August 9, 1964, Sunday. We went up to Unk Ile’s today. I went in his pool.

Woke up this morning with no feeling at all for Howard. He lied to me again.  He said he’d call me as soon as he get’s back from Santa Cruz next week. I can’t go out with him, I don’t want people to talk about me. Today Pearl and I drove to Toes and got a coke, but when I saw his car we left. The whole family went to Unk Ile’s  tonight, to try out the new Whirl Jet Jacuzzi, in his pool. We all got in the pool and it was so much fun being all together as a family for once. When we left Unk Ile insisted he pay for us to go out to dinner and gave Dad a bunch of money, They all went to the Golden Bull, but my sister Donna and I just kept our money and went home to wash the chlorine out of our hair.

My great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, founder of the Maybelline Co. lived in Bel Air, not that far from our house in Blair Hills, on the outskirts of Culver City.  Here are some pictures of the exterior of his home.

It was always a thrill to drive through the electric gates and pull into our regular spot by the entrance to his steel and glass ultra Modern home.

The open garage allowed his cars to be on display, adding to the romance of a Tropical Paradise.

The statue “Aspiration,” created in memory of Rudolph Valentino, once overlooked the pool at Unk Ile’s Villa Valentino, in the Hollywood Hills, now welcomed us at the entry.

Here is the pool, which was actually very large and deep.  We had a lot of fun memories swimming here since 1950, when he built the home, after losing the Villa Valentino to the Hollywood Freeway.

The lush landscaping created a virtual Garden of Eden and created privacy, which was his main objective, not wanting to be scrutinized by the public for his lifestyle.

The property overlooked Los Angeles, from Beverly Hills to the ocean at Santa Monica and at night the twinkling city lights created a spectacular romantic ambiance .  I remember my dad asking Unk Ile, how much he thought the property was worth… and he humbly admitted $500,000.  Today the property is worth over 15 million. 

Be sure to visit my Beautiful Maybelline Blog at http://www.maybellinebook.com/

Also if you want the whole fabulous story, read my memior…The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.