UPBEAT Entertainment News: Deidre Hall

I had the unique opportunity to interview one of my mentors/inspirations on my radio show, The UPBEAT Entertainment News Syndicate Radio... Mom, Actress, Producer, Author, Comedienne and Genuine Person... Deidre Hall. I met Deidre when I was an artist/illustrator... she was so incredibly supportive that I have to confess, it gave me the profound belief and support to reach higher and never ever stop. I loved her book and the energy it exudes... How Does She Do It [originally titled Does This Mascara Make My Ass Look Big]... is insightful, funny, witty and helpful. Unlike other books of this nature, How Does She Do It allows you to feel connected to so many woman who have also searched for a sense of confidence and motivation on a number of levels, both internally and externally.

So, how do those gorgeous women you see on television keep it all glued together, year after year? How in the world do they still look eerily like they did when you watched the show in the eighties with your Grandma? Deidre Hall, best known to many as the ever-patient, impossibly good Dr. Marlena Evans for more than thirty years on NBC's Days of Our Lives, is obviously having fun with this. Along with co-author and longtime pal Lynne Bowman, Hall is sharing beauty secrets, personal stories and professional tips gleaned from decades in front of an unforgiving camera lens. They start with "What Beauty Is and Why It Matters," moving right on through how to get the sleep you need, how to stand, how to move, apply makeup, dress, style hair, groom hands and feet. There are so many candid and comprehensive discussions of permanent makeup, hair removal, plastic surgery and cosmetic dentistry, weight loss, and even great notes on fragrance. Expect to find some truly pro-level techniques you didn't already know, along with a different twist on things you thought you already knew, all wrapped in a surprisingly charming package from one of television's most beloved legends.

Deidre Hall and Lynne Bowman open up in this truly impressive book with an endearing look at their own Moms, [both clearly beautiful women in their own right], and the message conveyed is abundantly clear: Beauty is absolutely timeless, priceless and subjective; it's the creative tools that have changed. To that end, Hall and Bowman go into detail about many of the beauty methods available in all areas today. They present the levels of the beauty preparedness one must have as something akin to the US Terror Alert Scale. If you find yourself laughing in agreement and recognition, prepare to do so throughout the entire book. Their sense of humor and self-deprecating attitude is made manifest as they detail many areas of beauty tools and treatments, such as: Sleep, posture, makeup, lighting, shopping, skin care, permanent makeup, hair care, plastic surgery, exercise, weight loss, dental work, and fragrance.

Each of these specific dynamics is given a healthy treatment; no stone or eyeshadow palette is left unturned as Hall and Bowman spice up the book with pictures and anecdotes from their own careers and quest for the ultimate beauty tips, tricks and tools in each field of beauty they cover. As in their first book, the overall tone is not at all pharisaical; my favorite line, for example, is, "The girl who put down the books and slept will also look way better at the exam, by the way." Hall and Bowman make it so precisely clear that they are both sharing all of their long-earned knowledge in each of the areas. It's clear they are just as enthusiastic to learn and experiment as much as we, the readers, are. Deidre Hall and Lynne Bowman are scintillating and the friendship these women share with each other and with everyone else is one that feeds and nurtures our souls as well as our psyches.

An innovative brand/style that is so much more than beauty book... it is indeed a journey taken by two close friends, told with warmth, affection, compassion, humor and deeply personal observations... and when the topics get a tad bit serious, insights from professionals are infused into the lessons. The advice is candid and to the point but delivered as though you are sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee and exchanging crucial information learned from the ladies. Everything from hair, make-up and exercise to simple tips on eating right and how to be the best "you" that you can possibly be. Trust me, if you read it, you will absolutely adore it! Bowman and Hall's suggestions aren't just fun to read; they REALLY DO work.