By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California- In the words of George Eliot, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” What was she telling us? Mary Anne Evans was petitioning women to become their authentic selves and though she penned these words before the turn of the century, they are no less fitting today. I met with Deborah Sweet and Shlomit Arviv at Shampoo Too. This chic salon, down the street from the Solana Beach train station, emits a trendy soundtrack and a very cool vibe.
On the morning of June 25th, Shlomit and Deborah Sweet met with me to describe their concept and share their enthusiasm for a new business venture. The two women connected a few years ago when Deborah was “in the chair” getting her hair styled by Shlomit. So often the stylist doubles as a therapist. In this case, Shlomit reported, “Debbie was my therapist”. The women resonated with each other and realized that they each had a unique gift to offer other women, particularly women experiencing transition, whether it be emotional, hormonal, or chronological. An idea was born.
In June, Shlomit, Debbie, and Jenny Livitz owner of the Solana Beach boutique Pink Lagoon, teamed up to provide women a venue for growth, change and self realization. Partnering with locally practicing life coach, Stefanie Dumont, these women offered a make-over of body-mind, spirit and soul. Inviting seven real live models, aged forty and better, the trio provided clothing from Pink Lagoon, make up by LarissaDasilva and hair styles by Shlomit. This holistic approach was intended to show women how to tap into their inner beauty. The speaker’s goals were to show these women how to access and harness their hidden courage and strength so that they could enjoy the benefits of experiencing and moving beyond perceived limitations, including aging, divorce, becoming an empty-nester, and all of life’s middle aged milestones.
If these goals weren’t inspiring enough, a portion of the proceeds of this and future events goes toward stopping child trafficking. LOVE 146 is a non-profit international organization devoted to ending this horrific practice and keeping all children safe from exploitation and free from a seamy existence of degradation and unspeakable indignities and atrocities.
Shlomit told this reporter that women experience change and struggle with all transitions. Her goal is to encourage them to embrace every change. Arviv, herself, is pregnant, and she is learning to welcome all of the challenges to her physical and emotional being that this state engenders. Since her arrival in the United States in 2008, Shlomit has been building on this idea of beauty and creating styles for women. There are sister locations of her shop in Los Angeles. In Israel, Shlomit also worked with design and fashion. To this end, Shlomit maintains a website where she is committed to posting monthly events to increase self-esteem and enhance self image. She encourages an open exchange of ideas because she reported that she is “always eager to learn” new concepts.
Celebrating the arrival of self assurance and self acceptance was like a siren’s song, beckoning to Sweet. She has always enjoyed fashion, design and is known by many to be a trend setter and innovator of funky, cool and chic styles. Debbie is not afraid to go beyond the media’s idea of what’s hot and what’s not. She’s got an instinct for color, style and more specifically, authenticity. What is it you want your closet to say about you? Conspiring with 20 year old daughter, Samantha, Sweet is launching a business plan that will have her clients learning how to emphasize their wondrous bodies and unleash their spirits. Sweet Renwal & Style will educate women and re-infuse them with a sense of passion in their fashion sense, vitality and panache that will invite their souls to come out and play.
These women are on a crusade to revamp the way we think of middle aged women, and the way “coming of age” women think of themselves. Azolay and Sweet hold to the credo that when a woman takes care of herself, she has more energy and that zest translates to an outer beauty that is positively contagious. For future charitable events and lectures, check out Arviv’s website, www.shampootoo.com. If you’re a wannabe fashionista, consult SweetRenewal@gmail.com.
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Eva Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.comb