Our Half Their Size Ladies Got Makeovers! See Their Glam Looks from the PEOPLE Photo Shoot
O'Reilly, 21, started putting on weight when she got her driver license at 16 and began frequenting fast food restaurants, getting up to 250 lbs. in two years. After hitting a low point during her sophomore year of college when a friend refused to be seen sitting next to her in class, O'Reilly decided to try Nutrisystem. Her new diet coupled with exercise helped her drop 135 lbs. “I’m in so much better health now, but the big thing is I feel good about myself," the nursing student said in this year's Half Their Size issue. "I have this confidence that I never had before."
Losing more than 100 lbs. is a major accomplishment, and for the 2017 Half Their Size special we decided to give the ladies featured the ultimate treat: A day of pampering at Cuter salon in New York City. We the enlisted the pros at the SoHo hot spot, who have worked with celebs like Hailey Baldwin, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, to help the ladies get ready for their PEOPLE photo shoot. Led by Senior Colorist Rachel Bodt, Cutler’s stylists and colorists created modern, confidence-boosting styles, and helped us celebrate these women’s years of hard work.
BEFORE: Ashley O’Reilly, 21
NOW: Ashley went super-light after she lost half her size in 2016, and coloring had taken a toll on her ends. Stylist Melissa Perizot set out to give O’Reilly a cut with lots of movement: She chopped off a few inches and added thick layers and a longer soft bang in the front. Colorist Joyce Gallagher toned her platinum and touched up her roots.
BEFORE: Diana Anguh, 24
NOW: Chef Diana Anguh, 24, has lost 140 lbs. and kept if off for 6 years! Though she often wears a wig, she opted to rock her natural texture for the photo shoot. Paul Warren, the hairstylist on set, says that the decision was organic. “When we took off the wig and brushed out her natural hair, it was just so gorgeous,” he said at the shoot. “It just worked so beautifully, and she just lit up. It just felt right. I thought, well, since this is a shoot about coming into yourself, why not be fully yourself and wear your natural hair?”
BEFORE: Erika Cockrell, 30
NOW:
Throughout her weight loss journey, Erika Cockrell, 30, changed her hair color multiple times—she’s been everything from blonde to blue! Now that she’s lost 167 lbs., she’s returned to her natural hue. “I gave Erika a single process to blend her natural to the old color she had in her hair,” says colorist Adrianna Vizzoni. “The fact that Erika used to be really blonde was starting to show on her ends. I connected the ends to the rest of her hair by breaking it up with some highlights. After I glazed down everything to make it a rich brown which really evened her skin out and made her eyes pop. The highlights I added–although glazed-down– really made the haircut come alive.” In terms of the cut, “I gave her a more modern version of a classic bob and added some texture and created a choppier effect.”
BEFORE: Lindita Halimi, 27
NOW: After losing 130 lbs., Lindita, who was already famous in her home country of Albania as a singer, has developed confidence that she thinks will help her make it big all over the world. “Lindita came in as a natural, basic brunette,” says colorist Elena Tavarez . “We brightened her up, focusing most of the brightness around her face and her ends, using a technique called foil painting. After her highlights were shampooed, we glazed her root down to a more natural shade of brown to transition the color from natural brown to lighter brown.” In terms of the cut, “We cut off a couple inches in order to make the look feel different without giving her a drastic change,” says stylist Hayde Georgakis. “We added a soft face frame in the front and subtle layers throughout in order to enhance the color.”
BEFORE: Joanne Raymond, 49
NOW: Since she was in high school, Joanne Raymond has gained and lost more than 100 lbs. twice before losing 133 lbs. and keeping it off for a year. Her color touch-up was subtle: “I did demi-permanent on her base to blend the few grays she had, I kept the base close to her natural brunette shade but with more warmth and richness,” colorist Cara Basinski says. “Then I painted a few pieces to break up the solidness of her color and to add dimension to the look. Lastly, I coated it with a rich, chocolatey wine glaze for shine and tone.” Says Raymond of her new look, “I feel 10 years younger!”
BEFORE: Christina Jordan, 34
NOW: Mom-of-three Christina Jordan (who lost 131 lbs. and is now a nutritionist!) was wary of making any drastic changes with her hair because her mother has been her hairstylist her whole life. Colorist Jen Lashin toned her extensions, brightened up her roots and added soft highlights, and stylist Bryan Gonzalez trimmed a few inches and some
To see more about their amazing transformations, watch the full episode of People Features: Half Their Size, available now on the People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN) and at People.com/halftheirsize, and pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday.
