Makeover magazine gets start in Houston

Magazine first of its kind in the country

05:50 PM CDT on Thursday, June 24, 2004

By Janice Williamson / 11 News

Click to watch video

Makeover Houston Julie Flynn - before

Makeover Houston Julie Flynn - after

Makeover Houston Carmen Torres - before

Makeover Houston Carmen Torres - after

The entire country seems to be makeover crazy. Whether it's your house, garden or car, making something old new again is the hottest trend around and one Houston entrepreneur is hoping to cash in on makeover mania.

At Bio Silk Spa, women embark on unexpected journeys.

"I think I needed the push to get rid of the long 80's mall hair," said Julie Flynn, before her makeover.

When the 34-year-old decided she'd had enough of her big hair, she turned to Makeover Houston for help.

"I like to be innovative, cutting edge, but I don't like to reinvent the wheel," said Trent T. Daniel of Makeover Houston.

Daniel, who describes himself as a serial entrepreneur, is the man behind Makeover Houston, a magazine with a narrow focus.

"There's already a bandwagon coming through town. It's called makeover. And we decided to put our twist on it and Makeover Houston, here we are," said Daniel.

Carmen Torres was in the first edition of the magazine. She went from sort of blonde to definitely red and back again.

"It was refreshing, exhilarating to go in with one color hair and come out looking totally different," said Torres. "You're like, Wow!"

Wanting Julie Flynn to be completely satisfied with her transformation, a Mary Kay makeup artist spoke with her to get a better feel of what she liked. "Do you not like red? Do you not like pink? I want you to feel good about what we're doing. It's not just about us doing a makeover, it's about you loving what we do, as well."

Makeover Houston is the first magazine in the country to focus on makeovers, and there are already plans to spread makeover mania city by city. Houston was first. San Antonio and Dallas are next.

The concept is barely a month old, but already it's changing.

"We're at the point now where we're getting more extreme," said Daniel. "We're doing some cosmetic dental work, some plastic surgery and things like that. It's kind of got a life of its own."

"I've been peeking all along, so hopefully I can recreate it on my own," said Flynn.

After a few finishing touches, the bulbs flashed and the camera clicked. It was time for her close-up.