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Helping Hands: Unspoken Heroes

By Kristen Colapinto

In a world obsessed with superheroes and celebrity stardom, we often overlook the
everyday heroes walking among us. The men and women who, despite facing some of life’s
biggest obstacles, manage to pick themselves up and go out into the world and make it a
better place.

Recently, I had the privilege of spending some time with several women at Bottomless
Closet where Derek Warburton of DerekLovesShopping.com held a workshop for women who are re-entering the work force or seeking jobs for the first time. Many of these women are escaping abusive relationships or other hardships and are working diligently to repair
their lives while seeking out a brighter future.

Watching Derek speak was inspirational and motivating and at some point in the night more than a few tears were shed. Many of the women attending the workshop were in places where they felt broken and Derek was able to use his own life experience to help them begin to heal. One of Derek’s key points was how important it is to use past experiences to push
forward. He told the women that “In a world where we are all discriminated against, let’s
make it work!”

And make it work they did! Derek shared his styling tips with the women, specifically
about how to dress when applying for a job. He answered questions like how much color is
appropriate and how to tell the difference between business casual and business attire.
His advice was to stick to basics like black, grey and white but to add a POP of color
with an accessory such as a big scarf. He also showed some enthusiasm for the 3rd floor
of Macy’s Department store where women of all sizes can shop. The most important thing to
keep in mind when shopping? Fit. “It’s all about measuring” Derek told the ladies.

One last note — keep the perfume on the bathroom shelf! It is not appropriate to wear
perfume to the office where it can be overwhelming to co-workers, a boss or more
importantly, a future boss — you never know who might be allergic!

Achelle Dunaway, of Elf Cosmetics, was on hand to offer tips on applying make-up. Using
vegan friendly products — with no animal testing, Achelle offered her advice on how to
create a fresh look perfect for the workforce. “Less is more” Achelle said, “The goal is
to create the best you possible”.

Achelle practiced a few of her make-up tricks on the women and brushed upon a few topics
that are often overlooked such as the eyelashes and eyebrows. “Curling your lashes really
opens up the eye, if you rest your elbow on a table it will give you the steadiness you
need to really do a good job”. Achelle told the ladies. Also, “Start all the way at the
base and count to five, then move the curler up a bit and curl again — a good tip is to
heat the eyelash curler under a hairdryer for ten seconds”. For the eyebrows- “Tinted
mascara works for structuring the brow arch.”