'I feel like a movie star': Susan Boyle gets an incredible makeover by prestigious style bible Harper's Bazaar
By Lizzie Smith
Last updated at 1:09 AM on 07th August 2009
The word makeover just doesn't seem to do her justice.
Because Susan Boyle is a lady transformed. And while diehard fans may insist she was fine just as she was, something about her smile says she won't be going back to her old look.
The untamed eyebrows? Gone. The greying curls? Gone. The dowdy dresses? Gone.
What is left is a beautifully elegant 48-year-old woman clearly having the time of her life. Oh, and she can sing, too.
The prestigious style bible Harper's Bazaar - which is usually reserved for A-list actresses such as Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry - completely transformed the Scottish spinster for her first ever magazine photo shoot.
Gracing the pages of the publication is something a coup for the woman who had, until now, been dubbed the 'hairy angel' because of her frizzy tresses and bushy eyebrows.
A behind the scenes look at her shoot was broadcast on U.S. TV yesterday, showing a delighted Susan saying she 'felt like a movie star'.
Susan will feature in a large spread inside the September issue entitled Susan Boyle: Unsung Hero.
A smiling Susan said: 'It really made me feel like a Hollywood actress. Had my hair done up.'
Back in April, Amanda Holden dismissed the idea of Susan getting a new look.
'I won't let Simon Cowell take her to his dentist and I certainly won't let her near his hairdresser,' she said then.
'She needs to stay exactly as she is because that's the reason we love her. She just looks like anybody who could live on your street.
'The minute we turn her into a glamourpuss is when it's spoilt. For now we'll keep her exactly as she is because that's why we've all fallen in love with her.
'I think it's the underdog thing.'
But Susan, and the owner of her record label, Simon Cowell, must disagree.
Susan who has moved from her council house in Scotland to a West London flat, said her stint in the Priory in the aftermath of the show was a 'necessary thing'.
Now, she insisted, she was 'raring to go'.
A hairdresser, makeup artist and flattering lighting are credited with creating her spectacular new look. But the new confidence, it seems, is all her own.
Laura Brown, Harper's special projects editor, was interviewed on NBC's Today Show.
'The idea behind the shoot was a very, very simple one,' she said.
'It was to take gorgeous, glamorous and sensitive portraits of her. This was her first magazine photo shoot, so you can't do too much too soon.'
Susan became an overnight sensation when her audition for the show was put on YouTube, with hundreds of millions logging on to watch her sing.
'She came on to the stage and just transfixed us all,' said Brown.
'She's become a hero to a lot of people with dreams of stardom, or who maybe have a talent but have been too scared to express it.
'And I think everyone's heart soared when they saw her sing that day.
'I think Susan is getting more and more used to being in the spotlight and being on television and being photographed.
'Since April, you've seen her look just day to day become more polished and refined. And she's growing in her confidence with what she'll wear and how she'll be perceived.
'She actually did a little bit of moonwalking in her Giuseppe Zanotti heels at one point.
'What we did on our shoot was give her a little bit of a haircut, and that was it, and a little bit of a curl.
'And actually the shape of her hair is great. She's got a really lovely curl to it.
'So we just tidied it up a little bit and paired it with some natural makeup, and she looked great.'
For more visit www.harpersbazaar.com/susanboyle.
From the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1204569/Susan-Boyle-transformed-gets-glamorous-Hollywood-make--loves-it.html
