When Dawn Lytten, the winner of the Toledo Free Press New You Makeover Contest, walked into Salvatore Capelli Hair Spa & Beauty Lounge, her hair was L’Oréal’s Maple Brown. But when she left, her hair was a blond-flecked red that her hairdresser deemed “Boom Chicka Boom Boom.”

Lytten, a music teacher at Burroughs Elementary School in Toledo, was one of more than 50 entrants in the New You Makeover Contest organized by Toledo Free Press. Entrants described why they needed to start 2013 with a boost of confidence.

For her entry, Lytten wrote a poem:

“This year’s almost over and I’m in a rut

the makeup is saggy, the hair needs a cut./

Watching to see what this new year could bring a boost of confidence might be just the thing./

Look in the mirror and like what I see

makes life much easier, don’t you agree?/

I am a teacher and need to get through

the rest of the year, without being blue/

A smile on my face, a song in my heart

this new look afforded will be just that start./

Take that good feeling and share it each day

help make others happy will be my way./

I hope you will choose me, help in my quest

to wake up each morning and be my very best!”

“I thought, ‘Oh boy, this could be a good way to get started for the rest of the year.’ So I sat down and wrote a poem,” Lytten said. “I write a lot of little things for school so that’s where it comes from. Music has a lot of poetry in it.”

Cindi Britt, who has owned Salvatore Capelli for 12 years, restyled and cut Lytten’s short hair. She said haircuts and other services can improve a person’s confidence.

“It’s definitely a boost. Even every four or five weeks when my regular clients come in, it’s like they walk out walking on sunshine. They just feel more confident and happy. [Clients] get their little zing back in their step,” Britt said.

Natalie Pohorecki, the makeup artist for “Makeup Monday” segments on “WNWO Today” did Lytten’s makeup, which included airbrushed foundation. Makeup can make someone feel more confident about putting themselves out there, she said. Pohorecki, who has been doing makeup for 14 years, said she tried to give Lytten a makeup routine she could keep up with.

“I want to keep it easy and something she’ll be able to do every day,” she said.

Lytten, who also received a manicure/pedicure, teared up upon seeing her transformation.

“Oh my! I look so good, I’m gonna cry,” she exclaimed after the reveal. “Boy, my husband better take me to dinner tonight.”

Several community members partnered for the contest. Estate Jewelers donated a two-carat diamond and sterling tennis bracelet. Salvatore Capelli donated products and a purse in addition to the services provided. Hollywood Casino Toledo donated a dinner for two at Final Cut Steak & Seafood. Jennifer Volker, manager of the CHANEL counter for Dillard’s, also donated products.

For more information, visit bridalmakeupbynatalie.com and “Salvatore Capelli Hair Spa & Beauty Lounge” on Facebook.

Tags: Cindi Britt, Dawn Lytten, Estate Jewelers, Hollywood Casino, Natalie Pohorecki, Salvatore Capelli

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at 5:32 pm and is filed under Star.
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Karen Cassaubon and Carol Jones had never seen the inside of a casino.

But when Hollywood Casino opens — tentatively by the end of May — the two will be dealing blackjack to the hundreds of players who might come through the doors.

They took four-hour classes, five days a week for five weeks. They had to become familiar with cutting the deck just the right way and learning how to watch all of the players at the table. On May 3, they stood along with about 140 others for employee orientation, marking the end of strenuous training and the beginning of a steady job — something Cassaubon hasn’t had since summer. Jones had been unemployed for six months.

“I probably would have never even thought about it,” Cassaubon said, had funding cuts at the East Toledo Family Center not forced her layoff after 16 years of work.

Jones, 52, and Cassaubon, 44, said this is quite the career shift, and quite the shift for Toledo too.

“This is going to be wonderful for Toledo because it needs a kick in the butt,” Jones said.

The two join more than 1,300 others who are starting new jobs at the casino, picked out of a pool of 39,000 job seekers. About 90 percent of the applicants lived within the Toledo metropolitan area but the hiring crew saw applications from cities all around the country. Ninety percent of the people hired are locals, said Chrystal Herndon, vice president of human resources.

This week’s orientation was the seventh of nine. Before the presentation, the third floor of the Seagate Center was decked out with black and gold balloons. Speakers blared with the “Celebrate Good Times” song.

“We want people to understand they’re not going to be coming to a stuffy corporate environment,” Herndon said.

Personality was essential to scoring any of the casino jobs, as the management has noted in the past that the technical skills of dealing or serving can be taught, but charisma cannot.

Richard St. Jean, Hollywood Casino general manager, asked the employees at orientation what type of employees he would not tolerate.

“A**holes!” The crowd shouted.

With only a few remaining digital displays to finish, the casino’s interior is nearly complete. The management will learn in in about a week if the Ohio Casino Control Commission will approve the May 29 opening date, said Jason Birney, vice president of marketing.

The casino is still looking for about 100 more employees. Of the jobs they have filled, about 75 percent are full-time and 25 percent are part-time, Herndon said.

Twenty-three year old Shanice Sample barely stopped grinning before orientation started, saying she couldn’t wait to start work. She’ll be a model beverage server, meaning she’ll wear a bustier top, a short skirt and heels while serving drinks to patrons.

“I’m like — finally — we’ve got something fun to do in Toledo,” she said.

Tags: Caitlin McGlade, Chrystal Herndon, employee orientation, Hollywood Casino, Ohio Casino Control Commission, Richard St. Jean

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 11:08 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, Casinos, Community, Gaming.
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