Raising Maine

Windham mom Michelle Cloutier had an unusual request: She wanted a new look, and she wanted to look older. She said that at work she isn’t always taken seriously because she looks so young for her age.

A product analyst at Bank of America, Michelle said she hadn’t changed her hairstyle in five years. “I really would like a new look, but I just haven’t dared to take the next step. It would be great to look like a model working mom.”

The 37-year-old mother of a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old returned to work recently after having spent three months on restricted bed rest, during which her style was PJs and sweatpants. While on bed rest, she said, “I watched a lot of design shows and makeover shows,” but when asked to describe her own beauty routine, she responded: “What’s a beauty routine? Does taking a shower and occasionally shaving my legs count?”

A makeover would be a wonderful “welcome-back-to-the-work-force gift,” she said.

She got her wish as the Mom Makeover of the Month winner and was treated to a morning of pampering, compliments of Raising Maine and Bei Capelli.

Michelle, who kept her eyes closed for the entire haircut, was thrilled when she finally opened them to check out her new look. “Wow! My word! I love it! I never knew I had curl!”
Her sister took the day off and drove down from Fayette to share the experience with her, and they planned to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping. Her sister even planned to baby-sit that night so Michelle and her husband, Ray, could go out to dinner. “Dinner alone with my husband will be unusual!” Michelle said.

Stylist Rachel Taylor worked to give Michelle the look she desired.

RACHEL’S THOUGHTS
“Michelle wanted to do something different but wanted to be sure it was easy to maintain. She told me how she looks like a little girl, but in her business, she feels they sometimes look down on her. With the color, we wanted to keep it natural, to bring warmth to the face. With the cut, I wanted to try to pick it up, and I thought about giving her bangs, but she said hair on her face would drive her crazy.”

MICHELLE’S THOUGHTS
“I stopped by work after the makeover, and everyone loved it. And then my sister bought me a new outfit, so I wore it out to dinner with my husband. It was the first time out for us without the kids in a long time.
“I like the cut, and I did it a little differently over the weekend than when I went back to work on Monday. Even without taking much time, it’s easy to maintain and I like the color. It wasn’t that drastic; it’s a nice shade.”

RAY’S THOUGHTS
“I thought the Mommy Makeover was wonderful ... It put a great big smile on her face and I loved the way she looked in it. I’m especially happy that she was excited about it.”

- BETSY RING