Got a New Look

"We were children of the ’60s,” says Doni–Mae Rauch, describing her and her husband’s style prior to meeting makeover guru Christopher Hopkins. “When we met, Steve was a rock ’n’ roll musician and I was a flower child. We both had long hair. Somewhere along the line that look stopped working for us.”

By January 2008, Doni–Mae was certain she needed a change. “I was standing in front of the mirror and saw my mother looking back at me,” she says. “I didn’t have anybody to help me find where the real me had gone. Then one morning I was watching a local TV station and saw Christopher talking about women over forty-five. He was saying some of the same things I was saying to myself, that the real me had gotten lost in the shuffle.”

With the wedding of their oldest son fast approaching, the Rauches visited reVamp! salonspa in Uptown for Doni–Mae’s first consultation. “I was just supposed to be the chauffeur,” says Steve. “I was standing in the lobby at this swanky salon, wearing my jeans and flannel shirt, hair hanging down. Christopher looked at me and goes, ‘I could do you too.’ ”

After thirty-four years of marriage, Doni–Mae and Steve decided to update their looks together. Both received highlights and flattering new haircuts. They learned new ways to care for their skin. Both were advised on which wardrobe colors worked best with their hair and skin tones.

The makeover prompted the Rauches to reevaluate other aspects of their lives. Doni–Mae got a bright new smile with porcelain veneers. Both began eating healthier and working out regularly. Steve’s sleep apnea slowly went away. By their son’s wedding in August 2008, the couple had shed a combined seventy pounds. “There was a lot of jaw-dropping,” Doni–Mae recalls. “It was fun to see friends doing double takes.”

It’s been a year since they said goodbye to their old ’60s style, and the Rauches aren’t looking back. Their new looks—along with their fresh outlook on life—are here to stay.