Brown Eyed Girls

When I was growing up, models, not celebrities, graced the covers of monthly fashion magazines. The lovelies staring back off those pages, set the standard for American beauty; Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Lauren Hutton, Kim Alexis, Lisa Taylor, Shelley Hack, all looked like blond haired, blue eyed, California Girls. I hated them. Month after month, I secretly yearned for a new "it" girl to emerge, but in my image, brunette and brown eyed. Anyone to make me feel less ordinary...a role model, whose eyeliner I could copy...

Fortunately, my sister Loren did not inherit, any of the random sets of blue eyes that exists on both sides of the family. (Sororicide, would certainly have blemished my adolescence). We spent so much time perfecting our eye makeup routines, that our mother nick named and referred to us as the "Westmore's", Bud and Perc. After a time, she finally revealed that the Westmore's, were two well known Hollywood make up artists, renown for their skills. We accepted our new names, with a certain pride.

In those days, I was blessed to have a friend with no curfew and an unlimited house charge at Gilliar's Drug Store, (yes Mother, now you know why I slept out every weekend for 6 years). Gilliar's was a wonderful, old style apothecary, dark burnished woods, wreaking of linseed oil and highly polished brass and glass. In my book, Gilliar's was a slice of heaven. There we wiled away countless hours, trying products from Ultima II, Alexandra de Markoff, Germain Monteil, Borghese, Estee Lauder and Elizabeth Arden. Despite the fact that we were grubby fingered teens, we were treated more like the Mom's, cause we were grubby fingered teens, but we purchased plenty. If Gilliar's was Miss Porter's, I was it's valedictorian.

Along came the 80's and advent of the "Super Models", Christie, Linda, Naomi, (black and still blue eyed) and alas Cindy...Finally, a Brown Eyed Girl!!! So now I know why I ordered her "Meaningful Beauty" skin care kit...sheer loyalty. My kit arrived on Saturday. The 30 day supply. looks like something I would pack for a long weekend...no way could this possibly last a month (you say, "dab" and I say, "douse"). Some of the products smell like day old shitaki oatmeal, but so far, my skin is looking fine and if it wasn't, I might not tell you...Us Brown Eyed Girls, need to stick together...

xox,
Dd