Maybelline Queen! Evelyn Williams - Oh What Price Glory!

 There was no one in the Maybelline family more invincible than Evelyn Williams...at least that's what she wanted us all to believe.

My grandmother Evelyn with my father William Preston Williams at Dundee Military School, Chicago, 1934 -1935

With the same voratious appetite Evelyn had for succeeding in all areas of her life, including playing the violin, mastering the stage as a ballerina and finally securing a position within the Maybelline family, she focused on her only child William Preston Williams Jr. (Bill.)  

Evelyn wasn't your ordinary sweet homemaker, though she did love her son as ferociously as a mother Lion loves her cub, however her main objective was to instill a mindset for survival in the boy and that meant creating an indisputable bond between Bill and his uncle Tom Lyle Williams. 

She succeeded, though not  without making herself unpopular with the rest of the Williams family.  Evelyn fought on the battlefield of life in her persuit to win at all costs and today I realize my remarkable grandmother, the original auntie Mame, was two generations ahead of her time. 

A tiny 5' 2" powerhouse with boundless energy,   Machavellian mental machinations and the ability to outsmart the smartest of wild cats, she had one desire.  To place her clan at the top of the heap no matter what the price -and Evelyn paid the highest price of all... with her life! 

Read more about Evelyn Williams incredible story and her ability to get what she wanted - while growing even more beautiful and glamorus as she aged in

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  

Nana was a diva in every respect and not only expected but demanded I follow in her footsteps. I wonder if she'd be pleased today with the fact I've dedicated my life to her memory and the family she loved so much. 

What kept Maybelline Heiress, looking youthful until her death at 77

Total Relaxation with Moist Heat Therapy

            Tom Lyle Williams with his sister-in-law, 65 year old, Evelyn Williams, 1966

I too have been using them for over 30 years and here is why...  Hydroculators are packed with soothing relief.  Chiropractors use them relax a patient's tight back after an injury and for management of pain do to:  Arthritis, Bursitis, Sprains, Strains, Backaches and stress.

  Nana had been in a couple of accidents and loved how the hydroculators relaxed not only her back but the stress on her face.  It works by releasing steam from the pack penetrating so deep it gets blood back into pinched nerves and relaxes them completely.

  I have to admit that after lying on my hydroculators or hot steam packs I sleep like a baby and my face shows no stress.  Try it and see how this secret will work for you.  Read more about Nana in my book "The Maybelline Story."  

Nana, Evelyn Williams at 77

Vintage Beauty trick taken to a New level. Sensory Deprivation the ultimate in relaxation

Evelyn relaxing at her new home in West Los Angles, California, 1938.

Relaxation is a Beauty Secrets.

After Evelyn and Bill followed Tom Lyle to California he bought them a little bungalow in West Los Angeles, a few miles from the Villa Valentino in the Hollywood Hills where he and Emery lived. Tom Lyle gave Evelyn a nice allowance and told her to rest and enjoy the California sunshine. She took his advice about relaxing but never ever allowed the sun to touch her perfect alabaster skin for more than 10 minutes, just enough to soak in a little vitamin D. 

Speaking of soaking, I remember one of Nana's most famous beauty secrets, was soaking in a hot tub with three cups of Epsom salt and sometimes even a cup of baking soda to soften her skin. She told me there was nothing in the world better for relaxing tense muscles after a game of badminton than a half hour in the tub with Epsom Salt. She believed that a good soak erased a multitude of sins and kept her looking young all her life.

When I became a teenager I soaked in an Epsom Salt bath before getting dressed for a Saturday night date. I believed it slimmed me down so I could fit in my "skinny pants" in 1964, and it was so relaxing that I felt like a million bucks and looked fabulous. Try it yourself and see if it doesn't make you feel relaxed and look beautiful too. 

Today I've taken relaxing in an Epson Salt bath to a new level. Sensory-deprivation-tank, or floating, is the ultimate in relaxation and meditation.  My grandmother would probably have one in her home if she were alive today. Read about on this link and try it for yourself . It's worth it.

www.healthline.com/health/sensory-deprivation-tank

What can readers take away from The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.

Why did you write the Maybelline Story

It's been a long process.  My grandmother began telling me the Maybelline story when I was a young girl and the seed was planted.

Nana, Evelyn Williams

After her death I was determined to finish it.  I knew that if I didn’t tell the story it would be lost forever. The Maybelline Story is a thread in the fabric of American history and a big part of vintage Hollywood glamour.  I also wanted my great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, the founder of the Maybelline Company to be remembered for his tremendous contribution to the Cosmetic industry as well.  

Growing up with a great uncle who made my life so magical.  It wasn't about the money;   It was about being so close with my cousins and the fun of sharing our excitement as the Maybelline grew into a global giant.  Now as an older woman I hope to give back some of the wisdom and strength I gained ridding this roller coaster experience.

My dad, Nana, Uncle Lyle and Emery Shaver sitting down

My grandmother, Evelyn Williams was married to Tom Lyle's brother Preston, my grandfather.  After Preston's death, at only 37 years of age, she and my 12-year-old father followed Tom Lyle from Chicago to California.  The three of them remained extremely close and loved to talk about the good old days when Maybelline was a little mail order business sold through the classifieds in Movie magazines.  I was so fascinated by their stories as a little girl that all I wanted to do was hear more, as often as possible.  Soon I became my grandmother’s little protege and eventually her little clone.  So yes I was indoctrinated at an early age with the rules of the game, the family dynamics and I did know and appreciate the tremendous contribution Tom Lyle bestowed on women and the world of beauty. 

What advice can you give others who want to follow in your uncle’s shoes? For the underdogs.

Tom Lyle Williams was the biggest underdog of all, of course.  That's what the Maybelline Story is all about.  He started out with nothing more than a good idea, lots of determination and a $500 loan from his brother and turned it into a worldwide brand.  It's all about building your brand and your reputation.  Brands come and go if it's not built on integrity.  Like doing a blog...It takes about three years before you really see results and during that time, you develop discipline and determination, or you give up and never see the results of your labor.  As my great uncle would say... It's easy to be excited and happy when it's new and easy... the true test of success, is keeping the momentum going during the down cycles.  If you believe in your project, you have to keep going even though it might take years.  It took me 20 years to get published and I wanted to give up and burn my manuscript all the time.  When I least expected it, the miracle happened and now the energy I put forth building that momentum is expanding the blog and my voice into the world - Because I never gave up.

What is this book about? Is there anything in this book that you did not publish? Care to share?

The Maybelline story is about a young 19-year-old entrepreneur who rides the ups and downs of life while building a little company called Maybelline. The book is a rags to riches story with an interesting twist in the end you won't forget.

Who are your greatest influences and why?

My father Bill Williams was Tom Lyle's nephew and godson. He grew up at the Villa Valentino in Hollywood where he learned the secrets to his uncle’s great success.  My father was an extremely talented interior designer and builder.  When my home burned down in the 1993 Laguna Beach, California Firestorm I lost everything because I wasn't home.  I wanted to give up and die, but it was my father who held me together and helped me get back on my feet.  I thrived because of his determination to see me overcome my doubts and succeed.  He designed and helped me rebuild my home.  He also helped me research and write my book.  I learned so much from him and now carry that spirit of “Yes I can!” with me to pass onto the next generation.  

What will readers take from this great read?

They will be inspired to believe anything is possible if they  keep going and never give up. 

What was the best advice your uncle or mother gave you about beauty?

My mother believed that beauty was an inside job.  That who you are inside is reflected on your face.  You see beautiful young girls turn into nasty middle-aged women and bitter old ladies.  All the Maybelline in the world can't cover up the truth of who you are inside.  If a woman doesn't grow, change and accept life she will remain a spoiled unattractive child in an aging body.  All women must work on their attitude and mature within to keep their youthful effervescent beauty into old age.   Like the saying goes, Maybe She's born with it... Maybe it's Maybelline.

Describe your best achievement with your family name and without?

My best achievement with the Maybelline name so far, is writing my book and becoming a positive role model for women who want to achieve their goals.  It's not about make-up for me anymore; it's way beyond make-up.   Without the Maybelline name, my biggest achievement is being Mom and Nana and a positive role model for my family I grow into old age.  

Evelyn Williams (Nana), Bill Williams (my dad), Sharrie Williams (me)Tom Lyle Williams (my great uncle) 1965

 favorite childhood memory

Going up to my great uncle's home in Bel Air California with my family and playing with him in the pool.  I remember he was such an unassuming man that he'd actually wear swim trunks pinned at the waist because the elastic had stretched out.  Here was a man who could afford the best and yet was so comfortable with himself around his family; he didn't need to show off.  On the other hand he was so generous that he gave millions to them after the sale of the Maybelline Company in December of 1967.

Miss Maybelline's Beauty Secrets taught to me as a child

When Nana was a young girl, in 1915, she like most young ladies of her time, read a movie magazine called Photoplay, that revealed Beauty Secrets of the Harem, so to speak.  The secrets were homemade beauty tricks passed on from one generation to the next and were built upon as the ages unfolded. Nana and her sisters,Verona and Bunny learned the tricks, to make themselves as glamorous and alluring as the silent screen stars.

Nana's little protegee

I was indoctrinated into the Harem when at 5 years old, when Nana  made my eyes up and paraded me around my great uncle Tom Lyle's living room for applause.  From that time on, Nana became my mentor and I her little protege.

 
One of her delicious little secrets for depuffing your eyes "after a late night romp with Valentino" she'd wink, was TEA BAGS.

1953, Nana, my dad, my sister, Donna, Me and my Mom

Yes, just plain old black tea bags.  But there was more.  First you place two tea bags in a half cup of boiling water for about 30 seconds, just to get the tea moving.  Next, you  gently squeeze out the excess water and place them on a small plate.  Now stick them in the freezer until they are ice cold.  Lay down for half hour if possible but at least 15 minutes and meditate on how gorgeous you are going to look with your Maybelline eyes tonight.  Let me know what you think, I bet you will be begging for more of Nana's fabulous Secrets of the Harem.

 
Read more about my life as Nana's little protege, click onto Amazon right now and buy The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. 

Maybelline turned sweet mother into a Pin Up Girl

Evelyn remarked to Pauline that she needed a little make-over.  She took her by the hand into the bedroom and closed the door.  Bill screamed at his mother to stop, "I like like the way she looks," he said, "She's only 15 for darn sakes." but his mother proceeded to the lock the door.

 Pauline emerged from Evelyn's silk covered bedroom, which held an enormous dressing table filled with Maybelline products and an enormous round mirror lit up like a Movie Star's dressing room.

Eyelyn had transformed her son's girlfriend from a simple little high school girl into a gorgeous woman with Judy Garland eyes and a Vavoom figure. Bill stood there gawking with his mouth open.  Pauline had morphed into a knock out, a pin up girl, as beautiful as any of his uncle's Maybelline models..... 

Read more about my parents, Bill and Pauline and my grandmother Evelyn in my book, The Maybelline Story, now on audible.

  Listen to a free sample on Amazon now.

Vintage Beauty Secret: Ponds Vanishing Cold Cream and Witch Hazel, is older than Maybelline

 Nana in 1978, 77 years old.

When Nana was a teenager during WW1, she was already a fan of the miracle cream that kept her skin moisturized while also removing her Maybelline.  As more expensive moisturizing creams became available through the years, Nana continued her nightly routine with Ponds Cold Cream.  In fact she made a science out of it until she perfected it into a facial as good as it gets.


Here's Nana's secret to flawless dewy skin, a trick that kept her looking 20 years younger than her actual age, until the day she died at 77.  

As a girl, I'd sit in her bathroom at night watching her apply ice cold Ponds Cold Cream, which she kept in the refrigerator right next to the tea bags she had ready to depuff her tired eyes. 

"Darling, first you remove all your Maybelline, face makeup and lipstick with Ponds," she'd say, washing her ponds off with a hot  towel, holding it on her face for a minute until it cooled down.  

Next she'd reapply the Ponds, but this time, sitting down in her chair in front of a magnifying mirror where she could study every line on her face.

"Always stroke up, never down darling," she'd say as I followed her example for the next two or three minutes.  She'd stroke her neck 100 times, then do the same thing with her face, using quick strokes from the chin, to the cheeks, around the temples and up to the forehead.  

"It takes practice," she'd say making sure I did it correctly.

"Do it again darling, but this time start at the chin, go around the nose and up to the forehead until your skin is bright pink from the blood coming to the surface."

Once she was satisfied with the results, she'd apply a hot  towel several times until all traces of the Ponds were removed, then wash her face with Neutrogena skin soap.  


Once this labor of love was finished, she'd apply her home made mud pack (Check out the recipe for Nana's Mud, by scrolling down through my blog), apply the tea bags to her eyes (also found in past blogs), lay on her hydroculators (this too, just scroll down) and relax listening to classical music for the next half hour. 


When she washed off the Ponds, or the mud pack, she'd soak a cotton ball with Witch hazel, wipe it over her face and neck as an astringent, than apply eye cream, face cream and hand lotion. She'd top it all off by brushing her hair 100 times, looking radiant when she finally went to bed. 

To this day I still practice most of Nana's beauty tricks and I must say my skin looks pretty good for my age.  Give it a try once a week or more if you have time and experience a facial as good as any professional could give you.

Ponds Vanishing Cold Cream ad in 1917

Ponds Cold Cream

Original Maybeline in the red box with little  brush 1917

Read more about Nana's obsession to perfection, read about her in my book, The Maybelline Story.  Purchase a signed copy from my website today!  

For 100 years, "Maybelline" has been synonymous with "eye cosmetics"-- yet little is known about how a tiny company offering a single product by mail order managed to grow into an international institution.

The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It,  aims to change that.  It could only be written by someone with insider knowledge. Sharrie Williams is the great-niece of Tom Lyle Williams, the charming and creative, yet remarkably secretive man who founded Maybelline along with his tight knit family, including his brothers and sisters -Noel, Preston, Mabel and Eva - catapulting a little mail order business in 1915 into the most successful and famous eye cosmetic company in the world.   

By digging through family documents, her own memories and the memories of the few remaining people intimately familiar with the founders of Maybelline, Sharrie slipped beneath the public facade of the company to reveal the amazing personalities at its heart. This is an exciting and thoughtful book, part memoir, part history, part family saga, that reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind the beautiful public face of Maybelline.

Chet and Mabel (Willliams) Hewes, and Ches and Eva (Williams) Haines, Hollywood, 1938.

Tom Lyle Williams with Mabel, Chet, Ches and Eva at The Villa Valentino - Hollywood, 1938.

Catalina California 1938 - left to right, My father Bill, great uncle, Tom Lyle, my Grandmother Evelyn and my auntie Eva, auntie Mabel and uncle Chet.

Read more about the founding of The Maybelline Company from 1915 to 1968 and beyond in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Buy a signed copy from Sharrie Williams 

Maybelline Family's unsung hero, from the Greatest Generation, my grandfather, Preston Williams.

             Evelyn, Billy and Preston Williams in Chicago, 1925.

On Nov. 26, 1923, though Preston and Evelyn were unprepared for a Child, their son William Preston Williams Jr., Billy, was born.  Preston was crazy about the child that brought sunshine back into his soul, and not since the Great War had he felt a desire to "make something of himself."

However, when the pressure of daily responsibilities became too oppressive for him he once again turned to alcohol for self medication as the torture of Post Traumatic Stress disorder clouded his thinking. 

Like so many men from the "Lost Generation" his fear of cheating death and survivors guilt caused great anxiety and a need to run away from those he loved the most.

Read more about Preston Williams and his struggle to survive in a changing world that he felt, "left him behind."