My great uncle, Tom Lyle,Williams, gives his blessing, as I head to the alter in 1973.

Two engagement parties, three Wedding Showers and a Bridesmaid's luncheon, before becoming a Lawyer's Wife.

Three of my seven Bridesmaids, to my right, my sister Billee, my college roommate Marylin Wendt, and Gene's best man's wife, Debbie Corradini.

50 ladies at each event meant writing 200 thank you notes.  My sister Billee at my side, as I meet my guests, show off my engagement diamond, discuss Wedding plans and our Honeymoon in Acapulco.

Nana looked so happy, playing grandmother of the Bride, since my own mother was emotionally incapable of being with me, after my parents heartbreaking divorce and my father's remarriage to Linda.  Once again Billee stands next to me as I hold one of the three ribbon bouquets I'd have to choose to carry, during the Wedding rehearsal at my father's home in Palm Springs.

400 invitations sent out, 250 guests stay in hotels for  three days as one event after another takes place before Gene and I finally say,  "I do."

Check back tomorrow to see why my father called us,  "Mr. and Mrs. Beautiful.

Want to know the details? Get a signed copy of The Maybelline Story  at http://www.maybellinestory.com/. 

Tom Lyle Williams last pictures with the family.

Last pictures of Maybelline founderTom Lyle Williams in California, taken in 1973.

I was lucky enough to bring my fiance, Gene Dorney up to meet my Unk Ile, a couple months before we were married.  I remember my great uncle saying to me, "Gene is very intelligent, and you are very thoughtful."  Those were the last words spoken to me and I never saw my beloved uncle again.  He began to decline fast and wanted us to remember him as he had always been - strong, vital and handsome.

This picture was taken at the Bel Air estate - uncle Chet, me, Preston, auntie Mabel, Billee, Nana, Unk Ile and Donna, 1973.  It was Mabel and Chet's last visit to California.  I remember a bitter sweet feeling, knowing this was the last time I'd ever see them.  I was 25, about to be married and start a new life with Gene, but there was a sadness about that day I still can feel today.  The end of an era was about to take place.

uncle Chet, Jean and Noel Williams.  Unk Ile always had flowers on the piano and coffee table when the family came to visit.  I think the expression on Noel's face was somber and reflective, because he could see how gaunt and thin Unk Ile looked, a Shadow of the man he had always been.

Nana, auntie Mabel and uncle Chet.  Who would have believed the terrible fate that was facing my grandmother that day in 1973.  She was 72 here and continued to look youthful to her last day.  Sweet auntie Mabel the namesake for Maybelline was so opposite from Nana and many times I wished we could have had a grandmother more like her.  Uncle Chet was a great man, strong and steady and I loved him like a grandfather. 

My sister Donna, Billee and my little brother Preston.  I remember Nana bought us all new clothes for the occasion, insisting we look casual yet elegant.  She was good that way, always wanted us to live up to her standards right to the end.

Now stay tuned as I walk down the isle with Gene, at my father's estate in Palm Springs.  For the whole story please get your signed copy of the Maybelline Story for $14.99 at http://www.maybellinestory.com/ 

Before Maybelline New York the brand was known as Maybelline.

Before Maybelline New York, there was the Maybelline Company.  Before the Maybelline Company, there was Maybell Laboratories.  Before Great Lash Mascara, there was Ultra Lash.  Before Maybelline there was Lash-Brow-Ine.  But no matter what - It all started with Tom Lyle Williams.

Tom Lyle Williams with his nephew Bill Williams, (my dad,)  discussing the good old day's when Maybelline was Maybell Laboratories and Lash-Brow-Ine sold for 50 cents in 1915.  This picture was taken in 1972, five years after Tom Lyle sold the Maybelline Company to Plough Inc.  He was never the same and regretted not preparing the next generation to take over the company.  For the next four years his health declined to the point, he refused to be seen any longer.

Lash-Brow-Ine ad, 1915.

Standing in front of his new Paige automobile, is Tom Lyle, his father TJ and Mable, namesake for the Maybelline Company, 1916.



An original Maybelline tin, that would be filled with a cake of mascara, a little red and black brush and mirror, in the 1940's.


Be sure to read the Maybelline Story for all the wonderful historic details and stunning nostalgic vintage memories.



Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's Iconic Surfboard lives on with Chuck Williams, BB1.

 Dennis Wilson's parent's bought him this surfboard and he learned to surf on it at Santa Cruz and Monterey, California.  Mike Love entrusted the board to Chuck Williams, BB1, in 1972 and Chuck has kept it safe in storage ever since.

BB1 with Dennis Wilson's surf board and an original poster from the Santa Barbara Bowl, from 1975.


After the Maybelline Company sold, BB1's parents moved to Montecito, California and Mike Love stayed with them in the Maybeck estate while looking for a house himself in 1971.  Chuck, BB1, is the Beach Boys most trusted friend and though he is a walking encyclopedia on Beach Boy memorabilia, he's never betrayed their trust or compromised his integrity in anyway.

In the early 1970's Chuck - BB1, produced concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl and because of his close friendship with Mike Love, The Beach Boys played there several times.  Here is a poster of Beach Boys at the Bowl in 1980, with another picture of Brian Wilson with a special fan. 


More about Chuck BB1 and the Beach Boys next weekend, so stay tuned if you love never before told memories of the number one Beach Boy fan.

Tickets for my Maybelline Story presentation at the Beverly Hills Women's Club available.

Tonight Maybelline New York is celebrating 40 year anniversary of Great Lash mascara little sister of the original wand mascara, Ultra Lash.

80 Countries are following the Maybelline Blog,  get a signed copy of The Maybelline Story from me at http://www.maybellinebook.com/

Beach Boys with Chuck Williams having Fun, Fun, Fun, since 1970.

My Cousin, Chuck Williams, BB1, has known the Beach Boys since 1970 and is still friends with them today.

This picture of the Beach Boys was taken in
 Chuck's living room, before a concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl, where Chuck produced concerts with legendary  groups for several years in the early 1970's. Chuck had the perfect background, because he owned every single album The Beach Boys ever recorded.                                                                 

 Chuck with Mike Love, at a concert in Ventura California, August 9th, 2011.  Chuck gives Mike a choice of pens before signing his original Beach Boy 45, of the song, Fun Fun Fun.  Chuck bought the record Feb 15, 1964, on the first day of release.

 Mike signing Fun, Fun, Fun, 1964, remarks,
"Chuck, this is a real Gem in your collection, no ebay for BB1."

          Fun, Fun, Fun - To Chuck BB1, Love Mike Love. Mike remarked, "my name wasn't on this, but it is now."

 Mike and Chuck still can draw the Babe's, even in their 60's.  Mike, turned to Chuck and said, "I think she likes you!"

 Chuck back stage with Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and the drummer from Blondie.

                       Mike Love on Stage singing Fun, Fun, Fun.

                       I wish they all could be California Girls!

                       Kickin it on stage, as Mike rocks out to,
                               Good Vibrations!

 Rock & Rolling with some of Chucks buddies.

Chuck escorts Mike and Bruce to the Stage, telling the bouncer, "please keep the chicks in line," with a straight face. 

Stay tuned tomorrow for some more Beach Boy Lore, from BB1.

Tickets will be available for my Maybelline Story presentation, Sept 7th, and the Beverly Hills Women's Club next week.  The Beverly Hills Women's Club founded in 1916, uses its historic location for the advancement of cultural, social, educational and philanthropic endeavors thus creating community spirit.
click to see pictures of the vintage home/club.

                    Fun, Fun, Fun, 1964.

All Beach Boy pictures copyrighted by Chuck Williams, BB1, and must have written permission to use.

Happy 40th Birthday Great Lash!!!  It all started with Tom Lyle Williams.

Maybelline Kids: "To Thine Own Self Be True, in the 1970's."

Plough Inc. merged with Schering and became Schering-Plough in 1971 and the stock doubled for all the Maybelline stockholders.  By June of 1972,  it was my generation's turn to get a taste of honey, with or without our parents blessings. 

Bill Williams and Sharrie, June, 1972.

By 1972, my parents were divorced and my dad was about to marry Linda, against our wishes - so to soften the blow he showered us with gifts to keep us preoccupied.  Here I am on my 25th Birthday with a hand full of hundred dollar bills, meant to pay for a summer in Europe.  He figured that while my sister Donna and I were out of town, he'd sell our house on Lido Isle and buy an estate in Palm Springs, right next door to the famous pianist, Liberace.  He wanted to start a new life with Linda, her three kids and my little sister Billee and brother Preston.  All I wanted to do was marry my boyfriend, Gene Dorney and start a new life myself.

                 My sister Donna, in Barcelona Spain. 

She was supposed to hook up with me for the summer, but decided to take off on her own with friends she'd run into in Paris.  She didn't contact us at all and my uncle Tom Lyle, insisted my dad call the American Embassy and send out a search party.  She finally surfaced after driving us to the brink of fearing the worst.  She'd been shopping all over Paris and London and came home with a suitcase full of the latest 70's fashions.  Looking like a Vogue model, and living in Los Angeles she hoped to break into the film industry someday. 

Sharrie, Tom Lyle, Donna, 1972.

Unk Ile, called my dad and said he wanted to make sure Donna was home safe, so, invited us up for the day.  He was so happy to see my sister, that he hugged her so tight, he thought he broke a rib.  With the same wonderful sense of humor, he was known for, he joked about how funny it would sound to his doctor, when he explained he cracked a rib hugging his niece. 

The Hay Day for the Williams cousins was just beginning as we all came of age in the 1970's.  The quest  to live out our fantasies was in constant conflict with our parents expectations -

and like by dad always said, "I live by the Golden Rule -  The guy who has the gold rules."

Be sure to get your signed copy of The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.
Thank you for following my Maybelline Blog and reading about my American - Dream Family.

Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures and stories about my cousin Chuck Williams, The Beach Boys and his friendship with Mike Love, that began in 1970.  His dream is still playing out today!!!

Great Lash Mascara celebrates it's 40th anniversary.

Here is a picture of my uncle Tom Lyle Williams with his nephew, Bill Williams (my father,) in 1971 with a display sent to him by the new owners of the Maybelline company, Plough Inc.   

It was exactly 40 years ago on August 8th, that Ultra Lash became Great Lash and it is still America’s best selling mascara with a tube being sold every 1.7 seconds.

Get your signed copy of the Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It for $14.99 at www.maybellinestory.com. A never before told story that will leave you spellbound - wanting more.

WHAT HAPPENED TO Tom Lyle Williams, sister in law, Evelyn Williams.

Nana on her 70th Birthday, in 1971, a power to be reckoned with!!

Still beautiful, commanding and rich at 70, her life is about to take a course that leads to a lethal dose of vanity.  You must read the Maybelline Story to find out what happend to Nana.  From this point on I can't reveal the ending of the book, but I can tell you one thing.  She didn't deserve it!!!

Maybelline money, a blessing and a curse for my family.

While most of the Maybelline families were adjusting to their new lifestyles, mine was falling apart in 1970

My grandmother, (Nana,) and my mother Pauline at my parents 25th wedding anniversary, mock wedding in 1970.  My parents filed for divorce shortly after.

My father, (Bill Williams,) meets Linda Cattanio,
 12 years his junior and marries her.

Like our family, crushed after the money came, my father's GT 500 Shelby Mustang was rolled by a parking attendant at his cousin Noel's Christmas party that year, symbolizing the end of an era for our family.

Bill turns to his cousin Noel, asking "What now Cuz?" As always Noel stands by Bill through thick and thin, proving blood is thicker than water when the chips are down.

The whole story unfolds in The Maybelline Story, get your signed copy today at www.maybellinebook.com

Tom Lyle Williams watches his family spend, spend, spend!

So what did Tom Lyle think of the way his family spent the money he gave them? 

Here he is in Montecito, California, visiting his nephew, Noel A. and Jean Williams at the Maybeck estate in 1970.  It must have been bitter sweet for him seeing his niece's and nephew's expand so quickly, after he himself  lived modestly, to preserve a fortune he hoped would last for many generations.

 

Stay tuned this week as the 1970's unfold, and decide for yourself if Tom Lyle was pleased or disappointed the       way things went, as he,the Godfather of the family, watched things unfold from his estate in Bel Air. 

Want to know what really happened?   You will be             stunned!!  Get your singed copy of The Maybelline Story  today at www.maybellinestory.com.

 Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!!!!!  

a day in the life of a Maybelline Story reader

The Ladies in Woodland Hills, California just can't put the Maybelline Story down!

Lauri's first mistake was bringing a book for her hairdresser, now everything came to a stop.

She tried to pay for her hair, and the ladies at the desk couldn't but the book down to take her money.

Even at the Farmers Market, she had to know what happened next while trying to fill her bag with organic fruit.

Three hours in her cabana by the pool, she kept reading, barely able to take a phone call as they came in.

Finally she and a friend, late for the theatre  had to grab one last paragraph before running out the door.


It's not surprising that 105 countries have checked into the Maybelline Blog, the nostalgia, the vintage pictures and Maybelline ads bring back memories of the way it used to be in America when life was a little slower and the world was wide open for young entrepreneurs to make their dreams a reality.  

Get your singed copy of the Maybelline Story today, $14.99 Order your copy from PAYPAL NOW

Summer with the Beach Boys in California.

Check out this video of the Beach Boys singing Good Vibrations and enjoy a little summer nostalgia and don't forget to pick up you copy of the Maybelline Story,  runner up for Best Beach Read this summer.  Tama Bag and book available at www.maybellinestory.com.  More fun stuff coming up, STAY TUNED.  Have a great August. 

Maybelline Money, Property and Prestige in the 1970's.

The 1970's exploded with a spending frenzy for property and prestige after the sale of the Maybelline Company.

My cousins, Nancy and Chuck Williams with my sister, Donna, at our new home on Lido Isle, Newport Beach in 1971.  My father, Bill bought the property for $185,000 in 1968 and built two homes on it.  He sold one for $195,000 in 1970 and the other for $250 in 1973 when he moved to Palm Springs California.

Chuck Williams and his dog, at his parents new estate in Montecito, California in 1969. The home was designed by Bernard Maybeck, a famous architect who built the home  in 1915, for the Ambassador to England.  Noel and Jean Williams bought the home for $185,000 in 1969 and today it is valued at over 15 million.  Noel sold it in 1976 for a half a million dollars. 

Eva and Ches' daughter Marilyn, (Williams-Haines) and her husband John Gary, moved to Virginia and bought this home built in the 1800's for $185,000 and created a storybook wonderland for their 6 children, in the 1970's. The home is still in the family today, but is now for sale because of Marilyn's declining heath, in her 80's.    

Noel Williams in his brother Dick's Excalabur, at Dick and Ann's estate in Boca Raton Florida where they like Bill also bought a yacht to go along with their new lifestyle. 

Read more about the sale of the Maybelline Company and the aftermath in my family that will leave you stunned, in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  Buy a signed copy from me, at http://www.maybellinestory.com/.  Thank you for following my blog, a stunning, historical piece of the

American Pie.