Cindy after and before her transformation - WOW !

Bracknell News Makeover Competition

November 26th saw the culmination of the Bracknell News and Appledore Makeover Competition, with the winner’s new look unveiled in front of family and friends and the makeover team at Bentalls shopping centre, Bracknell.

In June, Cindy Alexander, 29, beat hundreds of applicants to win the makeover worth up to £20,000, including extensive dental treatment from The Appledore Dental and Beauty Clinic in Bracknell.

Mother of 2 year old Isabel, Cindy had long suffered from low self esteem and was particularly self-conscious about her teeth as she explains:

‘I can’t remember the last time I smiled in photographs. I’ve always been self-conscious about my teeth and a bad experience at the dentist when I was younger meant that I avoided dental treatment which compounded the problem. Having a baby also made me feel quite isolated and without the status which comes with a job I started to lack confidence in the wider world. With Isabel due to start nursery in January, winning this competition has given me the confidence I need for the new phase of my life.’

Since winning the competition, Cindy has undergone extensive dental work with The Appledore Clinic, one of the UK’s leading dental and beauty clinics, with dental work totalling nearly £20,000.

Teresa Day, Clinical Director of The Appledore Clinic, and Cindy’s dentist,says:
‘Cindy was a very nervous patient when I first saw her. We first treated her with sedation but as the treatment progressed and Cindy started to trust us, she relaxed and was able to have her work done without sedation.’
Cindy’s treatment started with correction of her bite and widening of her jaw. She was fitted with an appliance which slowly widened the back of her upper jaw and following months saw her have two fillings, an ALF appliance fitted and removed, a tooth pulled, five temporary crowns fitted and removed, five provisional crowns fitted and impressions taken for an Invisalign invisible brace which was fitted just before the unveil. Cindy will need to complete the Invisalign treatment to fully align her teeth before her final crowns are fitted.

As well as her regular visits to The Appledore Clinic, Cindy also visited Rachel McGuiness of Absolutely Fabulous personal training. Rachel developed a healthy eating plan and advised on exercises to help Cindy tone up. Rachel also used coaching and NLP techniques to help Cindy with her confidence.

During the final stages of her makeover Cindy was visited by stylist Emma Tennant who worked closely with Cindy to really get to know her personal fashion preferences and personality.

The big reveal, which took place at Bentalls department store in Bracknell on Thursday 26th November, followed a day of pampering with an expert team. Sam Grimes, Regis Hair and Beauty Manager, within Bentalls, coloured, cut and styled Cindy’s hair and Melinda Blackall, Clarins Consultant, took care of Cindy’s make-up.

Cindy was also presented with an outfit to the value of £250, a Radley handbag and purse courtesy of Bentalls and a Clarins hamper worth over £250. Her friends and family were also treated to winter refreshments, compliments of Bentalls, after the reveal.

Cindy is delighted with the results:

‘Winning this competition has changed my life. I feel so much more confident now and my friends and family have really noticed the difference. For the first time, I feel confident about myself. I’m so grateful to everyone who was involved in the make over and thanks to the team at Appledore, I’ve finally got my smile back!’