Photography by Lindsay Gifford

Meet Catherine Jackson:

Courage, kindness, and inspiration are the words that come to mind when you first encounter Catherine.  She is one of those women who make you realize that beauty is much more than skin deep.  

A recent graduate from Clemson University, Catherine is currently at the end of her “gap year” before she moves from her home to study psychology at Wheaton College, near Chicago, IL.  But, don’t let that fool you.  

“I had no obligations—nothing holding me back.  It’s been great to be able to just embrace that and live in the moment.” And embrace it, she did. Twenty-three-year-old Catherine has already managed to make an extremely profound mark on the world.  She lived in Ecuador for three months teaching English and spreading the Gospel to abused and under-privileged children.
She then moved to Nashville, Tenn., where she worked for four months in Equine Therapy, which helps children with Attention Deficit Disorder, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other mental health disorders.  The therapy technique uses horses to help children build confidence, increase trust and learn social skills.

Remembering to take care and pamper herself a little is obviously not always at the top of her list of priorities.  But she says she’s just begun to realize the importance of a makeover every now and then. “I think it’s important to love yourself the way you are—with the hair you have, the skin you have.  It has a great effect on your life.” And boy, does she have the hair.  Catherine’s hair is gorgeously curly, yet extremely hard to handle.  Which is why Catherine says she usually keeps it simple, saying she’s learned to embrace herself “au natural.”  

Famed hairstylist, Connie Zaner, at Enliten Salon, on Hilton Head Island, decided the best thing for Catherine would be to keep the length pretty long to keep the maintenance low, but lighten up her color with well-placed highlights to frame her face and add interest. Meanwhile, lowlights were used to disguise some areas that had been naturally bleached by the sun. After a few hundred foils and a good dose of patience, Connie revealed beautiful results. After the color, Connie used Aveda’s “Be Curly” serum, which she said would keep a handle on Catherine’s natural frizz, even after it was straightened. After a life-changing blowout and a few (ahem) runs of the straightener, Catherine’s hair was transformed into that of a lustrous, golden goddess.

A quick eyebrow wax followed to clean up Catherine’s gorgeous brows and then she was well on her way to the fun part: makeup.  Enliten’s Karrie Del Aguila, master of many arts, knew just the right colors and techniques to make Catherine’s look next level amazing.

Karrie used Aveda’s Mineral Tinted Foundation in a sheer shade to give Catherine’s skin a natural, dewy glow before applying the Aveda Jewel Foundation.  Karrie mentioned Aveda uses all mineral-based products, so the makeup is not only comfortable and natural-looking, it’s also good for your skin.

After setting a natural foundation, we were on to the eyes.  Did I mention Catherine has blue eyes? The color of the Aegean Sea, they are the shade of blue that will make you wonder why Van Morrison didn’t make a song about a blue-eyed girl. Using gold as a base color and deep purples in the crease of the lid, Karrie explained, it is the perfect way to make blue eyes pop, even more than they do all on their own.

Our whole team was up to learn about the makeup techniques Karrie was using. We even discussed how celebrities have been praising the benefits of highlighting and contouring your face, and the profound effect it can make. “Knowing where to put the light and dark is really important. A little highlight really gives the illusion of perfect bone structure,” Karrie said in agreement.
Karrie had one more trick up her sleeve.  She added a dab of eyeliner on the edge of a cotton swab and lightly swept across Catherine’s eyebrows.  Full eyebrows, she stressed, are the key to creating the perfect frame for your face.

After a few sweeps of mascara, we were off to Louette, A Boutique, where there is a collection of beautifully made clothing, custom made furniture, luxury beauty products and much more.
Louette’s owner, Heather Quinn, helped us pick from an array of lovely, feminine pieces that would make anyone’s day happier just by wearing them.  After playing just a little bit of dress-up, we all agreed on a simple, yet chic, white dress, picked out by the 2014 Pink summer interns Courtney Enright and Meredith Malphrus.  

Heather knew the perfect bracelet to glam up the outfit, along with classic gold-drop earrings to add a little sparkle behind her blonde hair. A little nude wedge, and the masterpiece was finally complete.

Throughout the day it became clear to me that Catherine is wise beyond her years.  She said her reasoning behind wanting to do the makeover was to give herself a little love, and live in the moment, rather than worrying about the future.

“I just felt like it’s important for me to love what I do and where I am, while I’m still there.”
I don’t know about you, but as life lessons go, that’s a pretty good one to learn before your 24th birthday.

Catherine didn’t need the makeover to make her beautiful; her beauty radiates from the inside out. The makeover just gave her a little extra shine.

Book Your Own Makeover:

Enliten Salon is open Tuesdays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  To book your own makeover, please call 843.842.9200.  

Stop by and see Heather and the rest of the girls at Louette to freshen up your own wardrobe, at 32 Palmetto Bay Road in Suite 9-A at the Village at Wexford. For more information about Louette, contact Heather by phone at 843.686.4141 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Looking for a new look? Would you like to be Pink's next makeover candidate? Email us a recent picture and short paragraph to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.