30-Hour Total Makeovers - Reasons to Love New York 2006 -- New York Magazine

Because It Takes Only 30 Hours to Turn Into Someone Else

Add Comment

By Aja Mangum
Published Dec 17, 2006

(Photo: Elinor Carucci)

The ability to reinvent oneself has always drawn people to New York. Bobby Zimmerman becomes Bob Dylan. Madonna Ciccone becomes Madonna. Lula Mae Barnes becomes Holly Golightly. But reinvention doesn’t have to be that intense. In a town overflowing with beauty and style experts, a person in need of a little identity-refreshing can get the very best, very fast. “I turned 33 last week, and it was exciting to have a new me for the New Year,” says Timna Sherman, a preschool teacher and graduate student. In the span of just 30 hours, Sherman put herself in the hands of five experts—a hair colorist, cosmetic surgeon, eyebrow expert, hairstylist, and makeup artist—and came out a younger-looking, more-stylish blonde (total cost: $3,980). No, reinvention isn’t cheap, but “my friends loved it. My doorman loved it. The kids loved it,” she said post-makeover. “I felt like a rock star.”