Hi, my name is Erin, and this is my style (aka ballet flats and a lot of denim).
And this is me with my super glam mom, Sheila. We've had very different styles since forever. (Note my mom's beautiful bling, and my hair tie as a bracelet, for example.)
My mom loves bling and hoop earrings, and she has never left the house without first putting on "her face" and at least a 2-inch heel. Whereas my style has always veered toward muted colors, no earrings (my ears aren't even pierced! Scandalous!), minimal makeup, and shoes that barely protect me from the floor.
To repurpose a line from the Olsen twins, "My mom's the cute one — I'm just her daughter."
So I agreed to let my mom do the one thing she's been dying to do since I hit puberty: give me a makeover.
My mom is my hero. She's beautiful and smart and gives kick-ass advice. So I let her transform my look to whatever she wanted — and I'd decide which look I preferred in the end, hers or mine.
But we have completely different tastes in clothing and makeup. And as such, I was super nervous to have her give me a makeover. My mom LOVES using a ton of products. Almost any time I'm home, one of her first objectives is to try and put more blush on me. I've always been resistant to her efforts, and letting her have control over how I look was more than a little scary for me. (Would she pierce my ears?! Do clip-on hoop earrings even exist?!)
My normal makeup routine: Some blush (though not as much as my mom would like), under-eye concealer, and ChapStick. It takes me about five minutes in total.
My mom's makeup makeover: My mom put more makeup on me than I've literally ever had on my face; foundation, blush, bronzer, setting powder, mascara, lip gloss, eye brightener, eye liner, and eyeshadow. Admittedly, I thought this would take significantly longer, but it took all of 10 minutes.
Overall thoughts: Looking at these photos is like seeing the before shot and the photoshopped version — except it's not Photoshop, it's MAKEUP. I have to admit that my mom was right when she said, "You look so wide-awake!" after her makeover. I do look Katy Perry–level WIDE. AWAKE. My skin looks even, my eyes are brighter, and you can barely see my dark under-eye circles. While I won't use all of the products she put on me, that eye brightener changed my life. I never thought I'd admit this, but my mom wins on the makeup front.
Mom: 1, Me: 0
My work outfit: I rarely wear heels. They hurt my feet. And I’m a little lazy, if I’m being honest. The jean jacket is something I wear almost every day, mainly because it’s comfortable.
My Mom’s work outfit: I was pleasantly surprised that my mom let me keep the jeans and the white top — I’ve accomplished something! My mom added in some leopard print heels and a black blazer, both of which she bought me explicitly for this makeover.
Overall thoughts: Sigh. My mom made such subtle changes, and yet her work outfit just absolutely crushes mine. In my work outfit, I could be going anywhere — a grocery store, a hoedown...who knows. But my mom’s actually looks professional. Like I should be in important meetings, taking calls, or something.
Mom: 2, Me: 0
My casual outfit: A soft (seriously, I wish they had touch-o-vision, because it's so soft!) gray sweater, jeans, and ballet flats. Perfect for Netflix, pizza, and chill.
My Mom's casual outfit: My mom used pre-existing clothes for this one — some army green pants, an animal print sweater, and wedges she bought me aeons ago and I've never worn. I would've never paired all of these items together; it was like watching witchcraft happen.
Overall thoughts: Looking at these photos makes me realize how much I wear these ballet flats. I'm starting to hate them. And while I can't deny that my mom's outfit is cuter than what I chose, this is also an outfit that looks the most like something my mom would wear. I don't hate it, but would I watch Netflix in it? Probably not. Heels and Netflix aren't a match made in casual heaven.
Mom: 2, Me: 1
My dressy outfit: Dressy = lots of color, in my book. Still no heels, just those ballet flats that I won't ever wear again, after this experiment.
My mom’s dressy outfit: This outfit was so far out of my comfort zone that at one point I left my body and went to another, less hot-pink dimension. I definitely let out a guffaw when I first saw the dress — it's way too femme for me — but I didn't complain, per the rules. All of these items were new and bought by my mom for this very occasion — a drop-waist fuchsia dress, silver sequined jacket, and black peep-toe heels.
Overall thoughts: When I put on my mom's outfit, I felt like I had to go somewhere fancy, because where else could I wear this without feeling completely overdressed?! Mom's choice had it all: color, lace, bling, and some major heels. What can I say — my mom's look is fancier, no doubt about it. Would I personally wear this, or buy it from a store? No, but who am I to deny the frill of lace? And hot damn, I look cute in it.
Mom: 3, Me: 1
