Evelyn Mayers, Grandmother

Evelyn Mayers
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Evelyn Mayers
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Evelyn Mayers
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Evelyn Mayers
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Evelyn Mayers
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Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers
Evelyn Mayers

'Let me tell you something—my father was blond and he had a brother and a sister who were almost albino. Very light blond hair, everything blond. So, my brother and I were born blondies. Not like our dad, but I always felt maybe that’s why I have absolutely no natural color in my face. I remember before I really knew about makeup, one summer I met up with a friend and she said to me, ‘You have no eyebrows!’ I can’t remember exactly the age when I started wearing makeup, but I do remember a problem with these blond eyebrows.

Without makeup, there’s no expression. So I put a little brown eye shadow on my brows. Maybelline came out with a brown shadow with a little brush, but it’s for your eyebrows. It was so easy for me to put on. I don’t want it to look like a line; I want it to look natural. I don’t let anyone tweeze my eyebrows or let my hairdresser dye them—she’s offered. But then it looks too artificial. I prefer a natural look.

If I’m not going anywhere, I don’t bother with makeup. But when I go out to the movies or something, I wear brow shadow, mascara, a little blue eye shadow, and the blusher. After I had cataract surgery, and I didn’t wear mascara right away, I figured I must have looked half dead! I use Maybelline Great Lash on just the top lashes, only because it’s easier to clean off at night. Once or twice I’ve tried different mascaras, but I was never happy with them. I first saw blue eyeshadow on an actress in a movie ages ago. I thought she looked beautiful. Who knows what movie it was—this goes way back. I don’t even know if I had children at the time. The only time blue eye shadow doesn’t work is if you’re wearing green. The other trick I learned was from your mother's childhood friend Lesley [Ann Warren]. After she became an actress, she started putting brown shadow over her blue eye shadow, just in the crease, to make it deep and add dimension. That’s why I use it, but I don’t know if it still works now. [Laughs] That’s why actresses have eye surgery—when you get older, the lids droop.

For blusher, I use Elizabeth Arden or Lancôme. Everything else I get at CVS. I stopped wearing foundation when I was 40 or 50 because it makes the wrinkles more prominent. I like to use a light powder base by Maybelline instead, every once in a while, when I go out. But where do I go? On a Saturday, maybe I’ll go to the movies.

I wear lipstick, too. I used to wear a dark Revlon color, Bronze Lamé, but it looks funny on me now. But maybe the style is light lipstick now anyway. Generally, I do a beige-y pink. But today I have orange on to match my scarf. I do match my makeup to my outfit—if I wear pink, I put on pink lipstick. When I wear orange, I put on orange lipstick.

At night, I take my makeup off with cold cream. I use a liquid by Neutrogena that takes off everything, better than Pond's. And then before I go to bed, I put on moisturizer— Neutrogena Light Night Cream. I started doing that when I turned 50. On my birthday, I said, ‘I think it’s time to use moisturizer at night.’ I was getting older, so I figured I’d better do something. But I don't wear anything during the day and I don’t wear eye cream—what does eye cream do? Nothing.

I still dye my hair ash blond, and I have it touched up once a month. But I get my hair washed and blow dried once a week. I’ve been going every week for thirty-five years. My hair is like Brillo, and I can’t handle it. I go to the beauty parlor, because my hair has to be tamed. I used to sit with rollers under a hairdryer for forty-five minutes every week, but now they use a blow-drier and then iron it. When she’s finished, it feels so soft. This is not how it looks naturally—it’s very kinky and wavy.

I do my nails myself. First, I have a colorless base, and then I put on polish. Right now I’m wearing Brilliant Blush by Sally Hansen. When I lived in New York City, I wore red nail polish and I had long nails. Here [in Brookline, Massachusetts], I don’t like it anymore. Nobody wears it. It’s very different. All of the men dress down here; nobody gets dressed up. When I lived in New York, it was more formal. When I went to the beauty parlor or made a dinner reservation, everyone always called me 'Mrs. Mayers.' Now, here, everything is my first name. I’m Evelyn everywhere.

You see, when I see the sun in the morning, I make a point of going out. I have to push myself, you know what I mean? Take a bath, get dressed, and push. Otherwise you wind up sitting in a chair. At my age [94], you have to push.”

—as told to her grandson, Nick Axelrod