Mother of four treated to make over

She looked so good her own mother didn’t recognize her.
Renee Monte, the grand prize winner of the Christie & Co. Salon • Spa Forty Fabulous Years contest, was treated to the ultimate day of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation on Thursday, December 2.
A devoted wife and mother of four girls – two sets of twins – all under a year-and-a-half old, Monte, 38, received an enzymatic micropeel, Repechage four-layer facial, eyebrow grooming, hair color by Lois Christie, cut, hi-lights, styling, manicure and make-up application.
She also received a professional photo shoot and the chance to have her story printed in The Queens Courier and Launchpad Magazine. And she gets a $500 gift card to Saks Fifth Avenue.
But more than all this, Monte got tips and pointers on how to “look fabulous in 10 minutes” so she can set an example for her girls.
“When you look good you feel good,” said Lois Christie, founder, president and CEO of Christie & Co. Salon • Spa and president of Intercoiffure America/Canada. “One of the ways we help is to use what we have – our talent – to make people feel better about themselves.”
Christie emphasizes “real makeovers for real women,” which means easy-to-care-for hair and skin.
Monte is very busy, so this is important for her.
Aside from being a mommy, she has also been a selfless volunteer for two decades at the Madonna Heights School for Troubled Women and Girls, serving as both president and vice president.
But her journey to motherhood was one of “heartbreak, operations, fertility treatments and In Vetro Fertilizations,” according to her mother, Lee Greenfield, who nominated Monte.
After five years of trying, she and her husband Jeff had their first set of twins. Then, unexpectedly, after Monte was told she would not be able to conceive naturally, she got pregnant a second time with twins.
“I was shocked and very, very happy to learn I won,” she said. “I never would have done this for myself.”
Monte – who before her makeover had quite a few grays – said that her favorite part was her new hair color and cut.
“I feel great,” she said. “This gave me a kick in the butt – you forget how good you feel when you look good.”