Health

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Grace Under Pressure

March 2009

Sue Sinclair, mother of two and entrepreneur behind the new e-commerce site “Raspberry Kids” immediately presented us with this definitive goal for her professional makeover.

It doesn’t take long to ascertain that Sue is focused on solutions. When we first met Sue, she struck us as the perfect “everymom” – t-shirt, jeans, hair pulled back, minimal or no makeup. As ordinary as her look was, Sue, and her story, are truly extra-ordinary.

Balancing motherhood, career decisions and family from a distance can be demanding at the best of times. For Sue, the emotional and physical strain has been extreme as she has endured intensely dramatic losses and poignant additions to her family. In April 2005, mere hours after the compassionately-induced birth of her first child, Sue flew with her newborn to Winnipeg to be at the bedside of her very ill father. Sadly, Sue’s father passed away when his first grandchild was only nine days old.

Fewer than six weeks later, Sue and her husband received shocking word from Australia that her father-in-law had just died very suddenly at a relatively young age. Sue, her husband, and their tiny baby were back on a plane, passport rapidly processed, and headed Down Under. Sue describes that time as “a roller coaster ride” and while the birth of her son 17 months after her daughter was a definite high after the sadness of losing their grandfathers, an unexpected cancer diagnosis for Sue’s mother was yet another tragic low. With two babies now tucked into the airline seats beside her, Sue spent months making regular trips to Winnipeg to spend precious time with her mom, who also passed away in February 2008.

When most of us would understandably be compelled to retreat to a dark corner, Sue says, “After what life has thrown at me in the last few years, I feel like there is nothing I can’t cope with or do.” Despite all of the emotional challenges she has faced, she has directed this exceptional positive attitude, considerable energy and business savvy into turning dreams into action.

Raspberry Kids (named for the image of her daughter joyfully capping each chubby little finger with a rosy raspberry) is perhaps a perfect illustration of “necessity being the mother of invention”.

“As a busy mom, I do EVERYTHING online. It sure beats parking lots, mall tantrums, gas prices and it allows me to have control over what I buy and when I buy it,” Sue says.

Inspired by her own reliance on the web during this chaotic time and the unique children’s items she observed on travels in Europe, Sue began to source similarly tasteful, high quality items suitable for an on-line children’s boutique. Along with convenience and great service, Raspberry Kids strives to feature items with an edge or a little “funk” to them; items “by a mom, for a mom” hold special appeal as do things organic.

Sue envisions her web-boutique becoming an indispensable source for moms and savvy gift-givers. Conscious of the tendency for many young families to accumulate “stuff”, Sue facilitates responsible purchasing by offering Gift Cards and Wish Lists which enable gift purchasers to select or contribute to a gift they know is suitable or desired.

Makeover transforms Mom to MOMpreneur®
With her business concept slowly but surely coming to fruition, Sue wisely realised that as the entrepreneur stepping out of her soon to be logo wrapped Raspberry Kidsmvan, she needed to project a confident and professional image. As serendipity would have it, the planets (or at least childcare options) aligned and Sue was able to attend a Momcafé networking event at which The Image Builders’ “Drab to Divine” makeover contest was being promoted.

Her application arrived only hours before the closing deadline! Sue’s submission was clear, funny and touching: “I am very grateful that I have a tremendously supportive husband, two amazing children and the most extraordinary group of family and friends. I want to be the best that I can be for both my family and myself.”

Her grace and commitment to her business plan despite the personal turmoil she had faced convinced us she would make the most of this opportunity for a fresh start.

Identifying Sue’s “look”
Though Sue admitted to having trouble articulating her style goals in our initial meeting, she was confident she wanted a polished look. As committed to her work venture as she is, Sue’s daily duties continue to involve ferrying children and engaging in other motherly activities. She needed to achieve a look that met the needs of both roles.

Once Sue recovered from a brief misunderstanding about eyebrows, (“Ohhhh shape! I thought you said shave!”) she cheerfully made her way to Le Petit Spa for a gentle eyebrow shaping using fragrant lavender wax. As well, she enjoyed a micro-dermabrasion facial treatment for smoother skin texture. This is a great choice for diminishing fine lines and refining the skin surface.

Choosing the wardrobe
The next step was a visit to Wear Else to select practical yet stylish wardrobe pieces. A quick body type analysis by The Image Builders enabled Sue to shop for items which would best flatter her particular shape. Understanding one’s body type allows for streamlining the shopping process (and the closet at home!) by eliminating poorly fitting and unbecoming choices…

• A key impact piece in any working wardrobe is a structured jacket. A greyed navy blue jacket by Taifun was a great fit for Sue and her lifestyle. Pleating detail on the lapels served to add a youthful and fun touch to a classic piece.

• A simple white tee contributed to the casual yet chic look while a tailored white blouse would easily add formality should it be required.

• Slimming, crisp, black cotton trousers were an affordable (and washable) option to carry on the professional look. Woollen dress slacks would be a traditional choice here while a crisp denim bootleg jean in a dark wash would function equally well and achieve a modern look. By simply removing the jacket and toning down accessories, Sue could be playground-ready in moments.

• A black patent high heeled pump added a feminine, sophisticated feel but could easily be switched for more practical flats.

It was a touching moment when it was discovered that the perfect accessory to finish off the new look was was a beautiful silver chain necklace which had belonged to Sue’s late mom. A structured shoulder bag and the requisite Blackberry (or Raspberry in Sue’s case!) saw a new Sue, dressed for success.

Finishing touches
A stop for hair and make-up would transform Sue even more dramatically and have her ready for her “after” photo shoot. Martin Hillier, award winning stylist at The Lounge Hair Studio, decided a fun, updated version of the classic bob would be the best choice for offering flexibility and style.

“Whether at a business meeting or a gala event, or even on a walk along the sea wall – from suit to jeans, a good bob can see one through with style and panache,” says Martin. The “fun” came from a striking blonde under layer to Sue’s naturally dark hair. “Under colour is a perfect way to combine form and function. This fun technique allows bold colour to be placed where it can peek through as much, or as little, as you wish – a perfect combination for a woman on the go, with ambition but also attitude!”

The Image Builders’ Denisa Nica, was eager to share an easy to replicate make-up routine with Sue who had expressed honest bewilderment with most products. Denisa’s aim was to emphasize Sue’s remarkably blue eyes and her enviable bone structure. Denisa confirms, “Applied correctly, makeup can enhance a woman’s beauty by accentuating striking features or creating visual illusions.”

The routine began with a mineral foundation and concealer to camouflage any surface imperfections. Mac powder eye shadows in Vanilla and Shroom highlighted Sue’s eyes, prepping her lids for a dark contour in Bark. Cool and dark colours were used to create depth and a striking look. “If you have blue eyes like Sue’s (or green) and want to achieve a similar effect, choose cool browns, charcoal, pinks and purples. It will create contrast with your eye colour and emphasize your eyes more,” says Denisa. Two coats of mascara on the upper lashes completed the eye make-up. “Note that when mascara is applied to the lower lashes, it often smudges and can create an unflattering shadow under the eyes.” Applied with a dome shaped brush, a Jane Iredale cool-toned mineral blush enhanced Sue’s cheekbones. Lastly, a pink Mac lipstick was applied with a touch of lip-gloss in the center of the upper and bottom lip.

The photo shoot
Professional photographer Sara Borck has a remarkable gift for putting her subjects at ease, but her charming ways were not required to put a genuine smile on the face of the post-makeover Sue Sinclair!

Following the final photo shoot, The Image Builders wished Sue well and watched her walk confidently down the street to meet her husband. In response to our e-mail the next morning asking about her family’s reaction, Sue wrote:

“I think my husband was pretty amazed. We didn’t get on our date last night (due to no child care) but we did go out on our regular family walk and got caught in a bit of rain and sprinted home. Not exactly the glamorous night out I had envisioned but this does go to show how versatile my new look is!”

Sue Sinclair, Mompreneur. Fresh, Healthy & Fun? Absolutely!

The Image Builders would like to acknowledge the following for their kind support and contribution to helping us achieve this image transformation for Sue.

Le Petit Spa
www.lepetitspa.ca

Sara Borck Photography
www.saraborck.com

Martin Hillier at The Lounge Hair Studio
www.loungehairstudio.com

Wear Else
www.wearelse.com

Momcafé
www.momcafe.net

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