Hollywood face-lifts

Redlands Daily Facts Health Section
Staff Writer

Q: I want a face-lift but I am afraid of surgery. Is there anything that I can try?

Mimi: Hollywood make-up artists have some crazy practices. You can try them. One of the oldest is the "braid" eyelift. The hair at your temple must be long enough to reach across the top of your head to the opposite ear. Section off some hair at your temple. Braid it and put a bobby pin at the end to keep the braid from undoing. Then section off hair at the other temple and braid. Now part your hair from one braid across the top of your head to the other braid. Push the hair on the forehead side to the forehead and the other hair to the back. Pull the braids up to the top of your head, over the part, and secure with bobby pins. The tension from the braids being lifted will lift the corners or your eyes. Style your hair over the braids and cover the beginning of the braids at the temples. The braids can also be covered with a scarf. Try the braids near your eyes just above the temples. Also try the braids in front of your ears with "sideburn" hair. The lift will be different depending on where you take the hair from for the braids.

For short or long hair you can do the stocking lift. Cut a leg off of panty hose. Pull all your hair back. Put the nylon around your head like a scarf and tie it extremely tightly. Keep the part of the nylon at the back of your head at the nape and pull the nylon from your forehead down in front of your face. Slide the knot to the back of your neck so your hair covers it. Then slide the front of the nylon snugly up to your hairline. As you pull it up, it will pull the skin and muscles of your face up. Cover the nylon with a scarf or style your hair around the nylon. If this is not tight enough to pull the facial skin up, try knotting the stocking over your eyes, then pulling it up to the hairline.

The Tape Brow Lift was used on Anjelica Huston in the movie The Addams Family. You will need paper surgical tape. It's like adhesive tape, but paper. Pull all your hair back from your face. Have your forehead clean and dry. Do not put cream or make-up on your forehead. You will cover your forehead with bangs. Look at your eyebrows. On your forehead, just above the highest point of the eyebrow, stick the end of the tape. Pull up on the tape going toward your hairline. Practice until you get the lift that you like. Press the paper tape onto your forehead and stop at the hairline, and cut the tape. Do the other brow, again starting at the highest point of the brown. Apply the same amount of lift so the brows are even. Cover the tape with thick bangs. Try to keep your brow expressionless while taped. Play with placing the tape at various points above your brow. If put near the temple, the lift can raise the outside corner of the eye and brow plus slightly smooth out crows feet. If put near the center of the forehead just above the beginning of the eyebrow near the nose, where the vertical frown lines are and pulled diagonally across the forehead away from the center, the scowl lines can be softened.

Cinema Secrets in Toluca Lake (where I grew up) carries tools that movie make-up artists use. They have Art Harding's Instant Face Lift, $25,CINEMA SECRETS, Inc 4400 Riverside Dr. Burbank, California 91505,
tel 818-846-0579 fax 818-846-0431 info@cinemasecrets.com

Have fun playing like a movie star.

Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands. Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations, (909) 793-9080.