After A Seven Hour Makeover, This Bride-To-Be Is Unrecognizable
For a lot of brides, a makeover is essential for their big day. For Holly Garrido, she didn't know just how essential until she spent seven hours at Avantgarde Salon. Walking in, the stylists were floored. Holly's hair was to her waist, multi-colored, and damaged beyond belief.
After everything was finished, Holly couldn't believe who was looking back at her in the mirror. Keep reading to learn about Holly's transformation that left her completely unrecognizable.
Holly Knew Something Had To Be Done
There is never enough time when it comes to planning the perfect wedding, something bride-to-be Holly Garrido was very much starting to realize when she decided a major change had to happen.
That change: her hair. With the wedding only a few months away, it was time for Holly to bite the bullet and fix the mess on top of her head. The thing is, she never anticipated her transformation to be so extreme.
She Worked As A Gate Guard
Working as a gate guard, directing traffic day in and day out, Holly never thought much about her hair, let alone taking care of it on a regular basis. She was sitting in a guard station, after all. Who was looking at her hair?
Well, if the stylists' reaction to Holly was any indication to the bride-to-be, her lack of a haircut was going to require her to take a full day off work.
The Stylists Had Their Work Cut Out For Them
Walking into Avantgarde Salon, the stylists couldn't believe what they were seeing. Holly was a bride-to-be? This was going to take some work. And not only work but a whole lot of time.
They wanted to make sure Holly had the confidence she needed to make her big day the best day ever. Not to mention they wanted her to look back at the photos and be happy with her appearance. So, they got to work.
She Didn't Always Have Super-Long Hair
Two-feet long, dry, with brown roots and bleach-blonde tips, Holly's hair hadn't been cut or dealt with in years. Ironically, she didn't always look like she was in desperate need of a makeover.
Holly used to look well put-together, at least, looking back through her social media photos from a few years back. Her hair was just below her shoulders, a solid brown color, curled, and her makeup is even done.
Holly Wanted To Change For A Reason
So, if Holly used to look well made-up only a few years back, what happened? One thing's for sure, the stylists were about to get a great story out of the bride-to-be. There had to be a reason why she chose now to get a drastic makeover.
While she didn't dive into why she stopped caring about her looks, one thing was clear: she wanted to look beautiful for her soon-to-be husband, Vashon Ridgeway.
Vashon Asked For Holly's Hand In Marriage
Holly and Vashon had been together for a while. He pretty much had a front-row seat to her miraculous hair growth. But when Vashon got down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage, Holly said "yes," knowing that she was in for a huge change.
Not only was she now in wedding planning mode, but she was going to have to make a huge change to her appearance if she was going to feel right walking down the aisle.
It Was Going To Take An Entire Team
Now, it was time for the change. The thing is, the stylists didn't know how to break it to the bride-to-be. They were going to need to take off a substantial amount of length to bring any life back to Holly's damaged hair.
Senior stylist Jeremy Hartfield had his work cut out for him. But he couldn't do this alone, it was going to take a team to fix up Holly for her big day.
Holly Was Overwhelmed
Jeremy recruited one of his co-workers, stylist and colorist Sara Pestella, to help with Holly. The three of them sat down to discuss how to tackle the long, dry, and damaged hair on top of Holly's head.
The stylists soon realized Holly was completely overwhelmed by her hair and had no idea how to tackle the problem or what to do with it. She was hiding behind the mop with no way out.
For Years, Her Father Told Her Long Hair = Pretty
Holly didn't tell them why she stopped caring about her looks, but she did let Jeremy and Sara in on a little secret. She let her hair grow so long after years of her father telling her that "women needed long hair" and that "she wouldn't be pretty" otherwise.
Well, that wasn't going to fly for the two stylists. They were going to make Holly feel beautiful no matter what.
The First Cut Is The Hard Part
It was time for the first cut. So, Jeremy took up the long length of Holly's hair and put it in a ponytail. Putting the hair tie directly above the blonde dye, Jeremy began cutting.
Finally, Holly looked into the mirror, only to see Jeremy holding the solid length of her dead hair in his hands with a huge smile on his face. The hard part was over! Now, it was time for some fun.
Holly's Reaction: Scream
With the dead inches lopped off, Holly couldn't help but scream right where she sat. Many people in the salon looked over and even came over to see what was happening. They couldn't have been more thrilled for the bride-to-be.
Her hair was looking healthier by the second, not to mention that people could actually see her face without it hiding behind a curtain of multi-colored hair. Now it was time to style.
Jeremy Started To Style
Jeremy wasn't finished yet! After cutting off the blonde hair, he was left with a length that fell a bit below her shoulders. So, he started snipping away. An hour passed, and Holly already looked unrecognizable.
The shape of her hair was totally different, she had a bigger smile on her face, and she looked as though a few pounds were just lifted from her shoulders. And this was just the beginning.
Her Transformation Was In The Works
After some time in the chair, Jeremy's scissors finally stopped. Happy with the result, he sent Holly over to his colleague Sara for some much-needed color alteration.
It was going to take some time, but Jeremy couldn't believe the transformation already; the length was absolutely stunning on Holly. But her makeover was far from complete. They still had a ways to go until she'd be remotely ready for her big day.
Now, It Was Time For Some Color
Holly was sent over to Sara for some coloring magic. Unfortunately, it was going to take a few colors to get the shade absolutely perfect. But she was in it for the long haul, trusting Sara to make her hair beautiful again.
So, she sat and watched as the colorist brushed dye into her hair and folded it over with foil. After a time under the hood dryer, Sara took off the foils.
The Color Needed Tweaking
Taking the foils off, Sara noticed she made a mistake when it came to dying Holly's hair blonde. During an interview with Modern Salon, Sara said, "Due to existing red [tone], it was not quite perfect but so close."
Thankfully, she'd been working on hair for a few years by this point. So, Sara knew exactly what to do to finish the style. With a few tweaks here, a little more color there, and a solid shadowing on the roots, Sara finally got the color she imagined.
The Final Product
By the time Holly's dedicated team blew out her hair and styled it to perfection, she was totally transformed. Holly looked nothing like the lady who walked into the salon only hours before.
Her hair was cut to above her shoulders, styled with beautifully youthful-looking waves, and colored to an absolutely gorgeous shade of white-blonde. Holly looked like a completely different person, and if her smile had anything to say about it, the transformation was for the better.
Holly Needed A Confidence Boost
As it turned out, Holly didn't just need a makeover for her outward appearance, but her soul. During an interview with Modern Salon, Sara said, "Holly's hair consumed her. [Holly] always felt like she needed to keep her hair long because of what her dad said: that a woman must have long hair or she wouldn't be pretty without it."
Now, it was up to the team at Avantgarde Salon to give her that morale boost.
Step #2: Makeup
That's why, after her hair was blown dry and styled, the stylists weren't letting Holly leave. They wanted to give the bride-to-be the entire package, which included makeup to complete her look.
Having no clue what to ask for, Holly gave the artists free reign over her face, telling them to do whatever they thought would look best with her new hairstyle. With a free creative license, the makeup artists got to work.
The Look Was Something Holly Never Imagined
The makeup artists were having so much fun. They applied a dark silvery-gray eyeshadow, some thick, fake eyelashes to make her eyes pop, and a pale pink lipstick for some emphasis. With her new haircut, it was perfect.
Interestingly, it was Sara who took control of Holly's lip color. The colorist wanted to play to Holly's strengths, and for the stylist, that was most definitely her lips! So, she decided on a pale pink gloss.
Holly Had A New-Found Confidence
The team of artists had a goal in mind -- to create a look that Holly hadn't seen on herself in years, if ever. By the end of the last eyeshadow stroke, they most certainly accomplished that goal!
Holly looked completely transformed and ready for her big day. Even if that big day was a few months down the road, she now had the confidence to walk down the aisle and say "I do" to the love of her life.
The Entire Process Took Seven Hours
Walking into the salon at 7 pm, no one expected Holly's transformation to take as long as it did. When everything was said and done, it was two in the morning, seven hours later.
The thing is, the long hours were totally worth the look on Holly's face when she saw herself in the mirror. She looked and felt like a completely new woman, one who was ready to take on the world.
The Stylists Offered Holly A Deal
Considering Holly's history with taking care of her hair, the stylists who just worked tirelessly at the Avantgarde Salon didn't really trust her with its upkeep. So, they offered the bride-to-be the chance of a lifetime.
They offered Holly free hairstyling sessions for a year, to make sure her hair stayed picture-perfect for as long as possible. She accepted because, really, how can you say no to such a lovely offer?
Holly Felt Beautiful Inside And Out
Literally, overnight, Holly was transformed inside and out. She no longer believed she needed long hair to be beautiful. "When we were done, Holly was so excited," Sara said during an interview with Modern Salon. "She feels beautiful in her own skin."
It was the best result Holly would have asked for. Little did she know, but more than her soon-to-be husband was going to be stunned by her complete transformation.
She Became An Internet Sensation
Seemingly overnight, Holly became a viral internet sensation. People praised her for changing her look and applauded the team who helped the bride-to-be's dreams come true.
One user wrote on the salon's Instagram page to praise their work said, "The transformation is stunning!!! She looks beautiful and youthful." The online kudos were just the beginning. No one saw what was about to happen next, not even the stylists who helped Holly through the makeover.
Holly Wanted To Show Her Daughter Inner Beauty
In 2017, Avantgarde Salon found themselves being nominated as the top salon at The OneShot Hair Awards, thanks to the amazing work they did with Holly's makeover.
On their Instagram, the ceremony organization wrote a small blurb about Holly, saying, "The biggest thing Holly looks forward to with this event is being able to show her daughter that not only can a woman be strong, but also beautiful inside and out."
The Salon Won!
By the end of the ceremony, people were blown away by Holly's story and amazing inner and outer transformation. So much so that the salon won!
On their Instagram page, Avantgarde Salon wrote a small memo, saying, "EC Top Salon award! We won! Thanks to our beautiful model Holly and the work of our stylists. Taking home the title yet again, your #ECTopSalon 2017 is Avantgarde Salon and Spa with model Holly Garrido!”
