Laura Weinger Housley

aura turned 62 years this past July, but she certainly does not feel it. She was raised in Nanuet, NY, and for the last 26 years, has been living in Maplewood with her husband, Ron, and two children, Sara, 25, and Matthew, 23. They have 2 cats. Right before the pandemic, Laura was
volunteering at a Broadway Group Sales Company in Manhattan and hopes to return soon. She stays fit with morning walks, online Zumba, & volunteering with book distribution for MEND.

Laura was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia in Dec 2000 and had a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. She says the SOMA community is invaluable, and the love and support she received still bring tears to her eyes.

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She wanted to participate in the SOMA Dream Team because she is more interesting than her past illness. “ I really want a new “me” - new clothes, new hair (literally, as I lost mine), and a new lease on life. Now, since I let my hair go gray during the pandemic, stopped shopping for two years, and have trouble sleeping, The Dream Team is exactly what I need”!

I had the pleasure of meeting with Laura Housley for a CBD consultation., She was named New Jersey’s chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Woman of the Year in 2011. The award acknowledges Housley’s role as a spokeswoman and fundraiser for the Society.

Laura is more interesting than her past illness!

As a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor, she has some lingering symptoms of chemo affecting her memory & focus. I recommended NFZD FOCUS Mushroom powder with a blend of CBD, Cacao, and adaptogenic mushrooms to help restore cognitive brain function and cleanse hergut for better digestion. It also helps with depression and high blood pressure. I alsosuggested Promogranite Sleep gummies or HereNow Sleep Tincture with CBD & CBN for sleep. - Jill Cohen, TheCannaBossLady.

Laura came to us looking to up her style game and bring a little more flair and edge to her everyday look. Her inspirational story is one of a strong mother who worked in different industries and professional venues while bringing up her kids and battling cancer. I wanted her to focus in on what makes her feel beautiful and stylish. We picked out 3 sharp looks in cool gem tones that highlight her light eyes and chic silver hair. She is comfortable and vibrant in a red leather blazer with a black sparkly top and black jeans. We had a blast during the photo shoot while she danced to Michael Jackson and Pitbull, perfect music choices to enhance the positivity of this styling experience. - Julie Perlow-Greene - Retail Therapy

In fairness, it’s not terribly difficult to enhance Laura’s natural beauty. To compliment her face shape and features—particularly her beautiful blue eyes—

For Laura’s makeup, I chose a “fresh and dewy” look; she doesn’t wear makeup every day, so it was important for her to feel like herself. A soft lip color and eyeliner come in handy to make her eyes pop. I used all cream-based makeup products (no powder) to ensure the skin has a luminous finish. - Norah Salzar, Makeup artist

In fairness, it’s not terribly difficult to enhance Laura’s natural beauty. To compliment her face shape and features—particularly her beautiful blue eyes—I minimized the length to focus on establishing balance and symmetry. Adding balanced layers and a face frame were key in creating this look, which is full of soft movement. With naturally wavy hair, the shape also eliminates a weight line, making her new look easy to maintain and wear sleek or wavy. Framing her face, her haircut will attract the eye to her striking cheekbones and let her natural beauty shine. - Yoni Kreger, YK Salon

Laura came into the studio both nervous and excited. In spite of her fear of modeling, she was easy to direct and maneuver into dynamic and powerful poses. For lighting, we kept it simple with a large round softbox on a single light coming from one side. We played with a purple background to compliment her colorful blouse, a grey wall for the black and white dress, and tried out our new ivy green wall. - Lee Seidenberg Photography

Wardrobe Courtesy of Retail Therapy

We’re looking for interesting people for upcoming issues. If you’d like to work with our Dream Team and like to be featured, please visit somadreamteam.com.

The Dream Team

Contributors:

Jill Cohen - TheCannaBossLady

Julie Perlow-Greene - Retail Therapy

Norah Salzar - Makeup

Yoni Kreger - YK Salon

Lee Seidenberg - Lee Seidenberg Photography