-It’s hard walking up to a complete stranger and asking to do a makeover. You put yourself at risk of getting back-handed or having a drink thrown at you. Regardless, we here at the Weekender felt a little frisky and decided to brave the dark world of NIU fashion.

With absolutely no budget and nothing but the power of solicitation, we managed to coax two students into being our guinea pigs. We also managed to obtain the services of some of NIU’s fashion elite.

When the original makeover candidates decided they didn’t want “before” pictures published for the entire student body to see, the Weekender became desperate.

The girl

Luckily, senior elementary education major Nekika Skinner volunteered to have her style revamped as the female makeover candidate.

“I would call my style casual,” she said. “I usually dress up a pair of jeans by adding a nice shirt and shoes to class on days I feel extra cute.”

Our fashion consultant decided Skinner should be fitted in this year’s trendiest club fashions.

Skinner, who usually wears her hair down in a classic bob, tried a new look by flipping her ends outward.

“The flipped look is very popular these days” said Sharron Pressley, licensed hair stylist and sophomore political science major.

Pressley has been styling hair for three years. She usually charges $25 for Skinner’s style, but she was graceful enough to volunteer her services for The Weekender.

Skinner normally uses natural makeup tones when she’s outside of school. However, beauty consultant Shaunta Butler, a senior hospitality administration major, decided to give Nekika a look that popped.

“I used red hues on Nekika’s face to bring out her cheeks,” Butler said. “She usually wears dark brown lipsticks, so I livened her up using brown blushes with red undertones.”

Nekika was looking superfly with her new Mary Kay makeup and hairdo. To complete the new look, she dazzles her favorite jeans with an off-the-shoulder black shirt and three-inch open-toe sandals.

A silver rhinestone-studded “N” graces her neckline, while silver earrings and bracelets accent her almond-toned skin.

“I love my new club look. The makeup is beautiful and the outfit is hot,” Skinner said. “I can’t wait to show it off during Homecoming weekend.”

The guy

Finding a male student secure enough in his masculinity to be made over by some chicks proved more difficult than The Weekender expected. We practically had to tackle freshman undecided major Michael Perry to convince him to be the male makeover candidate.

“I felt strange when I was asked about the makeover,” he said. “My friends were with me and they thought the reporter wanted a date.”

After Perry’s initial shock at The Weekender’s approach, his friends persuaded him to go through with the makeover.

“My friends said I should feel privileged that The Weekender selected me for a makeover, instead of everyone else in Stevenson’s cafeteria,” Perry said.

To start Perry’s makeover, barber Maurice Bugg (aka Red), an electrical engineering major, did a touch-test analysis of Perry’s hair.

“Mike has a box haircut nobody wears anymore, so I’ll start by cutting that right off to give him a low, tapered look,” Bugg said.

Bugg, who plans to get his license soon, has been cutting hair for three-and-a-half years for personal enjoyment and extra money.

Perry was a little nervous about his new haircut, because he had never worn his hair so short.

“This haircut is extremely different; it’s something I wouldn’t do normally, but I might try it again in a few weeks,” Perry said.

After Red finished Perry’s hair, we consulted NIU fashion expert Michael Mann, a senior communication major, to complete Perry’s new look.

“Perry’s style might be described as the ‘skateboarder look,'” Mann said.

Perry never thought he had any particular style.

“I just wear clothes that are comfortable, that I can be myself in,” he said.

Because of The Weekender’s budget, Mann decided to use some of the clothes Perry already had in his closet to rearrange his look into something trendy. Mann put together what he calls an “urban-retro look.”

Perry sports his new look with a red, blue and cream plaid, open-collared shirt over a baby blue ribbed T-shirt. Dark blue jeans bring out the blue stripes of the outer shirt while Nubuck Timberlands accent the cream stripes.

For a hardcore edge, Mann advised Perry to wear the collar up and scrunch the sleeves up just above the elbow.

On Monday, after Perry’s makeover, he immediately noticed a difference in the way people reacted to him.

“My friends and total strangers kept walking up to me saying ‘You look different.’ They told me I looked good,” Perry said.

Perry said he enjoys the positive feedback he’s been getting.

“People recognized my clothing more, people say my hair looks good … people notice.”

After a day at school with his new and improved look, Perry said he wants to try new forms of clothing.

“The makeover opened me up to trying different types of clothes,” he said. “I want to experiment with everything to see what I like and don’t like.”