a Where's Lucy? ProductionWhy did you settle on Out of the Ashes as the title?
The current title wasn’t my idea but it is a working title for now. The original title I chose was “Not Just Another Pretty Face.
Hedy LamarrWhat was it like to grow up in the Maybelline Family?
"That’s exactly what my second book is about - growing up in the Maybelline family and my need to be as perfect as a model in a Maybelline advertisement. Growing up in my family, there was a feeling of perfectionism, perhaps Narcissism. I was just a normal little kid with red hair and freckles and chubby. My Nana let me know that it was not acceptable anymore and by 13 I was taking diet pills. By 15, I bleached my long hair and became obsessed with going to the beach and being skinny, tan and popular. I was searching for the perfect boy, the perfect car, the perfect “eventual” husband and house and the perfect life. The need to be perfect is what my story is about. Surviving the brainwashing especially with my grandmother."
My grandfather Preston Williams. My Great uncle Tom Lyle Williams with my grandmother Evelyn Williams 1937Who was the real Tom Lyle?
"He was the most handsome, generous, loving uncle you could ever ask for. He was my father’s uncle and his godfather. Unk Ile, as we called him was extremely generous, very classy, wore custom made silk suits, shirts and ties. He smoked black cigarettes and had movie-star sex appeal. Unk Ile drove custom-made cars and was known as a genius in the cosmetic Industry. He adored his family, especially his sister Maybel, sister Eva, my grandfather Preston and his older brother Noel J. who lent him $500 to start the Maybelline Company in 1915. Unk Ile married once, and one child but kept his money in tact to someday give to his entire family. Essentially, Tom Lyle was a soft-spoken Southern gentlemen with a slight Southern drawl. He was blessed with a great sense of humor and the most charismatic laugh I’ve ever heard. He was a gifted entrepreneur who formed the Maybelline Company when he was only 19 years old."
Maybelline KitWhat don’t we know about the makeup industry and Maybelline's contribution?
"Maybelline was the first to do pretty much everything in the industry. It was the first eye makeup/cosmetics company in the world. They were the first to have before and after photography on TV, the first to have bubble wrap cards, twrilling displays, color advertisements and the first to feature an African American model in a Maybelline ad. Everything we know today in the makeup industry, came from Maybelline. Tom Lyle was a pioneer in the Industry and a front runner, in developing pathways to the future. a true visionary of his time."
First African American Makeup ModelWhat’s left on your bucket list?
"I would like to finish telling The Maybelline Story the RIGHT way. No one can tell it like I can because I'm an original Maybelline family descendant. I hope to inspire others to share their stories and hope that they will be inspired by my life experience and wisdom."
Maybelline AdvertisementOut of the Ashes is quite an incredible story and legacy, one that you can’t afford not to explore, read and watch because it’s not just about makeup, glamour, women, fame, power and money. It’s about real people building their dreams and making the world a better place because of it. It’s the quintessential story of the American dream.
