Last year, Revercomb Dental Group put out a call for members of the community to nominate a deserving mother in need of a smile makeover. Local mother of four, Michelle Martuscello, was picked as the winner of the Mother’s Day Smile Makeover. In the following months, Michelle was given a smile makeover, and treated to a professional photo shoot, complete with professional makeup. The photos were then transformed into holiday cards. <\/em><\/p>\n To kick off 2018, we took a look back at this project, and talked with the women involved. <\/em><\/p>\n Michelle K.: We published a post on Facebook asking for the public to nominate a deserving mother for a smile makeover. We read through the submissions and chose the story we felt the most connected with.<\/p>\n Michelle K.: She had made such incredible sacrifices for her children. Like most mothers, she was selfless in the pursuit of a better life for her daughters. We were inspired by her journey and knew we wanted to be a part of it.<\/p>\n Michelle K.: Giving back to our community is an important element in our practice\u2019s mission. Whether it\u2019s time, money or talent, we just want to offer support where we can. We appreciate that every day, we have an opportunity to connect with our amazing patients in a meaningful way. The professional and personal reward is immense. Sometimes, when you give, you receive far more. Michelle\u2019s smile makeover is the perfect example of that. That type of gratitude is contagious and it has made an impact on our entire team.<\/p>\n Holly: I was the makeup artist for the winner Michelle [Martuscello], for her photo session with Alice G. Patterson Photography. Most people think a makeup artist\u2019s job is just applying makeup, but it is so much more. A makeup artist is usually the first person on a photo shoot who interacts with the client prior to her photos being taken. Part of the job is getting her to feel comfortable and confident, so when she gets in front of Alice\u2019s camera, her personality shows, instead of her nerves. Alice understands that and doesn\u2019t rush me in my process. It\u2019s always a great collaboration working with her.<\/p>\n Holly: I\u2019ve lived in Jamesville since starting my business, and I think it\u2019s that small-town feeling of community that has led me to seek out other women in business and build on that community feeling with other businesses. I\u2019m part of a small group of businesswomen who meet monthly for a variety of topics on building our businesses and conquering challenges we each have. It is so empowering. I love seeing the successes these women are having, and I really think having the support of other women contributes to those successes.<\/p>\n Holly: Being a part of this project was a reminder that taking the time to do something for someone else can have a ripple effect that extends further than we all realize. It\u2019s a great reminder to show kindness and to support other women, and let them know how fantastic they are!<\/p>\n Annie: I do design work for Revercomb Dental (and Michelle Kielbasinski) and was approached about donating something to the winner of the Smile Makeover. Naturally, I said “Of course!” I was honored to be asked, and proud to have the chance to do something positive for someone else in my community.<\/p>\n Annie: I designed holiday cards for the winner, using her new photos taken by Alice G. Patterson. From the moment I opened the first photo on my laptop, I felt her happiness coming through. I don\u2019t know the winner personally, but, all of the sudden, I felt as though I did. She has such a warm, kind and heartfelt smile. I am so excited for her to receive the cards, and to send them out with brand new confidence!<\/p>\n Annie: I would not have a business today if it was not for the women in my life, and the support system I have here in Syracuse. That is a fact. I am so grateful and I want to pay that forward in any way I can.<\/p>\n Alice: Michelle Kielbasinski of Revercomb Dental Group asked me. Michelle is so nice and has such a beautiful vision \u2014 it is impossible to say no to her!<\/p>\n Alice: I was honored to photograph Michelle individually, as well with her lovely daughters, in my studio. Michelle is beautiful, and it was so much fun to see her daughters admiring the makeup process by Holly, and then pairing up for some one-on-one images with their mom, as well as all of them together! In addition to being gorgeous, the whole family has amazing voices, and were kind enough to indulge me in singing a song!<\/p>\n Alice: When I first started my photography career, more than 25 years ago, it was still very much a male-dominated industry. I experienced discrimination based on my gender alone, and knew I would always want to support other professional women. So, for most of my adult life, I\u2019ve most often chosen to work with women, whether it is my doctor, veterinarian, shop keeper, etc. In most recent years, creative women entrepreneurs have become my niche market for my photography business. I love to collaborate with women, creating portraits, interiors and product photography that will help elevate their business\u2019 online presence.<\/p>\n Michelle M.: I had resolved myself to the fact that I would always have a missing tooth in the front of my mouth, that I would forever be embarrassed about it (especially at work). If I was ever in a photograph, it would have to be on my \u201ctooth side.\u201d<\/p>\n Michelle M.: From the nomination by my friend, Allison Schad, to winning the Smile Makeover, it\u2019s been an amazing experience! The staff at Revercomb is wonderful. Dr. Jake and Michelle, as well as everyone else in the office, have been absolutely amazing. Then, I had the pleasure of meeting Holly and Alice. These women were so wonderful to me and my girls. And I just saw a copy of the holiday cards Annie Taylor created for us \u2014 so beautiful!<\/p>\n Michelle M.: Before this experience, I had never met any of these women. From the moment I met Michelle, I knew I was in special hands. She is one-of-a-kind, and the type of woman who makes things happen! I am a recently divorced mom of four amazing daughters. I\u2019ve been working diligently at getting back to a level of peace \u2014 living my truth, and building my selfesteem. I\u2019ve always worked in the field of empowering others, and it is quite something when it comes back to you! With the amazing support of my therapist at Vera House, I\u2019m getting closer to realizing my own worth, and that I should believe all the positive feedback I receive, especially from all of these women.<\/p>\n Michelle M.: In today\u2019s climate, I cannot speak loudly enough about the importance of women helping women, from all socioeconomic backgrounds. I have been fortunate enough to be in the field of home-visiting, and have worked with families who have loved ones with developmental disabilities. I\u2019ve had the privilege of being in homes with dirt floors and no running water, to the largest of homes in the most affluent neighborhoods in Onondaga County, and every kind in between. The common denominator in every home has been a strong woman. At the end of the day, we all have something to contribute. My hope is that women would recognize the power of helping each other in someone else\u2019s time of need, just like I\u2019ve been helped. Each day, I sign on to Facebook with a picture of my coffee cup, and my thought of the day. It is my way of speaking my truth to help others. I share my story, and I am grateful to those who listen and take some of my thoughts, love and support, to help with their own journey. SWM <\/em><\/p>\n Answers have been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What Happens When Women Work Together Photography by Alice G. Patterson Last year, Revercomb Dental Group put out a call for members of the community to nominate a deserving mother in need of a smile makeover. Local mother of four, Michelle Martuscello, was picked as the winner of the Mother’s Day Smile Makeover. In the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[494,146,490,474,475,488,493,482,491,489,492,327],"class_list":["post-1431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-a-list-makeup-artistry","tag-alice-g-patterson","tag-alice-g-patterson-photography","tag-annie-taylor","tag-annie-taylor-design","tag-health-wellness","tag-holly-pisello","tag-january-2018","tag-michelle-broeker-kielbasinski","tag-michelle-martuscello","tag-revercomb-dental-group","tag-syracuse"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Michelle-Mitchell-0007-1.jpg?fit=5200%2C3470&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1288,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1288","url_meta":{"origin":1431,"position":0},"title":"Annie Taylor","author":"Staff","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Designing Your Passion By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alice G. Patterson When Annie Taylor planned her wedding, Pinterest-inspired, do-it-yourself festivities were not the norm. But Annie wanted her own creative, unique wedding invitations. So, returning home every evening from her job at Stonewall Kitchen\u2019s in-house design department, she\u2019d set\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Annie-Taylor-0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Annie-Taylor-0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Annie-Taylor-0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Annie-Taylor-0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Annie-Taylor-0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2757","url_meta":{"origin":1431,"position":1},"title":"KINDNESS COUNTS: Annie Taylor","author":"Staff","date":"January 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Farah Jadran Photo by Alice G. Patterson \u00a0 It\u2019s a simple message \u2014 a proposition, really. \u00a0 \u201cBe kind.\u201d \u00a0 The human ability is one mother of three Annie Taylor lives, breathes and works. 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Patterson Wearing a classic sundress and trendy frames, Susie Ippolito is magnetic even from a distance. Laughter and gratitude are sprinkled through conversations. With a Long Island accent you can\u2019t help smile at and an understated-yet-fashionable style,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Susie-Ippolito-0017.jpg?fit=1200%2C763&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":614,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=614","url_meta":{"origin":1431,"position":4},"title":"Amanda Funk","author":"Staff","date":"March 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Running a Funky One-Woman Show By Kathryn Walsh | Photography by Alice G. Patterson Amanda Funk knows how radically a plan can change. Before she started her own marketing firm, The Funk & Jackson Group, the Cortland native planned to become a homicide detective. 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On Aug. 26, 2017 Michelle gave birth prematurely to one-pound fraternal twins. The next day her son Jackson, the younger of the two by one minute, died in the newborn intensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/letters-wailing-wall-color.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/letters-wailing-wall-color.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/letters-wailing-wall-color.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/letters-wailing-wall-color.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/letters-wailing-wall-color.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1431"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1506,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1431\/revisions\/1506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Michelle Broeker Kielbasinski
\nDirector of Marketing, Revercomb Dental Group<\/h4>\nSWM: Give us the basic details of the Mother\u2019s Day Smile Makeover nomination process.<\/h5>\n
SWM: What about Michelle\u2019s nomination stood out the most?<\/h5>\n
SWM: How did being part of this project impact you?<\/h5>\n
Holly Piselli
\nOwner, A-List Makeup Artistry<\/h4>\nSWM: What did you contribute to the project?<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the importance of women supporting women in our area.<\/h5>\n
SWM: How did being a part of this project impact you?<\/h5>\n
Annie Taylor
\nOwner, Annie Taylor Design<\/h4>\nSWM: How did you get involved with this project?<\/h5>\n
SWM: What did you contribute to the project?<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the importance of women supporting women in our area.<\/h5>\n
Alice G. Patterson
\nOwner, Alice G. Patterson Photography<\/h4>\nSWM: How did you get involved with this project?<\/h5>\n
SWM: What did you contribute to the project?<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the importance of women supporting women in our area.<\/h5>\n
Michelle Martuscello
\nMother\u2019s Day Smile Makeover recipient<\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Michelle-Mitchell-0028-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nSWM: What was your first thought when Revercomb Dental Group contacted you?<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the experience of the Smile Makeover.<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the impact this experience had on you and your family.<\/h5>\n
SWM: Talk about the importance of women supporting women in our area.<\/h5>\n