By Susan C. Stein
Reading Eagle

With the release of her first children's book, Cyndi Trombley felt she needed to look the part of a professional writer instead of a dowdy housewife.

The Douglassville resident wanted to project the proper image at book signings and readings for her self-published “Nathan's Wish” (Trafford, $13.95).

But she wasn't sure where to start.

“I didn't have any clothes - I didn't have anything,” she said. “I am a stay-at-home mom, and I take care of my children.”

Her wardrobe was filled with casual, kid-proof clothing - sweat pants, jeans and sneakers.

“If I need an outfit to wear for a day at the park, I'm all set,” said Trombley, 35.

Her hairstyle needed updating, too, and she wasn't sure how to apply makeup for the look she wanted.

She decided to appeal for help from the fashion experts on The Learning Channel's “A Makeover Story,” which presents stories of women who went from the mommy force to the work force with a whole new look.

“I thought if someone would just professionally do me from head to toe, I might really clean up nice,” she said before her makeover.

Candidates for makeovers team up with a friend, who undergoes the treatment at the same time. They send in a videos of themselves to apply.

“I thought I would pitch it as: ‘A stay-at-home mom looking for a new look to go back out into the world of professionalism,' ” Trombley said. “I wanted them to help me - to tell me what I should be wearing.”

Her strategy worked. In about two months, she received word that she and her longtime friend Joye Bricker of Voorhees, N.J., would be featured on the half-hour show.

“They said they loved ‘Nathan's Story,' ” Trombley said after the producers visited her Web site, www.nathanswish.com.

“They thought it was a great story for kids and they would like to help me look the part of the adult instead of the preschooler,” she said.

The three-day shoot started at a restaurant in Hatboro, Montgomery County, where Trombley and Bricker were introduced to makeover coach Allison Freer and the rest of the cast and crew.

The two friends emptied their closets and took their clothes to Hatboro, where they were filmed in Bricker's mother's bedroom closet.

“They proceeded to take everything out of the closet and told us everything was wrong, “ Trombley said. “I'm all about comfort. I was wearing size 10 but they told me I should be in size 6.

“They said I had way too many sweat clothes and jeans, and that I should dress up a little bit more. They tore us apart.”

The next day was better, she said. They met in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and walked to a boutique for several hours of clothes shopping.

“We didn't have a say in what we wore,” Trombley said.

They tried on several expensive gowns and left not knowing which ones they would wear for the big “reveal” night, when the two friends would see each other's new looks for the first time.

They were then taken to a dentist's office, where they had their teeth whitened.

On the third day, their hair was cut, colored and coifed on opposite sides of a salon in Newton, Bucks County, so they would not see each other, or even their own new dos.

“They even made me wear a blindfold to go to the bathroom,” Trombley said. “It was difficult not to see each other or to see ourselves. We had to sit alone, except for the cameramen.”

With their hair and makeup done, the two women slipped into their new shoes, jewelry and outfits to unveil their new looks to each other and the cameras.

Trombley wore a peach-satin, V-neck dress with intricate beading.

“They took us on both sides of a retractable door,” Trombley said. “Joye looked like Audrey Hepburn. She had on a periwinkle dress and high-high heels. She looked gorgeous.

“She said I looked younger, skinnier and looked so great.”

But Trombley had different thoughts about her makeover.

“I didn't know it was me,” she said after she was finally able to see her new look in the mirror. “It didn't feel like me. I kept pinching my face to make sure it was me.”

Her long hair had been cropped to a short bob.

“I think my look takes some getting used to,” she said. “It is a great hairstyle. I've seen it on other people. I have to learn how to work with it and learn how to style it.”

The last stop for the day was a book-signing party in Hatboro, where the women's new looks were revealed on camera before 65 family members and friends.

“They all screamed when we stepped through the door,” Trombley said. “Everybody was so shocked. They said I looked like a movie star.”

Although she is still learning to recreate her hairstyle and probably wouldn't wear the fancy dress she was given for a book-signing, Trombley would do the makeover experience again.

“I got to spend three days with my best friend, who lives in New Jersey,” she said. “It was a tribute to our friendship.”

Contact reporter Susan C. Stein at 610-371-5016 or sstein@readingeagle.com