My aunt, and the strongest woman I know, is Tammy Lynn Ferris! Tammy is a breast cancer survivor, and I don’t think anyone deserves a day of pampering and rejuvenation more than she does,” wrote Steph Ferris when nominating her choice in a makeover contest sponsored by Lifestyle Magazine, in conjunction with Salon Entrenous, Curiosities Gift Shop and Mugford Shoes. Nominations were made via social media.

Since December of 2017, Ferris (50) has undergone a lumpectomy, eight rounds of chemo therapy, a double mastectomy and reconstructive procedures. Her 18-year-old daughter Aliesha Arnot says that her mom always puts other people first, even during her illness and treatments. Arnot adds that her chemo-resultant hair loss was difficult because Ferris has always taken pride in her appearance.

According to Ferris, “When you are hit with a cancer diagnosis, you have no choice but to keep moving forward and embrace your ‘new normal.’”

Ferris’ confidence, strength, and sense of self are what make her beautiful and these qualities seem to have been enhanced during the last 18 months. She believes that we all have hidden capabilities buried deep within us that are brought to the surface when we face situations that seem insurmountable.

To begin the makeover process, Ferris visited Curiosities Gift Shop, where owner Jocelyn King and manager Leah Montoux consulted with her before choosing an outfit and accessories. Because Ferris loves jeans, and Curiosities has a wide selection to choose from, they chose a dark navy skinny jean for a dressier look.

Heidi Morgan-Rhea, manager of Mugford Shoes Westmount location, helped select a woven leather shoe, in soft pewter, that is chic and versatile.

Known as the Glam Squad, makeup artist Florencia Taylor and Salon Entrenous stylist Julie Vriesinga (2019 North American Makeup Artist of the Year and 2019 North American Hairstylist of the Year, respectively) completed Ferris’ look.

According to Taylor, “Tammy is already so beautiful, so this wasn’t a transformation. I just wanted to highlight her features.”

Vriesinga’s main challenge with Ferris’ hair was that it had grown back in uniform length, so her focus was reshaping and adding dimension.

Ferris’ hair has grown back with a curl, so she was unsure of how to style it.

Vriesinga combined beige/white blonde highlights with a slightly darker base colour to add depth and enable a softer regrowth.

She used a round brush to smooth out Ferris’ hair while adding volume