makeovers

In Makeover Diaries, women tell the stories of their real-life beauty transformations. When Jael Gardiner, a college student from Michigan, started losing weight and taking the time to look her best, it not only changed her appearance -- it changed her life.

Being the fat girl is never fun. In fact, it's humiliating. Try being an 18-year-old college student who can only shop at Lane Bryant. I was the girl who wore sweatpants from Target, neglected my hair and never bothered with makeup. At 210 pounds, mirrors made me cringe.

I decided to make myself over the day I realized my size 18 pants were too snug and my mother's size 20 sweats were just right. I was horrified. I forced myself to look at the acne covering my face, my listless hair, and the rolls that hung in the most unflattering places.

How did I do it? I limited my calories and took up jogging. It took me eight months to lose 60 pounds. I can shop wherever I want now. Once I hit my goal of 150, I saved up some money and went wild. I bought jeans from Wet Seal -- skinny jeans, in fact. I bought a cute pair of suede boots, a V-neck top and a sparkly necklace. For the first time in my life I was a size 9.

Once I had the outfit, I moved on to my hair. I bought some nice shampoo, conditioner and a straightener. Before, my hair was randomly curly, with bumps that always made me look like I just woke up. The new straightener and some vitamin E serum made it pretty and shiny. I got some jeweled bobby pins and arranged them in my hair. I didn't just feel pretty -- I felt like a princess!

Time to tackle my skin. With an Acne Free kit, my skin dramatically improved improved in a little over a week. Now I was ready to give makeup a try. I bought Maybelline mousse foundation and I love it. It hides all of the little imperfections on my face and goes on smooth without making the acne worse. It was very breathable and looked great even on my vampire-pale skin. I picked out some cheap dollar eyeliner and volumizing mascara from Revlon. Just that made my eyes pop and it was very simple and pretty. To finish it off I bought some Revlon pink blush and it brought some color to my pale face.

At the end, I looked great. Some of my professors at school no longer even recognized me. My friends' mouths gaped open at my new look. I've had people almost start crying when they saw me. It was a long, hard journey, but now I'm not just beautiful, I'm healthy. I will always be proud of everything I have accomplished and promise to never neglect myself again.

Got a makeover story you'd like to share? Visit Seed.com to find out how you can contribute.

Allyson Donovan, the 32-year-old victor of the E! network's controversial series "Bridalplasty," may be the only winner of a reality-television competition to celebrate by getting cut.

Yet Donovan, an unemployed graphic designer and mother of 3-year-old Mason, did exactly that, having plastic surgery on her arms, chin, jowls and flanks (she calls them "woman handles") and a breast lift before walking down the aisle to greet longtime love John for a dream wedding paid for by the production.

For Donovan, who beat nine competitors -- including conniving runner-up Janessa Wainwright -- her post-surgical suffering was nothing compared with the celebrity-style wedding the show bankrolled. She was also treated to a total smile makeover. "It was well worth it!" she tells us.

For her big day, Donovan married at a stunning California coastal estate, outfitted in a Avant Mariée Katarina by Winnie Couture strapless gown, Chinese Laundry stilettos and custom wedding bands by Jason of Beverly Hills. Her face was heavily veiled until she reached the altar for her big reveal.

StyleList checked in with the Crestwood, Ill., native, who suffers from type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes, about her big day and new look.

Here's some of our chat:

StyleList: Your husband, John, loved you enough to propose. Why did you feel you had to change?
Allyson Donovan: When I first met John, I was in the best shape of my life. I was finally down to a size 6 and happier than ever. I had pretty much been overweight my entire life and finally lost all my weight. Together, we had our miracle son, Mason, but with that came the dreaded postpregnancy flubber-blubber belly and weight gain. So now I had the insecurities of my body along with the insecurities of my teeth. I think it stems back to my childhood and being overweight.

StyleList: So why compete?
A.D.: I just wanted what a lot of women that are in their 30s that have had children want: to lose the baby weight, get rid of the belly pouch, erase wrinkles and have boobs that don't sag down to your belly button. And I was given the chance to compete for it for free. Come on! Does anyone know how much veneers cost?


StyleList: Which procedure was most worth it?
A.D.: My new smile, which was the most difficult. I had to make numerous trips to Dr. (Sherri) Worth to get a mouthful of veneers, bad molars pulled, old crowns replaced, old bonding removed and implants. John loves when I smile and now when I smile, it literally lights up the room. Another is my breast lift. I had always been insecure about my breasts. I just wanted them to look like breasts and not pancakes that I could roll up in my bra. I had the right size. I just needed the right shape.

StyleList: You had more than a dozen surgical procedures on your competition wish list, but decided not to have all of them. Why did you change your mind?
A.D.: Realistically, I am a type 1 diabetic, so having all those surgeries would be a big risk to take. So I decided to try and lose weight with the help of a personal trainer, countless hours in the gym, boot camps and weight-loss meal plans. The producers of "Bridalplasty" and E! were more than supportive of my decision and replaced half my wish list with all the options I needed for healthy weight loss. I decided I no longer needed skin resurfacing or a brow lift because the amazing Revaléskin facial products we received on the show worked wonders!

StyleList: Were you nervous seeing your fiancé and family at the altar after living in seclusion for months while you had your makeover?
A.D.: Nervous? I was nervous about not falling on my rear end walking down the aisle blind in those 2-foot stiletto heels I decided to wear. I was anxious for my fiancé to see that I did not get all this crazy facial plastic surgery, even though I assured him that was not what I wanted, but he was nervous having read things on the Internet... To my surprise, he had lost a ton of weight and did a transformation himself. I remember hearing cheers and clapping, but I was in shock seeing him; he looked so clean, healthy and fit. I'm surprised I did not faint.

Speaking of drastic reality makeovers, read about how Heidi Montag feels about all that plastic surgery she had in 2010.

And for more on "Bridalplasty" read our interview with Donovan's fellow contestant, former "The Biggest Loser" competitor Alexandra White.

In Makeover Diaries, women tell the stories of their real-life beauty transformations. A bout of Bell's Palsy made Roey Ebert's eyes uneven. She thought they would be that way forever, until she discovered Botox -- and reclaimed her self-esteem.

I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. I got out of the shower, looked in the mirror, and realized my whole left side of my face was paralyzed. My lip drooped dramatically downward and my eye just stared. My tongue hung awkwardly out of the side of my mouth and drool ran down my cheek. I was horrified and terrified at the same time. I was 18 and the senior prom was days away. My mom took one look at me and knew what was wrong.

"Bell's Palsy," she said.

I had always been told I had gorgeous eyes. Now I couldn't even stand to look at them. The palsy made them crooked and droopy. I could not eat. It turned me into a shy, quiet girl -- something I'd never been before.

Even after I regained full use of my face, my eyes were never the same. The left was definitely smaller than the right. Yet, life carried on. Twenty years and five kids later, I had no time to fixate on how I looked. Bell's Palsy was a thing of my past, and I never had to worry about it again. Or so I thought.

When I was pregnant with my sixth child in 2009, my left eye started twitching. It got worse and worse, and when I went to see my family doctor I learned I had contracted Bell's Palsy a second time. I had to hold my cheek to keep it still. Then an opthalmologist recommended I see an ocular plastic surgeon for Botox.

What? Botox? I didn't understand. Apparently, Botox was developed to help stroke victims and people with palsy. It helps calm the contractions of the nerves. On my first visit, he said I was the ideal candidate. Not only could it help the twitching, he said, the Botox would open up my eye and make the eye more even with the right one. I couldn't believe it. There was actually something that would help me. I recieved the most minor of doses all around my left eye. Within three days, my eye had opened up and the twitching had subsided. I couldn't stop looking at myself.

For 20 years it had been my dream to have my eyes back to normal and these injections made it possible. I felt like I had gotten a part of my life back. I could finally stop thinking about my face. I'd gone blonde for a while to keep the focus off my eyes, but now I went back to my natural dark hair. I try to accent my eyes instead of hiding them, using a black liner on the top and a dark brown on the inner lids. I dress in solid colors, like navy blue and emerald green, to play up my blue-green eyes. I used to dress mainly in black, with sunglasses from early morning to past dusk.

I go back every 4 months for injections. Sometimes people in the waiting room snicker when they hear me say I am here for Botox injections. But I don't care. Ironically, Botox has helped me have a life where what I look like is not the first thought for my day.

Got a makeover story you'd like to share? Visit Seed.com to find out how you can contribute.

In our monthly Post Your Face column, Dr. Robert Freund answers readers' cosmetic surgery questions, and shows them how they'd look if they underwent the enhancement. To post your own face, visit postyourface.com.

The Patient's Question: I like the way I look in profile and 3/4 view, but when I look straight on, it is apparent that my face is unaligned. I was told by an oral surgeon that I could undergo a procedure that would realign my jaw, but I would have to get braces again. I feel like my jaw is unaligned and as a result my face tried to compensate by pulling to a side (the left), which resulted in my jaw line being more rounded on the right side of my face and to sort of hit lower on my face, and less pronounced on the left side of my face. My chin and my nose seem to sort of pull to the left side of my face as well, giving me a deviated septum look that occurred naturally. I also feel like my chin is too long when viewed from the front. And I am also a little annoyed with the small bump in my nose, the fact that the bridge of my nose sort of curves to the left. Also I feel like my upper lip is almost non-existent, and that I would like it to match up to my lower lip.

Dr. Freund's Answer: I agree with your concerns regarding the chin. From the photos, it is apparent that your chin is long and pointed to the left. These distortions can be the result of:

1. An irregular bite. Teeth that don't come together properly.

2. Irregular bone growth of the jaw, whereby bone grows in an asymmetric fashion.

3. Problems of the TemperoMandibular Joint (TMJ)- this is the hinge joint that allows the jaw to open and close.

4. Asymmetrical soft tissue of the face. Overlying the bones is fat, muscle and skin. There are several problems that result in a growth of excess tissue or a loss of tissue – in each case the asymmetry would look similar to yours.

Quite often, the problem can be the result of several of these problems occurring at once. In any case, after a thorough exam by a plastic surgeon trained in orthognathic surgery, most treatments involve a combination of dental work (including braces), as well as, surgery to correct the jaw asymmetry and excessive length of your jaw. For any doctor taking on a case like yours, there should be a team of doctors that work in concert. Most teams will have an orthodontist and a plastic surgeon working together. Don't jump to have this surgery unless you research your physicians and be certain that this is the type of procedure that they perform routinely.

I have altered your photo through computer animation to demonstrate the kind of improvement you could expect from such a surgery. In the after photo, I only manipulated the lower jaw and chin. It is quite apparent that such a change creates a beautiful balance to the rest of your face.

Although your problem is specific and unique, for any other facial concerns regarding skin care or plastic surgery, please refer to my new book, "A More Beautiful You – Reverse Aging through Skincare, Plastic Surgery and Lifestyle Solutions."

Respectfully submitted,

Robert M. Freund, MD, FACS.

The health or medical information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions.

Read about common cosmetic surgery and procedures on AOL Health.

Also check out 10 signs plastic surgery isn't for you.

In Makeover Diaries, women tell the stories of their real-life beauty transformations. This week, Leslie Wyatt, a freelance writer and mom of six from rural Missouri, decided that turning 50 was the perfect excuse to update a long-neglected style.

There I was, happily married, and frankly, not trying to keep up with contemporary fashions. I was just too busy to care, philosophically opposed to trying to look like everyone else, and my rural Missouri community was itself years behind in the fashion world. I drifted along with my closet full of jumpers, long skirts, and nondescript pants, not exactly happy with my look, but more focused on my to-do list.

But as gray hairs began to appear and my kids grew up, I would look at myself in the mirror and sigh. I didn't like what I saw. Didn't like it much at all. Then I turned 50, and realized it was time to do something. I wanted - I needed - a different style. I wanted to look like myself, only better.

First, the hair. Being an "I-am-who-I-am" type of person, I just couldn't see dyeing the gray. But with a little web research on my hair type - natural curl with a tendency to frizz - and a few pictures, I headed to Fantasy Cuts of Clinton, Missouri, for a shorter, layered cut. This freed up some curl, and stopped my hair from lying like a board down the back of my head. I walked out feeling well on my way to a new look.

Next, I reclaimed makeup. During the back-to-nature 80's, I'd tossed my Mary Kay and never glanced back. But I was ready to try again. I didn't want to disguise who I was, but I my lips were pale, my eyes seemed like they'd retreated and my nose looked pink. So I visited Bare Escentuals in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, and returned home armed with BareMinerals brand "Fairly Light" foundation powder, a container of "Warmth" for a bit of color on my cheekbones, and a set of brushes to apply them. Finances being on the tight side, I opted for "Blushed Wines" ColorStay eyeshadow from Revlon, "Rose Velvet" Super Lustrous Creme Lipstick, again from Revlon, and HelthyVolume black-brown mascara from Neutrogena, all found at my local Wal-Mart.

At last, it was time to target my wardrobe, and I have to credit my husband with the idea that launched me. "Hey," he said casually. "I'll bet those shorter skirts with leggings would look cute on you." I hadn't exposed my knees under a skirt since high school! But the idea took root, and before long, I was back in Wal-Mart gathering cropped skirts in denim, twill, and corduroy; tanks for layering; and tights both cropped and long. They would form the beginnings of my new look.

The result? An updated style to which I've added my own flair. It reflects how good I feel about myself and my life: I've got a lot yet to live, kids still to keep up with, and an active writing career to follow. For better or worse, some people relate to me differently now, treating me with more respect, though I definitely enjoy hearing my 25-year-old daughter say, "I hope I look as good as you do when I'm 50!" And most of all, I love looking in the mirror and being able to smile at what I see.

Got a makeover story you'd like to share? Visit Seed.com to find out how you can contribute.

Watch the video below for expert styling tips on how to dress for your age and body type!