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Suzanne Harrison

WHEN MONICA LEWINSKY was interviewed by Barbara Walters six years ago,  the television network's phone lines were flooded with calls.  Viewers  weren't venting outrage at the woman who almost brought down a US  president,    The callers wanted to know the  shade of lipstick  Lewinsky was wearing.  Her look had been transformed from garish to siren.

The improvement was stark and the idea timeless: with the help of experts, you can see the error of your ways and transform your look overnight.

However, many people think    they can't afford a personal style consultant - or don't need one, anyway.   The truth is, you may well save money in the long run (not to mention look younger) by hiring an expert.

The Hairdressers on Wyndham Street  aims to purge bad style habits and instil a more savvy makeup regimen in a relaxed group setting.

Here, you're  put to work. Rennie Fensham, a South African stylist with 20 years' experience in television and film, helps you create a new look that you can maintain at home.

She says one out of every two women are  candidates for a makeover. 'I'd say 50 per cent get it wrong with their own makeup,' Fensham says. 'Most can't wait for people to tell them what they're doing wrong.'

The tutorial begins with a precis of your overall look: how you style your hair, how the cut shapes your face, and the quality and tone of your skin.  'You immediately see good products or bad products on the skin,' Fensham says. It's the same with the hair. 'I can always tell when people don't use good products,' she says. 'They need to hear the truth. I tell it in the consultation.'

For example, if people put chemicals in their hair, they need to use salon-product shampoos. 'Others strip away all the colour; they strip away the  protein,' Fensham says. 'It affects the hair colour.'

She suggests improvements in the cut and colour. Then, it's  time to delve into the makeup bag, with  the core essentials Fensham intends to work with. She  picks out the products that she knows  suit you.

Foundation is first because it's the source of most beauty faux pas, says Fensham. 'A classic mistake is having the base too thick, or the wrong colour,' she says. 'That's about 90 per cent of the problem. And [foundation] never goes into the neck so it looks two-toned.'

Then, there's Fensham's own supplies. Out comes a MAC compact. The texture and colour are a perfect match. 'I like MAC a lot,' she says. 'It's a one-stop centre. They're all qualified makeup artists. When I do makeup counselling, I send them to the centre. No woman is perfect.'

Next is the eye shadow.  Fensham does one eye for you - the other one is all yours.

Eventually, the two eyes look fairly balanced, and it's time for blusher.  She chooses  a brighter shade of fucshia, but it looks surprisingly good.

She's opted for the 'girly look', slightly dramatic eyes balanced by neutral, glossy lips. The tutorial offers a choice of day or evening look. Participants are put to work with general guidelines. Fensham takes each  for a one-on-one session while the others practise. It helps when the women know each other because it makes the occasion more of a ladies' night, she says.  A group session of up to five people  costs $500 a head. You can get individual sessions  for the same price.

Even cost-conscious clients  may be tempted to splurge on a few products as they leave the salon, although Fensham says she doesn't push people to buy. 'I tell people this is what I recommend: go out and shop,' she says. 'Test it. Take your time. Never buy it the same day. Sleep on it, then buy it.'

At beauty and style group Medusa in Wyndham Street, principal makeup artist Angie Pasley offers a similar service for women (a full consultation costs $800 for 90 minutes), many of whom have spent their lives possibly wearing the same shade of lipstick - because it's what their mother wore.

'We start with their own makeup kit, which can have things in it from 20 years  ago,' Pasley says. 'Most people are going on that - 'Don't throw it out just in case'. And with makeup these days being so expensive, people keep it because they've  spent the money.'

Pasley also teaches people how to apply eye shadow, blush, lip liner and the like. The service isn't so much a makeover as a lesson in how to achieve a certain look. Most of her clients are  between late 20s  and 50s, or women with a more mature complexion wanting to brighten their skin tone. But there's no hard-sell.

'We're not biased towards any brand,' Pasley says. 'We choose by the colour of the skin tone and whether it's combination, oily or dry. A lot of people  have  questions like, 'How do I stop my mascara running', or, 'What eye makeup should I wear - a shimmer or a matte?'  It's so individual.'

Pasley says she doesn't generalise about  what women should have in their makeup bag. 'I've never recommended the same for everyone,' she says. 'Most people can wear most colours, but only if it's done right.'

Pasley likes Anna Sui primer because she says it helps close pores before foundation's applied. She also recommends apricot tone blushers for women with facial redness - pink tones can enhance red areas - and a Laura Mercier eyebrow pencil in blonde for extending brows.

Taking the concept of ensuring that a woman chooses the right makeup one step further is Toni and Guy's resident makeup artist Kathy Carroll-Lea, who has introduced a personal makeup shopping service.

A former registered nurse and counsellor, Carroll-Lea says she has a lot of experience in dealing with people.

'People have loads of makeup, but if it's wrong, it's wrong,' she says. 'I go with the client and take them to the counters and we look at brands and the colour tones.  The  number of women who approach me and ask me what I'm doing is amazing.'

Carroll-Lea says that makeup counters are designed to offer women choices that  may not always suit them. 'The reason  they don't tell you any more than they have to is that it's in their best interests to sell you something that will keep you coming back for more,' she says.

'There are women walking around with bag loads of the wrong makeup. But if people were  told to put the wrong wax on their car, there'd be hell to pay.' Carroll-Lea charges $700 for an initial consultation and $500 an hour thereafter.

Fensham  says most women can get away with cheap products for everyday make up - although they shouldn't be kept for more than six months.  Pasley says a good mascara should last six months and a cheaper one probably less. Fensham  urges a less frugal approach to skin care.  'It's the most important thing,' she says. 'And when you age, it shows whether you've been using something good or not.'

Moisturiser is crucial, and she recommends putting extra layers on at night. It's all about fighting genes and gravity. Facials are a must - at least once a month - and sunscreen is vital, but only if you're  going into the sun. Eye cream should penetrate, and products that contain collagen are preferable. There's  one devastating caveat, however: 'Makeup can never hide wrinkles.'



A new hue, a new you