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Reaching Perfection

Grand Finale at Waters Edge on February 5:

The Perfect show to select ‘Mr. Perfect’ and ‘Ms. Perfect’ is one of the most-looked-forward to events to come out since recent times where the ‘complete person’ will be selected by a reputed panel of judges.

Michelle Vanlangenberg

Michelle Vanlangenberg - official Cosmetologist/Hair & Make- up partner for Ms. & Mr. Perfect explains her role in glamourising its contestants.

Following her almost decade-long stay in the UK - where she diligently pursued learning and practising the fine art of cosmetology, hair and beauty, it didn’t take Michelle very long to carve a niche as a beautician ever since she settled back in Sri Lanka. Today, she takes stage as official cosmetologist for Ms. & Mr Perfect - a pageant with a difference that will come alive on February 5, 2011 at The Waters Edge.

Ten young ladies will be handed over to the complete care of Michelle and her team so that they look their best-ever as they take centre stage during the first week in February. Led by Michelle, they will uphold the objective of looking beyond superficial beauty, personality and shape, Michelle elaborates that her role in this event is to transform the finalists from mere girls to glamorous ladies of perfection, to fit the theme and concept of the pageant.

“This pageant is about transforming an every-day girl to a glamorous lady”, enthuses Michelle. “For this, I will allocate individual time slots for every contestant so that I may advise them in what areas that require special attention”, she explains. During these personal appointments, each contestant will be advised on the correct technique of skin care, grooming, personal hygiene, nutrition and make up. When inquired as to what observable difference of the average Sri Lankan lady’s approach to grooming is, since her return to the country, Michelle observes that there is definitely a keen interest and focus towards personal care but cautions that what is lacking is the awareness of selecting the right kind of product or treatment to suit each requirement. “It is not uncommon to see ladies purchasing any skin care product from the shelves of supermarkets, without really knowing if the product is suited for their requirement”, she says. To address this issue, she says, each contestant will be given an orientation on identifying their skin type, selecting the right kind of skin care products, the application of personal make up and the colours that best suit their skin tones as well as application techniques that will enhance their features the best.

Michelle explains that addressing skin flaws such as marks, patches and scars will not be pushed to the back seat. “This pageant is about discovering Ms. Perfect. For this reason, my mission is to make each girl a fine specimen of perfection.

In addition to beauty, my team and I will set to work on advising and creating for them effective hair care routines, recommendations on suited hair colour and aftercare as well as styles that would best suit them. Most often than not, we see how an ill-suited hairstyle plays down on the beauty of a woman”, she says.

Tips on personal hygiene and presentation techniques will be added to the entire rounds of preparation for the pageant. As such, advice on selecting the right type of clothes and colours, accessories and tasteful make up application will be areas that Michelle will focus on. This will go hand-in-hand in imparting the benefits of proper nutrition and the need for nutritional supplements, as well as the consumption of natural foods and plenty of water to remain hydrated. “Most of our girls in general consume far too many fast foods and have entwined it into their lifestyles for the reason of convenience. Little do they realise that over time, this not only affects their waistlines but also skin quality and general wellness”, she says.

Michelle draws attention that this is a pageant - and not just a ramp show where each and every participant will be given the common treatment of make up and hairstyles and differentiates the two contrastingly: “This is about getting each and everything just perfect”, she explains. “Even proper oral care counts here”, she elaborates. “My team and I will certainly be scrutinizing each contestant”, she smiles. “What we want to establish is an attitude to grooming and that is long-term and will continue even after the event”, she says. Michelle goes on to explain that the sensible approach is to go by the adage ‘prevention is better than cure’. A proper grounding will enhance presentation skills which will for certain positively impact on each contestant’s level of confidence, self assurance and is likely to create a whole new standard when it comes to beauty and wellness, elaborates Michelle. Assisted by her team, she will go into the minutiae of gauging each contestant’s personalities and preferences before final recommendations for the pageant.