The following information is from The Commercial Appeal.
Who: Kelly Bradley, 51, a retired legal secretary, lives in Bartlett and has one grown son. Bradley's liver transplant gave her a new life, but she was at a loss on how to create a new image.
Issues: In January she turned 51 and celebrated both her birthday and the one-year anniversary of her liver transplant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After three years of coping with liver disease and then with the transplant, she has gone from a size 8 to 18 and back to a size 10. Confused about how to shop for her body shape, she felt panic attacks just walking into stores.
Hair fix: Bradley's hair, thinned and dulled by medication, presented a challenge for Cindy Farr Hester, American Board of Certified Haircolorists Colorist/Stylist, at Gould's Day Spa & Salon in Olive Branch. Farr Hester gave Bradley easy-care hair starting with a soft, warm brown base color close to her natural shade so she can easily replicate it at home. She added golden highlights that would blend with her new hair growth. She cleaned her hair with thickening shampoo and cut it in layers to create an airy look with more volume. She used gel, a blow dryer and round brush to style it, finger-shaped it with styling wax and set it with Bumble & Bumble Hairspray.
Beauty fix: Lisa Byrd, makeup artist and hair stylist with Gould's, used Mirabella makeup, starting with 1 Warm for her foundation. She waxed Bradley's brows and filled them in with medium brown powder. She used a matte cream shadow all over the eye, nutmeg brown along the outer edges and crease, and a soft gold along the lash line and the center of the lid. She used dark brown liner, black mascara and bronzer instead of a blush to compliment her "warm golden" skin tone. She softened brick red lipstick with a nude lip gloss.
Fashion fix: Carolyn Bendall, image consultant and president of Fashion Academy, took Bradley to Kohl's in Cordova to create a foundation for a new wardrobe. A "warm golden's" basic neutral colors are brown, instead of black, and cream, instead of white. Bendall chose brown slacks, a brown "fly away" sweater by AB Studio, and a cream turtleneck sweater by Access. To add more color, she chose a brown and gold sequined scarf by Candies, a multistrand peach and gold necklace, orange gem bracelet, and drop off-white pearl earrings by Apt. 9.
Score card: "I had the time of my life and still feel like one of the pretty people," Bradley said. "My own mother, brother, friends didn't even recognize me. It's such a great experience."
Kohl's gave Bradley a $200 gift card with which she bought the entire outfit with about $30 left over. Draper's Catering of Memphis provided a sandwich platter, fruit and dessert platter, and bottled water for all at the salon, and Gould's gave Bradley a gift basket that contained Pure Fiji body and hair care products and other goodies. Fashion Academy gave Bradley free admission to its color, personality and body line shopping classes at Brow Gal in East Memphis.
If you'd like to know more about Bradley's story, check out transplants.org/donate/kellybradley.
