Member Advice on Makeover and Photo Session

I love entering competitions - I always have and I am pretty lucky in them. However, there are some companies that can use competitions as a way to 'trick' you into buying certain products or services and I know because I was caught out when I was 18.

One day I had a phone call, a very cheery lady told me I had won a makeover in a competition from a card I had returned to them. Ooh lovely I think……she explains I haven't won the first ...
...but I have won a runners up prize…..a free makeover. Right ok well I suppose it's still a free makeover and I've always wanted to look like a glamorous film star so we arrange a date that the big event will take place.

At this point I was still living with my parents in Hastings and the makeover was taking place in London, just off Oxford Street and was being done by a firm called 'Cover Shots International'. They sent me a brochure ... more

I love entering competitions - I always have and I am pretty lucky in them. However, there are some companies that can use competitions as a way to 'trick' you into buying certain products or services and I know because I was caught out when I was 18.

One day I had a phone call, a very cheery lady told me I had won a makeover in a competition from a card I had returned to them. Ooh lovely I think……she explains I haven't won the first prize which was a makeover and full portfolio of pictures but I have won a runners up prize…..a free makeover. Right ok well I suppose it's still a free makeover and I've always wanted to look like a glamorous film star so we arrange a date that the big event will take place.

At this point I was still living with my parents in Hastings and the makeover was taking place in London, just off Oxford Street and was being done by a firm called 'Cover Shots International'. They sent me a brochure and it all looked very fancy, I would get my hair styled and my make up done and various pictures taken in different poses using different props. They showed some examples off before and afters in the brochure and I was really quite excited.

They said I could take with me any special jewellery that I might like to wear or anything like hats or scarves etc. I didn't really have anything that I was that bothered about in the way of jewellery but I did have a top and a dress that I wanted to wear so I took those with me.

So after a few weeks wait the big day arrived. I caught the train to London bright and early and arrived at the Cover Shots studio. The explained what they would do and how the day would go, they basically would do my make up and hair and then I would come the photo shoot.

The make up artist did my make up, it looked ok but not great and to be honest I really think I probably could've done it better myself. It wasn't over the top but looked pretty natural my hair however I thought looked a mess! They did a couple of shots with it up and then the rest with it down.

The used swags of material to create the impression I was wearing certain kinds of tops, so in one set of pictures they used a electric blue piece of shiny metallic material to make it look like I was wearing a posh evening dress when I was actually stood in my bra - that was slightly disconcerting at age 18 standing in your undies amongst a load of people taking pictures of you!

They used big clip on dangly earrings on me to create a dramatic look and then other clip on earrings which were more sparkly. They draped me with feather boas, they put me in a big leather jacket with a sheepskin lining, and then they took pictures of me wearing the outfit I had taken with me.

Then I was told to go and have my make up taken off, get dressed back into the clothes in which I had arrived and asked to come back in about 4 hours so they could get the proofs ready for me to look at. Now being that their studio was right off Oxford Street what was I going to do in those 4 hours????? That's right what any 18 year old girl would do - go shopping!!!!! I asked if I could leave the make up on whilst I went shopping but they told me that if I went out into the daylight wearing the make up they had applied I would look like a clown which worried me somewhat - apparently it's because the make up they apply is really heavy to make it look better in the photographs. So I gave in and let them take it all off before I went traipsing down Oxford Street.

By this time I was pretty hungry, they had given me a drink during the morning but they don't give you any food even though you are there from 10am until about 5pm. So first thing on my agenda was to get something to eat as after all that preening and posing I was famished.

So I waltzed around the shops, grabbed some food and then returned at 4pm as asked. I was then taken into a room where they projected the images onto a white screen on the wall. There were a lot of pictures - I don't know how many in total I think about 30, not all of them were that great. As you would imagine I had blinked in some of them or my hand wasn't placed right or the pose looked bit rubbish but I think that would happen to anyone if you took 30 pictures of them in a row.

They asked me to pick out some of my favourites. I ended up with about 15 that I thought were ok and about 10 of those I really liked. Then came the shock!........

Now as my prize was only for the makeover I wasn't entitled to any free pictures but obviously I could buy them if I so wished. Hmmmm how much I asked? I almost fell of the chair when he told me!

The smallest size was 10 x 8" and those were priced at £65 each and then they went up to a massive poster sized picture which I didn't dare ask how much would cost! The man explained that if I bought an album which had 8 pictures in then they would offer me a discount - the actual price picture for picture was £520 but they would do it for £400 but to take advantage of that price I would have to say yes there and then. I asked if I could have a certain amount of time to think about it but they said due to the high numbers of people they have going in they cannot keep proofs for longer than a few days as they didn't have the storage space.

What shall I do? Like a fool I bought an album. £400 on pictures! To this day my mum still doesn't know how much they cost, she would kill me. What can I say I was young and naïve and had a LOT of disposable income back then and the man was very persuasive, he had the gift of the gab and didn't he know it!

The album is beautiful; it arrived about a month later in its own presentation box and the actual album in bound blue leather. Each page is black card and it has a mount in which each photo stands.

Now out of the 8 pictures I bought I so have some personal favourites. I fell in love with the ones of me with the feather boa wrapped round me. The boa was black and white and they had finished it off with matching earrings that dangled down and I must admit I still love the picture to this day and so I should for the amount it cost!

My grandparents liked one of the pictures of me with my hair up and the blue material wrapped round me and I will never forget my gran (RIP) saying "oh Sharon you look so beautiful you should wear ball gowns more often" little did she know I was only wearing a bra and trousers with a piece of material wrapped round me like Clingfilm! So I put it in a frame and gave it to her as a present for her birthday, which she loved.

The pictures they had taken with me wearing the flying jacket they decided to print out in black and white and they look really effective and very natural as the pose they put me in was looking away from the camera and they caught me mid smile so they don't look at all staged.

Even though the album cost so much I must say I did like the pictures in it. Although I have to admit when I look at them now I look so young, maybe too young……or is that just because they were done 14 years ago and it seems odd to see myself looking that fresh faced I wonder. I will never stop loving the boa pictures though and I keep meaning to get one of them framed, I will get round to it one day!

About 3 months after I had been for my makeover I was watching TV and one of my favourite programmes came on - Watchdog. Low and behold who were they featuring on that days programme? Yep you guessed it Cover Shots International. Apparently the whole competition winner thing was a gimmick they had used to con thousands of people into going for a free makeover and then putting the pressure on them to buy the pictures afterwards. Knowing myself that the pictures weren't cheap I sympathised with the people they showed some of whom had spent thousands on buying the whole collection, one woman even taking out a loan to pay for them.

Shortly after that Cover Shots International closed down, although I do believe they have re-branded into a new company which I think may be called Gloss. Upon my travels entering competitions I have seen them offering similar prizes in competitions and I have read on various websites that people have complained they try and sell photographs which are expensive after the 'prize winners' have been for their makeover.

Now I would say don't let my experience put you off. I am sure that there must be some reputable companies out there who do makeovers but don't charge the earth for the photographs and if anyone knows of any then please let me know as I would really like to go for another one of these sometime.

The one thing I would say is if you are going for anything like this you must be prepared for the possibility of them trying to sell you some pictures afterwards so if you are easily swayed then it might be an idea to take a friend with you for support. They are less likely to try and bully you, sorry I should say persuade you to part with your well earned cash if you take someone to help you stand your ground.

These are very enjoyable days though and maybe if there are two of you it would make a nice girly day out. Travel down together, have your makeovers and then go out for lunch somewhere and maybe do a spot of shopping before going back to view the pictures.

It is nice to have some pictures of me looking half decent for a change as usually the ones that are taken of me on nights out are usually when I'm inebriated and looking worse for wear. I definitely wouldn't spend £400 on a set of pictures now but I think if you find the right place and want some nice professional looking pictures done then go for it but just make sure you are strong and don't fall for the hard sell and end up paying more than you want (or can afford).

Thanks for reading

Shazza x

PS For all those who have said they would like to see the pictures I'm afraid I don't have a scanner. I am hoping to get one sorted out though and as soon as I can I will scan a couple of pictures in for you all to see.

 

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