Wednesday, March 23, 2016

@chaptersandchats reviews The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it.

"The Royal family of the cosmetic industry" by Jodi Hanson

Growing up in the 70s, the time of discos and over the top makeup, teenage girls, myself included, wanted their lashes as dark and full as possible. We all had the pink and green tube of Great Lash mascara in our makeup bags. I’m middle-aged now and still have Maybelline mascara in my makeup bag. The only difference is I am a little more judicious in my application. So naturally when Sharrie Williams, grand-niece of Tom Lyle Williams; founder of Maybelline, asked if I was interested in reviewing “The Maybelline Story: And the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it” I readily accepted the offer.

Sharrie Williams takes her readers into the world of the royal family of the cosmetic industry. Picture the Carrington’s from the hit 1980s television series “Dynasty”, change it from oil moguls to cosmetic moguls and you’ll understand what it was like being a Williams. The book is an intimate retelling of triumphs and losses, love and betrayal as Tom Lyle Williams, a teenage boy from small town USA, follows his dream to take the world and make it his oyster on his
quest to being a millionaire.

Maybelline was started when Tom Lyle discovered his sister Mabel’s beauty secret and wanted to share the product with American women. Little did he know that this would begin the journey into a lifelong love story with his little company that turned into a dynasty and the most widely known cosmetic company in the world.

Through the depression and two world wars Maybelline persevered always managing to keep women feeling beautiful through even the toughest times. Mingling with starlets from Hollywood and iconic movie producers the Tom Lyle Williams lived the life only to be dreamed of by millions of people.


Sharrie Williams was born to tell the story of her family. She does it with grace and humility showing not only the successes but the failures of her heritage. I was captivated from the first paragraph greedily pouring over the pages. I highly recommend “The Maybelline Story: And the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind it” is a must read for enthusiasts of memoirs and biographies.


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