When Nana was a young girl, in 1915, she like most young ladies of her time, read a movie magazine called Photoplay, that revealedBeauty 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.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.
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.
