Aunt Ning had already booked an appointment at her favorite parlor, that was just a few minutes drive away from her mansion.
'Celebrity Glam Parlor'.. was the finest and the most expensive parlor in the world.. an award-winning urban beauty wonderland located in the heart of Shanghai. The only nine star parlor in the world- with hundreds of sophisticated treatment rooms, many plush relaxation areas, next-gen private wellness consultation rooms, massive grooming lounges and sumptuous Champagne bars, 'Celebrity Glam Parlor' was a haven for relaxation, rejuvenation, re-connection and.. transformation.
As Lina and aunt Ning entered the beauty wonderland, they were greeted by a gorgeous receptionist who escorted them to a grooming lounge that was booked for Lina. As two of them walked towards the lounge, aunt Ning shared her words of wisdom with Lina.
"Lina, always remember that your hairstyle speaks for you, even when you don't say a thing. Have a long, curly, blonde mane? The world's going to see you differently than someone with a straight, ombré coif. You might think that your hairstyle is something that is intensely personal, but it's also totally public," explained Ning as she signaled Lina to proceed for the haircut.
"Aunty, what do you suggest? Can we discuss before I do this?" requested Lina.
"Don't use your brain. I have already talked to the make-up artist. Just sit down and relax. I know everything that the man loves," winked Ning. "Your hair should not get disheveled.. even for once.. when you are in front of the man," instructed Ning as the makeup man begin to cut Lina's long and heavily volumed crimson colored hair. "A new trend I've been seeing all over the Red Carpet lately is the slicked back, straight hair look. That's what they are going to give you," Ning revealed as she smiled at Lina.
Lina could not bear to see her hair volume being thinned out and she closed her eyes and let the makeup artist do the thing. The hair cut was followed by hair rebonding to tame her wavy and thick hair. This was further followed by Japanese straightening to condition the hair.
After a few hours, Lina was given skin cleansing treatments, facials, manicure and pedicure. After the cleansing procedures, she was escorted to a plush relaxation room, where a beauty expert was to do the final make up, along with teaching Lina, the various make-up techniques, that she could use to glam her up at her home.
"Miss! I will tell you about the skin care and makeup techniques now. Once you gain perfection in these, you don't need to spend a ton of time in getting a glam look on daily basis," said the make-up artist as he began to wash Lina's face with a clay facial cleaner. "First, I will tell you about the steps to clean your skin. These steps will ensure that your skin is ready for makeup," continued the makeup man.
Clay facial cleansing was followed by facial scrubbing and skin moisturizing.
The tutorial continued for an hour. Lina was taught about everything that she needed to know to get a glam look - using a primer and a color correcting concealer, applying a flesh-toned concealer, using a foundation, bronzer, blush and a highlighter. The face makeup tutorial was followed by an eyes and lips makeup tutorial. Lina learnt everything about the art of using eyebrow pencils, eye shadows, eyeliners, and mascaras, which was followed by a lip liner and a lipstick tutorial.
"Once you've prepped your lips with liner, go ahead and swipe on your lipstick shade of choice. With so many different colors and formulas available, the possibilities are basically endless!" said the makeup artist as he demonstrated everything that he said.. on Lina's face.
The session ended with a 'makeup removal' tutorial. "Don't hop into bed without taking your makeup off first. Sleeping in your makeup can lead to clogged pores—and clogged pores can lead to breakouts," warned the artist. "I am not removing your makeup at the moment. Mrs. Ning wants you to get used to the new look," winked the makeup artist.
Aunt Ning was more than happy to see - the transformed Lina. "Look at you! You look like a model. I'm pretty sure that even your own family would not be able to recognize you" complemented Ning.
"Hmm.. I don't know," hesitated Lina.
"Girl! Be ready to turn heads when you walk down the street," laughed Ning.
Aunt Ning paid for all the services and the products that Lina would be needing for her daily makeup. Both of them walked out of the beauty wonderland. Lina was stunned at the bill amount that was prepared by the parlor receptionist. But, she had no reason to complain.
Come! I'll drop you," offered aunt Ning, and both of them got into the car.
"Lina, I've already arranged for the exit of the man's present personal assistant. Tomorrow would be her last day at the office. You will join the office from day after tomorrow," smiled Ning.
"Oh! Do you think I'm ready?" asked Lina.
"Yes! But, there's just one thing that you forget always. Smile!" reminded Ning.
Ning dropped Lina at her home. Olivia, Bob and grandmother failed to recognize Lina at first sight. They were mighty surprised at this massive transformation of hers.
While Lina, had always been the cutest girl of this world, she now looked as the cutest and the most glamorous girl of this world. A few days of the training had changed her totally - her hair, her makeup, the dressing style, her way of walking.. and most importantly.. she had learnt to keep a smile on her face for most of the times.