Commitment: What motivated you to write this book?
 
Christopher Hopkins: I believe women become more attractive as they age, but often start to feel invisible. I wanted to provide inspiration and insight to help them, sort of, get off their butt and out of the rut.  And there really isn’t a lot of accurate information for women over 40.  It is usually trend oriented, rather than reality oriented.
 
Commitment: Do you think a lot of women over 45 are thinking about staging a comeback?                    
 
Christopher: Oh yeah.  You should see the emails I get!
 
Commitment: What does it mean to "stage a comeback"?
 
Christopher: Staging a comeback means, basically, getting it together. Picking a goal date, and getting yourself on track.  Learning how to look your best for who and how you are right now.  Today.
 
Commitment: What challenges do women in their 40s and 50s face regarding their looks, and what is your message to them about this time in their life?
 
Christopher: I think any woman (or man) in their forties and fifties knows the answer to that!  Hair texture and color changes, skin sags and wrinkles, body shape changes passion and desire can fade.  All affect your looks.  My message is “It’s your turn!”  The best is yet to come, but we need a plan in place to face our second act confidently and appropriate to who we are now.
 
Commitment: How is one's appearance connected to creating a vibrant second act during this stage of life?
 
Christopher: Intensely.  When you’re young people can kind of tell who you are when you walk into the room.  But as we get older, we look in the mirror when we wake up in the morning and think…WHO IS THAT?  With the right tools and tricks you can recreate who you see in the mirror to better reflect who you are.  There is NO reason to disappear.  None.
 
Commitment: Much of your work is done with women in their midlife, or what you refer to as their second act.
 
Christopher: Well right now most of it, because of the book.  Our salon (www.revampsalonspa.com) is busy with all ages, of course, but we are getting many clients as a result of the book who are “in their second act.”  I also have always enjoyed older women, well, they used to be older, now it’s amazing how young the seem to me.
 
Commitment: You write, "I believe that as women mature, the more beautiful they become but the less attractive they often feel." Why is this so? Why do so many women feel unattractive and in some ways have given up trying to look good by midlife?
 
Christopher:  That’s an easy one to answer.  Because they are under-appreciated so you start to fade, to disappear.  Maybe husbands don’t seem to pay attention or you walk by someone on the street and they look past you at that hot young thing (and you recall a time when that hot young thing was you).  
Plus, there are not very many positive, realistic images in the media of sexy, confident, vital women over 45.  It’s changing, yes, but too often even those images are unrealistic.  “I’ll never look like that, so why try?”  Or…”where is the information for me, on my budget, with my body?”  (I have hint…)
 
Commitment: Tell us about your work as "the makeover guy." What drew you to this life work?
 
Christopher:  My purpose has always been to help people realize their ultimate image.  It has been my mantra.  In the book I talk about how my first makeover model was my Tootie doll, on which I spent hours giving new looks -- starting at the age of three.  Also, my mother who at 68 is STILL stunningly beautiful (and she doesn’t just wake up that way).  She has always been an inspiration.
 
Commitment: What advice do you have for a woman who wants to makeover her look, but may not have the money for anything too expensive?
 
Christopher:  I have a segment in the book called exposing excuses and blasting belief systems.  I don’t think it costs a lot of money to look good.  That’s an excuse.  We had a very limited budget, which is a polite way of saying, we had no money when I was growing up.  We always looked good.  A tube of lipstick and some mascara isn’t a fortune, but it’s amazing how many women don’t use them.  My advice is, how much are you worth?  It’s a priority shift.  And sometimes a “deserving” thing.   .
 
Commitment: What are five simple things a woman can do to update her hair, make-up and clothing?
 
Christopher:  Go with softer lip color and more eye make up for a younger look.
 
Learn how to dress for a changing body and balance that with flattering clothes.  (guess where you can find that info?!).
 
Line your eyes both above and below your upper lashes.
 
Cover that split in the crown of your hair.  Back comb, spray, do what it takes, but cover the split.
 
Take the personal style quiz on my website:  http://www.makeoverguy.com/hopkins-advice.htm and dress to reflect who you are now.
 
Commitment: Why do you think some women find it hard to make the effort to look good as they age? What attitudes are holding them back? Are some women afraid to look good after a certain point in their lives, and if so, why?
 
Christopher: I suppose some are afraid to try and then look foolish, so it’s easier to fain indifference and do nothing. But there isn’t one of us who doesn’t want to look better.  We all want to be attractive, no matter what our age.  Tons of belief systems hold us back.  But that’s what they do, they hold us back, they don’t propel us forward.  Forward is where I want to go, don’ t you?
 
Commitment: You write, "Often, I hear women say to me, 'I used to..." 'I used to wear makeup when I was (fill in the blank: working, younger, single, thinner) but now (fill in the blank: I'm just at home all day) Okay, so what? You used to be invested in the world, and now you're done? ...Go and do, don't wait and see....we become our best in part by looking our best. The act of making the effort tells everyone that you're still in the game and keeps you interested in playing."
 
But what about women who have life circumstances that make it hard for them to try and look good--small children to care for, little money to spend on fashion or make-up, demanding work and family schedules, or just maybe they are too tired and stressed to care?  Any solutions or advice for them?
 
Christopher: Oh don’t get me going.  Excuses.  Belief systems. If you want it badly enough, those things disappear.  
 
I use my Mother as an example.  She worked full time, ran the house, managed the bills, kept the two of us in shape and in line, we had no money, literally none at sometimes, and talk about tired and stressed. She had her full make up on, her hair done, a flattering outfit, her perfume, earrings and lipstick on at all times.  It gave her power. It gave her control. And it opened doors.  The world can be falling apart, but if look good, you’re better prepared to handle it.  It brings about positive energy.

 We all have the same amount of time, its what we do with it that separates us.  How do you want those little children to remember you?  Do you want to be the Mom they’re proud of?

 When my mother walked into a room I beamed.  I still do. If you want to look good, you can for very little money.  It’s free to brush your hair, you know.  And you can choose a flattering pair of jeans or an ugly pair of sweats.
 
Commitment: Finally, what do you have to say to women who may say to you, "I have nothing to dress up for. Why should I go through so much effort? I never go out. The only people who see me are my family and they love me for who I am."
 
Christopher: You see you and who is more important than that?  Who is more important than your family? You want them to look nice, they want you to look nice.  And if there is nothing to dress up for, you create something to dress up for.  You create life events.  Maybe it’s a picnic, maybe it’s a dinner out.  Maybe it’s church.  You are the star in your own show.  Dress for the part, and create the scenes.
 
We’d all have nothing to dress up if we all just sat around waiting for something to happen.  Dress up for life.  Dress to go to the mall.  Dress to inspire someone else.  Catherine Aird said  “If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”  And Henry Ford said “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
 
It’s so much better to believing the best is yet to come than wondering where it all went.

To purchase Staging Your Comeback click here.
 
 About Christopher Hopkins: Entrepreneur, author, makeover artist and entertainer, Christopher Hopkins has inspired, educated and entertained audiences around the world. Through his television and radio appearances hundreds of thousands have used his straightforward advice to look their absolute best.
 
At age 26, he opened Christopher Hopkins Salon in St. Paul, MN where he was responsible for the looks of the on-air talent of the ABC affiliate news station KSTP.  There he appeared regularly as makeover artist on “Good Company,” a local daytime talk show.
 
In 1994 he opened the award winning Christopher Hopkins Image Center (CHIC) in downtown Minneapolis where he and company catered to such notables as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner, and Stephanie Powers to name just a few.  While operating his company he toured internationally as platform artist for JOICO International educating beauty professionals on advanced hairstyling techniques.


In 2000 he expanded his company renaming it reVamp! salonspa. Named “Best of the Twin Cities” by Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine, reVamp! salonspa is one of the Twin Cities premiere salons for hair, skin, makeup and personal style development. His unique talents and on-air charisma won him repeat appearances on national talk shows including HGTV, The Today Show and the Oprah Winfrey Show.    
 
His best selling book titled Staging Your Comeback: A Beauty Revival for Women Over 45 which came out in the spring of 2008 has already gone into its fourth printing. Staging Your Comeback has been heralded in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and has stayed in the top 10 on Amazon in both Beauty and Self-esteem.