Pink's Style Takeover - September 2014
Faris Feuers
Story by Rachel Rucker
Photography by Lindsay Gifford
Meet Faris Feuers:
Encountering Faris was one of those instances where you fully realize what a small world it is and how lucky we are to be a part of it together. Faris is an irrevocably gentle, humble and genuine person. If anyone could possibly deserve a pampering day away from the grind, it’s Faris.
Faris was born in Greenville, S.C., and attended Brookland-Cayce High School (also my alma mater!) and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Clemson University.
A wife and mother of two boys, ages 9 and 4, today she teaches sixth grade at Bluffton Middle School, where she is counted on daily to provide an encouraging and helping hand to soon-to-be tweens, who so desperately need it. “I love teaching at that level. It’s such a critical time for the kids in their transition from childhood to adulthood,” she said.
Faris is first to admit that she doesn’t always take all the time for herself, when there are a million other things she could be doing for her sons, her husband, her students, her school and the list goes on. When I asked her if she ever took a day, or hour for herself, Faris looked at me with a hilariously quizzical glance.
“Me time? What’s that?” With that, we knew we had found the perfect candidate for Pink’s September Style Takeover.
We started the day at Fifth Avenue Color & Style Salon, where Cliff Pizzi, owner and stylist, was ready to transform Faris into a modern-day mom turned red-haired vixen. A natural platinum blonde, Faris said the nurses in the hospital she was born in knew her as the “cotton-top baby.” But, she trusted Cliff’s vision and allowed him to work his magic.
Before we got started on the color, Cliff said he wanted to give Faris an asymmetrical cut with an inverted back and side bang, which would not only be easy to maintain, but would give Faris’ naturally wispy hair a fullness which she normally lacked.
Next, we were ready for the color. Cliff said his goal was to give her a richness and depth—the perfect way to transition into the fall, yet a timeless choice. “She has the perfect complexion to go red, with a little bit of her natural blonde highlight peeking through,” Cliff said.
After a thorough shampoo and conditioning treatment using Paul Mitchell’s Essential Moisture line, which Cliff vouched as the perfect way to keep colored hair healthy and moisturized, we were all chomping at the bit to see the dramatic transformation.
What we concluded was this: Faris was born to be a redhead. With just a few highlights to resemble the sun’s remnants of summer, we were ready for the makeup chair.
Fifth Avenue’s hair and makeup stylist, Melissa Willis, was ready with her generously stocked makeup trunk to complete Faris’ new look. Despite Faris being a natural beauty, with piercing blue eyes, sun washed freckles and a beautiful complexion, she lacked the full, bold brows that are the look in today’s beauty world. To Melissa’s chagrin, Faris said she usually compensated for this by drawing an “eyebrow line” with a brow pencil.
To which Melissa responded with an emphatic, “No! You should start by emphasizing your eyelashes and what you do have, stop worrying and trying to fill in what you don’t.”
Instead of a pencil, Melissa filled in where Faris’ brow bones were most prominent with a deep brown eye shadow. This was not only easy, but it also looked amazingly natural—a perfect solution to the unrealistic stark line of brown pencil.
Despite Faris’ nearly perfect complexion, everyone has a few spots to conceal. Melissa demonstrated the best way to cover up those nagging spots with your everyday chubby concealer stick. She also explained how to use the color wheel to pinpoint what shade concealer stick is necessary to hide imperfections.
“Green neutralizes deep red, while yellow neutralizes light reds and pinks,” Melissa advised.
A few of Melissa’s other tips and tricks included a good primer, Urban Decay Naked eye color palette for eyes and face and a paper towel for excess powder and oil. With several swipes of mascara, Faris and I were all set to head to Designs By Cleo, where we could shop from a beautiful assortment of handpicked pieces of clothing and handmade jewelry made by Cleo herself.
Cleo picked out a pair of black knit palazzo pants and a white lace tank to pave the path for a statement piece of jewelry, which at this point, we were all anxious to see. After trying on practically every piece Cleo had (how can you not?), Faris made the final decision with a breathtaking amethyst and coral necklace.
Not only was the Pink team ecstatic with Faris’ final transformation, there was a noticeable air of confidence surrounding her that was not as tangible before. It was clear that she not only looked great, but that the feelings shown were from the inside out. All it took was a little bit of love and encouragement for Faris to feel for herself what she shows to everyone she touches on a day-to-day basis.
I would say she’s definitely come a long way from a cotton-top.
Book Your Own Makeover:
Fifth Avenue Color & Style Salon is open Mondays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To book your own “makeover,” please call 843.842.5517.
Cleo at Designs By Cleo has fabulous apparel, accessories and one-of-a-kind jewelry and is located at 14 Greenwood Drive at The Gallery Shoppes on Hilton Head Island. To give your wardrobe and your jewelry cabinet a makeover, give Cleo a call at 843.342.7001.
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.