TV show gives local woman a new look
‘Ambush Makeover’
targets North Brunswick resident
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

North Brunswick resident Angela Cruz before her ambush makeover.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — All it took to get Angela Cruz out of the ’80s was an ambush makeover.

A team of stylists from the UPN 9 television program "Ambush Makeover" worked for almost 10 hours on Oct. 2 to transform Cruz from what she calls her wild look, "big curly hair from the ’80s and teeny bopper clothes" into her new "toned down and sophisticated look."

Elizabeth Wong, Cruz’s employer at Doral Forrestal salon in Princeton, worked with Cruz’s family to plan the surprise makeover.

"My boss always tells me I’m having a bad hair day," said Cruz, a North Brunswick resident. "And people are always telling me to get rid of my leopard print clothes."

JENNIFER KOHLHEPP North Brunswick resident Angela Cruz after her ambush makeover.

Cruz said the makeover complements "her major change in life" toward "a more holistic and spiritual identity."

"I’ve been getting in touch with my inner self," Cruz said.

Before the "Ambush Makeover" team chopped and straightened Cruz’s long, naturally curly hair, removed her dark lip liner and changed her outfit, they surprised her.

"I went to work that morning expecting to perform reflexology on a corporate executive from Doral Forrestal," Cruz said.

The television show’s host, William Whatley, posed as the executive.

"I never thought anything about the spa being filmed," Cruz said. "They had cameras up all over the place, but they often do when they take pictures of the spa."

As a reflexologist certified by the Institute of Reflexology in Long Branch, Cruz said she felt a little nervous when Whatley started questioning her abilities to perform reflexology, actually telling her at one point that she had hurt him.

"He was giving me such a hard time, commenting on my makeup and checking out my hair saying I had dark roots," Cruz said.

When Wong finally stopped the reflexology to tell Cruz she was being filmed for a television show, Cruz asked, "Is this real?"

"I believe they thought I was the best candidate for the experience because they knew I would go along with anything they wanted to do to me," Cruz said.

Once Whatley introduced himself to Cruz, he made her make a "commitment cut" to her hair.

"I had hair down to the middle of my back and he put it up in a ponytail and made my employer make the first cut with these big scissors," Cruz said.

After the initial cut, Whatley and his camera crew swept Cruz away to an­other salon in Princeton called Metropo­lis for changes to her hair and makeup.

Cruz didn’t see herself again until 9 p.m. at night, after her hair color changed from bright blond to brunette with subtle highlights and she traded in her white work smock for a pink suede jacket.

When she first saw herself, Cruz said, she couldn’t believe how much hair the salon had cut off.

"I didn’t expect it to be that short and it took a little while for me to get used to it," Cruz said. "Everyone knows I love the wild look, the big hair from the ’80s."

The owner of Metropolis, Tery Cerf, cut and styled Cruz’s hair. Paul Mojica did Cruz’s makeup.

Whatley unveiled the new Cruz back at Doral where all of her coworkers, friends and family gathered to see her makeover.

"Their reaction was that it was a big, drastic change," Cruz said. "They kept saying, oh, I love the hair color and oh my, it’s so different, so short."

Despite a few dissenting opinions from friends and family, Cruz said she would do it all over again if she had the opportunity.

"I admire all of them for the great job they did with me, but I don’t foresee giv­ing up any of my leopard print outfits anytime soon," Cruz said.

Cruz has worked at Doral for the last four years. She is a certified Reiki mas­ter and the salon’s head manicurist.