For our makeover contest winner, Christen Riedy, the days before the Reveal were a whirlwind of appointments—all focused on beauty. First it was off to Madison Avenue Salon, where Mark Palumbo, Jr., who provides her routine hair care, made plans for not just a haircut and color, but also hair extensions to add volume to Riedy's locks. Six days before the Reveal, Riedy headed back for an intensive, five-hour session of cut, color, highlights, and extensions—after which she gained the nickname "Red" from her husband Tom, thanks to her new, Chili Pepper Red hair color.

Six days before the Reveal, Riedy headed back for an intensive, five-hour session of cut, color, highlights, and extensions—after which she gained the nickname "Red" from her husband Tom, thanks to her new, Chili Pepper Red hair color.Dr. Laura Miller. The two discussed teeth bleaching and beyond, with plans in the works to smooth out Riedy's teeth in addition to the whitening.YOLO in Guilford for a spray tan, with a somewhat nervous Riedy wondering what was in store. But less than a half hour later, she was sporting a great tan—although the real tan takes hours to set, they provide a bronzing finish—and loving her new look.Rain Wellness Spa in Branford, with the visit topped off by bright red nail polish to match her pumps for the Reveal. Two hours later, it was back to YOLO in Guilford for makeup, followed by a touch-up to her hair at Madison Avenue Salon.Café Allegre—and to see what her family, friends, and co-workers think of her new look.14 Days to the Reveal10 Days to the Reveal9 Days to the Reveal7 Days to the Reveal6 Days to the Reveal3 Days to the Reveal2 Days to the Reveal1 Day to the Reveal

Next on the list was a visit to the Madison office of dentist

The following stop was at

The morning of the Reveal, Riedy kicked back to the tune of a manicure and pedicure at

Check back next week for coverage of Riedy's Reveal at

For an inside look at the makeover, follow Riedy's progress in her diary below:

Today was the hair consultation at Madison Avenue Hair Salon. A few weeks ago, when Kim told me where the hair would be done, I told them Madison Avenue is where I go on a regular basis, and they said that was OK. I even got to see Mark, Jr., the person who does my hair. Actually, I am glad it was there and with him, because I trust him, and it makes it easier for me to "change it up a bit." I was there for 45 minutes, and I go back on Friday, Feb. 26 for the actual color and cut! I can't wait! I have been needing a haircut since the beginning of the year, and put it off when I won the makeover. I can't wait for next Friday! I SOOOOOOO need a new look!

Had my first appointment with Dr. Laura Miller, dentist in Madison. VERY NICE woman! We are going to do teeth bleaching. This will involve wearing prescription whitening strips and using a special toothpaste and end with an in-office bleaching treatment. She even talked about smoothing out the bottoms of some of my teeth! That would be great!

I've been doing some thinking about the whole makeover experience to date. Everyone I have dealt with has been fabulous, and everyone has gone—in my opinion—above and beyond what they could do. Ciao Bella not only gave me two outfits with coordinating jewelry, but they gave my daughter an outfit to wear to the reveal; the dentist is not only doing a teeth bleaching/whitening, but talked about smoothing out some of the ridges on my teeth; and Mark, Jr. at Madison Avenue is not only doing a cut and color—he called today and asked about doing hair extensions.

It is starting to become excitedly overwhelming, now that it is getting closer to the Reveal! But it is all good! In the beginning, it was just the exercise portion, so it was OK, but now it is clothes, and hair and makeup and tanning and manicure and pedicure! Is this how the rich and famous live?!?!?

Went back to the dentist today—got the whitening strips and toothpaste and had "before" pictures taken. I go back next Tuesday for the in-office bleaching. Then it was off to Pilates at 5:30 p.m. Good class. I really liked it. Tomorrow is hair—cut, color, and extensions! Hard to believe the Reveal is a week from today!

Today was Madison Avenue Hair Salon day. Probably the thing I was most looking forward to and the most afraid of at the same time! After the five-hour color, cut, highlights, and extensions, all my fears were put to rest!!!! I feel like a new person! Mark Palumbo, Jr. did an AWESOME job! He really went above and beyond! The extensions was the longest part of it—a very tedious and meticulous process to have them put in. Mark was tired by the end of the five-hour process, and rightly so! The next step was to see what my family thought! I picked up dinner on the way home and walked into the house—my husband, daughter, and my daughter's friend, Kara, were standing waiting for me, and they loved it! My husband now calls me "Red" (the name of the color is Chili Pepper Red, but it is a very, very, very deep red – almost brown!).

Last Pilates class. Hard to believe it is over! It was a lot of fun. A form of exercise I had never tried before, and am glad I did it. I can definitely see results.

Today was also the first day I could wash my hair after Friday's color. I have to admit, I am still on the fence about the extensions. The "pros" are they look GREAT and add some much-needed volume to my head of hair. The "cons" are that you cannot run a brush or comb completely through your hair, and they make it hard to blow dry. I also cannot run my fingers through my hair without catching them in the extensions. Perhaps I need to allow more time to get used to them. I promised Mark I would leave them in until after the Reveal, and he told me it would not be a problem to take them out if I wanted to remove them. I will give them another week!

This afternoon it was back to Dr. Laura Miller's office for the in-office bleaching treatment. She was very pleased with the work the bleaching strips had done. The in-office treatment took a little over an hour. The results were amazing! Two 20-minute rounds in the chair with the bleach on my teeth, then I was free to go! What a difference it makes! The little things all add up! It is all starting to come together! Tomorrow afternoon is the spray tan! Never had that done, so again, a bit nervous! I don't want to come away looking orange!

Today was the day for the spray tan. As I was driving to YOLO in Guilford, I started thinking and realized that I have no idea what to expect from a spray tan—how is it done? I realized I had no clue! After I checked in, I was escorted to a tanning room in the back and told to "strip down" and put on a pair of disposable, thong-like underwear. There you are, standing there completely nude, with nothing on but the pair of underwear! If you are shy about your body, this is not the procedure for you! The technician comes in and the application of the spray tan begins! Think of it as human spray-painting or human air-brushing! You stand with your arms out to your sides and the technician begins to spray you all over. Every part of your body is sprayed, with the exception of the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands (and your crotch!). Even your face is covered. It is a very quick procedure with GREAT results—I was in and out in less than a half hour!

Tomorrow is the big day! Mani/pedi in the morning at Rain in Branford, followed by make-up (back to YOLO), then a touch-up to the hair at Madison Avenue Hair Salon. "The big Reveal" is 5:30 p.m. at Café Allegre in Madison!

Sponsored by: IM=X Pilates Studio; YOLO Aesthetic Boutique; Dr. Laura Miller; Madison Avenue Hair and Skin Salon; Ciao Bella; Shoetique; Rain Wellness Spa; and Café Allegre.