The biggest challenge of all this was definitely being on the train, being tossed around and trying to work with two other stylists at the same time in a crowded space. I had no power, so no hair dryer, and no way to color hair, which is my specialty. But I discovered how much you can do with limited resources in a really short time, and that amazed me every day.

Ambushing people is stressful! You don’t know how they’ll respond. I was surprised at how open people were to change. Not everyone, of course. We got our share of rejections. I understood those people too, though. Before this experience, I’m not sure how agreeable I would have been to people confronting me on the train and telling me I needed to change my look.

I had the most fun with the men. I’m shocked at how many men still use hair products that leave white flakes in their hair. It’s so easy to show them how a different product can make a big change in the way their hair looks.

The moment I’ll always remember is the woman who made up our 'Makeover Train' jingle. She was awesome. I had to stand back, I was laughing so hard.

The makeover I liked best was the young blond woman from New York, who was riding the train with her mom. She was so pretty but hadn’t done anything to herself that day. By giving her a smoky-eye makeover and putting her hair up in a ponytail and adding a metallic headband, we really transformed her. Her look changed so much in just a few minutes. After we finished, I could imagine her going to some super-chic party in New York and really standing out in the crowd.
It’s so easy to put up your hair that way, and so hip right now.

I’m really excited to do it again. I wasn’t sure what to expect before we started, but I was really pleasantly surprised at how receptive people were to us and to how we changed them. I’d like to do it in another city too: San Francisco, New York, Chicago … or maybe 'Makeover Train' goes international? I’ve always wanted to check out Tokyo …