Style Takeover - January 2020

Featuring Hailey Fitzsimons

Makeover0120

January 2020 Issue
Story and Photography by Jacie Elizabeth Millen

Meet our Makeover Damsel in Distress:
Hailey Fitzsimons

21 years old
Originally from Lyndhurst,
New Jersey
Lives in Bluffton, SC
A customer service specialist
with Aurora Appliance and a server at Bucci and Murray’s Pub
Recent Hair Disaster: Trying to turn her natural brown hair blonde with the use of store-bought box hair dye.
Makeover0120 2
With a dash of bleach, a pinch of toner and a full box of hair dye, Hailey made the perfect recipe for damaged hair, but of course not on purpose. “I really wanted a change up my look, so I had a friend bleach my hair, dye it with blonde box color, and then we toned it until it looked a little better than it did with just the box dye,” Hailey laughed. Being a close friend of mine, Hailey face-timed me with her new do and said she was not the biggest fan of it. That conversation sparked the idea inside my head that Hailey would be the perfect candidate for a makeover. With approval from the boss, she was chosen to be our new makeover candidate and she couldn’t have been more excited to be rescued!  

One Thursday afternoon, Hailey and I began her beauty journey at the beautiful Tara’s Salon on Hilton Head Island with the amazingly talented hairstylist, Brandon Alexander. Brandon, with his charm and humor, made this hair appointment one for the books. After only a few minutes of consulting, Hailey decided she wanted to keep some blonde in her hair. With the perfect plot for a beautiful Balayage, which is the technique of free-hand painting highlights onto the hair to creating a soft and natural gradation of lightness towards the ends, everyone was excited to get started. After a few whiffs of Jocio Defy Damage Treatment Spray to protect Hailey’s hair, he began applying color.

Brandon explained why box hair color is rarely a good idea: “When you box dye your hair, that color strips your natural amino acids, causing lots of damage. This professional color line by Joico puts the essentials oils right back in, making your hair healthy, even when you dye it.” After rinsing out the color and a quick blow dry, Hailey’s hair never looked better. Did I mention Brandon cut off over six inches of hair? This wasn’t just a hair makeover, but a takeover, and a chance for Hailey to rectify everything she hated about her hair. Brandon turned a box D-I-why? into a bouncy balayage with his expert skills. With some hugs and a big thank you to Brandon, Hailey and I left to continue onto the next step in her beauty journey.

We headed out to Sheridan Park to complete her makeover at Merle Norman of Bluffton. Our appointment was with Teresa, an expert makeup artist. To compliment Hailey’s new hair, the proper application of makeup was essential. Teresa masterfully blended products like foundation, highlighter, eyeshadow and lipstick, along with the other necessities, all by Merle Norman. With 13 years of Merle Norman training and experience, Teresa mixed and matched colors on Hailey’s face perfectly, highlighting every single one of her beautiful natural features. “Hailey has the perfect, cutest heart shaped face,” Teresa pointed out. She was personable and kindhearted, making the experience at Merle Norman even better. After the last swipe of lipstick was applied, marking the end of the makeup session, Teresa picked out a stylish Coco + Carmen sweater from the clothing boutique inside the Merle Norman Bluffton beauty studio for the last stop in Hailey’s beauty journey—a mini montage of photos!

The photos highlight the incredibly skilled work Brandon and Teresa accomplished, capturing the radiance of Hailey’s beauty and confidence. “Oh my gosh, I look so good. I’ve never worn lipstick on my lips; I mean like that deep of a color. I love it.” Hailey said. She has never looked better. With her hair beautifully balayaged and her makeup perfectly applied, Hailey was ready to step out of the box forever and go conquer the world.

Another huge thanks to our ad partners, Brandon Alexander and Merle Norman for being so easy and enjoyable to work with and for sharing their professional skills to make for an unforgettable day Hailey.



Makeover0120 3
Meet Our Makeover Experts:

Brandon Alexander:                                             Teresa Smith:
Stylist at Tara’s Salon on HHI                                  Merle Norman Makeup Specialist
Originally from Columbus, GA                                  Originally from the Lowcountry
Lives in Bluffton, SC                                                Certified Merle Norman Makeup Artist
Hair and Color Guru, specializing in Balayage            for over 13 years

How to Reach our Ad Partners:

Brandon Alexander
Offers color and cut services by appointment. Tara’s Salon: 55 New Orleans Rd. STE 113, Hilton Head Island, SC; 843-592-7885

Merle Norman of Bluffton—an Official Partner Studio

Offers special event makeup, hair salon services, ear piercing and retail boutique. Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-4pm;
70 Pennington Dr. Ste 21, Sheridan Park, Bluffton, SC; 843-815-5412

Do you have a hair disaster going on, or are your hair days stuck on replay from a decade long, long ago? We want to make you over. Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and tell us all about it.

Leave a comment

You are commenting as guest.