BEAUTY WITH NICOLE - GUEST AUTHOR MARY MARVELLA

We have a guest author with some beauty tips subbing for beauty editor Nicole Emmerling today. Mary Marvella has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. You can read all about her and her books at her website.

Mary has offered a copy of her Southern women’s fiction book, The Gift, to one of our readers who posts a comment today. -- AP

Good morning, Anastasia. Thanks for allowing me to borrow your readers for a while today. Since my topic is beauty, I’d like to remind you (me, too) of some simple ways we can keep our skin looking young and supple.

1.    You need to drink water. You knew this, but do you do it? If you are a caffeine junky, drink a glass of water between each soft drink, glass of tea, or cup of coffee. Just do it.

2.    Vitamins A, C, and E are good for your skin. Taking a multiple vitamin isn’t enough to supply those vitamins your skin needs. Eating fruit and veggies helps, too.

3.    We all need to moisturize and hydrate. Even people with oily skin need to moisturize and hydrate. When you wash your face, leave water on your skin long enough for it to evaporate or soak into your skin. If you dry your face automatically, and most of us do, splash water on your skin and make yourself wait. Give your skin a drink of water occasionally during the day.

4.    You should select lotions for your skin type. If your lotions feel heavy, they might be. While your face is still moist, rub your lotion into your hands, then pat your face. The lotion will seal the moisture into your skin.  The same applies to creams at night.

5.    Wearing sunscreen is important, but it shouldn’t be too heavy to soak into your skin. Try using the method I mentioned for applying lotions and creams.

6.    Yes, smoking is bad for your skin, as is drinking alcoholic beverages.

7.    Read a romance or woman’s fiction novel.

8.     For more hints, check MaryMarvella.wordpress.com. 

Was I kidding when I added step 6? No, and I have the perfect novel to recommend. 

Cinderella stories still have appeal today. Sometimes Cinderella lives with controlling parents she tries to please by giving up her life to tend to them.  Edna Mae was such a woman. She wanted the love her parents didn’t know how to show her. Even being their caregiver and denying herself a life away from them wasn’t enough. In The Gift, Edna Mae buried her controlling father and lost her virginity in a one-night stand, all on her fortieth birthday. Yep, she drove to a mall and had her first makeover and bought a pretty dress of her own choice. And she met a man who made her feel desirable.

Edna Mae wasn’t going to a ball or looking for Prince Charming, so the story doesn’t end here. Edna Mae’s new life begins as she takes control and becomes the beautiful woman she was meant to be. Would she have been a different person if she’d had an easier life? Probably. Would she have been a better one? I don’t think so.

I suspect each of us knows someone like Edna Mae who gave up everything to care for a family member of a friend.  We might even have a bit of her selflessness in us.

Wondering what the gift is? I’m not telling, but someone who comments  on this blog will win a copy of The Gift.

Thanks for joining us today, Mary. Readers, are you dying to find out what the gift is? Post a comment and you could win a copy. Don’t forget to check back on Sunday to see who the lucky winner is. -- AP