“SOS! Help My MOM”
It’s 2012 – Transform Yourself
Photographer: Angel Popov
Styling: Olga Zharinova
Makeup Artist: Taryll Atkins
Hair Stylist: Miranda Roberto
Model: Katrin
Location: Acqualina Hair & Nail Salon – Sunny Isles Beach
In the January/February 2012 edition of Mode Lifestyle Magazine’s “Style Transformation” the MODE team transforms the image of a woman who had spent so much time working on developing her business and providing for her family that she forgot what it meant to spend time on herself.
Katrina Transformed - MODE Style Transformation Jan/Feb 2012
My name is Katrin. I would normally never write a letter to the editor of a magazine, especially a fashion and lifestyle magazine such as MODE, if it weren’t for my youngest son asking me to do so. He gave an ultimatum: ”If you won’t write, then I’ll draw a picture of you and send it to MODE’s ‘Style Transformation’ with a note on the envelope saying; ‘MODE-HELP my MOM.’”
Later I realized that he had read from some papers I had on my desk about the magazine inviting applicants that want a complete image transformation to write in for a chance to be chosen for a special styling feature. MODE would choose one person from the reader letters and put together a team of stylists, makeup artists and hair stylists to give them a complete style makeover for the New Year. All they had to do was write a simple story about themselves and why they needed help.
Let me start by saying that things have not always been this way for me; I was once a very confident and outgoing woman. Our family lived a very comfortable life of wealth and we were very happy. I have a master’s degree in economics and together with my husband we had our own successful business. So we had everything we wanted or needed.
Olga Zharinova (Features Director of MODE) To Katrina: "It's Time To Change" - MODE Style Transformation Jan/Feb 2012
Katrina - Transformational Process - MODE Style Transformation Jan/Feb 2012
But one day, almost without warning, a very unlucky streak of heavy troubles began in my life. I would never have imagined that one day we would pack our suitcases and the whole family, my husband, our two children, our retired parents, and me would have to leave our country forever. So with high hopes and faith in the American Dream we moved to the United States.
We were determined to make a go of it and to start our new life quickly. We rented a beautiful apartment with ocean view and my husband gifted me my favorite car, a Porsche Cayenne. Soon we discovered an interesting business that looked promising with potential for a good income so we decided to invest all our money in it and start work…
Everything seemed to be going well until the economic crisis begun in the US. In 2008 it destroyed everything we had made in this country, it exploded our business and we lost all our money. From being wealthy people we became bankrupts overnight!
This is when the really dark times started. I had a horrible depression and loss of sleep. Most of the time I would sit in my room absolutely lost and had no idea what to do. Time was running out, we couldn’t find a way out of the situation, and even money for food almost finished. I understood then that I should find some work, any work, and as fast as possible. So leaving my pride behind I got myself work as a maid in a very friendly large Jewish family. What I did all day long was washing, cleaning and cooking. It would have been impossible for me to imagine that I would be working as a maid to make some money simply to feed my family. But life is life!
One day after shopping for some house cleaning stuff I drove to work in my car, which was still the Porsche Cayenne. You see, we could not sell it. My mistress saw me. She was really surprised with my car and said that for a long time she had wanted that same car! After that she added, “You are our maid.”
That was when I started crying. I told her everything, my whole story. Right there and then I promised myself that I would change my life, everything, very soon.
As time went on, we made new friends and the right contacts appeared in our lives. I was able to overcome my depression and together with my husband opened a travel agency. In the beginning everything was moving slowly. We were working hard from morning to night, and night to morning. But all that effort and time we spent was worth it and right now I am the happy owner of a successful travel agency in Florida!
I found stability in life, I was proud of what we had achieved, I was proud of myself. But one day my little son came to me and asked, “Mom, what happened to you? Look in the mirror.” I did, and he was right. What I saw staring right back at me from the mirror was a woman who didn’t care about herself and hadn’t time for herself, who absolutely lost her style, and whose hair was horribly bleached and greenish. I looked 20 years older than I was and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to change my look!
So under pressure from the son, I wrote to MODE. I allowed him to write on the envelope: “SOS-HELP MY MOM”. I told him that probably nobody would read it!
A few weeks passed and I received a call from OLGA, The Features Director of Mode, she said that the team was waiting for me and said, “Katrin, it is time to change!” With great fear and my heart beating so hard I almost fainted several times at the beginning I went to the style transformation day at Acqualina Hair & Nail Salon and let the MODE team do their work on me.
As the transformation progressed and as I looked in the mirror each time I did not recognize the woman that was staring back at me. The difference though, was that this time I saw a beautiful, confident and smiling woman. I did not even know that I had such big blue eyes. And I began to feel young and happy again. I even noticed that my posture changed from between the beginning of the styling to the end when I became a new woman.
Thanks MODE, for transforming my life! My son is proud of me; he placed my photo on his cell phone and tells everybody in school that his mother has become a supermodel!!!!
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You will find this article and others in the January/February 2012 edition of Mode Lifestyle Magazine. For more information you can contact: info@ModeLifestyleMagazine.com
