7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easier Said Than Done, October 3, 2001
This review is from: Be Marilyn!: A Glamorous Guide to Living Blonde (Hardcover)
Be Marilyn? Seems like one of my friends thought I should at least try when they bought me this book for my birthday this year. Let me first say, I have always loved Marilyn Monroe as a charasmatic actress - but have never been overly concerned with "Marilyn the Myth"...this book, however, initially intended as a "how to" from people who loved me, turned out to be more.
Intelligently crafted by Gailyn Addis, an unbelievably, almost uncanny Marilyn Look-a-like was clearly well researched, planned and written. The photographs of both the author (as Marilyn) and Marilyn herself, are worth the price of the book alone. And the "HOW TO" section...well let me tell you girls...instead of watching TV one night, get out your (eyemakeup) pencil sharpner and sit in front of a mirror with this book. You'll have fun, boost your image(blonds may not have more fun, but they sure can look like they are!)and maybe shake up your love life alittle. Okay, that's asking alot from a book called BE MARILYN -but give it a read, Marilyn would have!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cute, but a little dissapointing..., January 16, 2002
This review is from: Be Marilyn!: A Glamorous Guide to Living Blonde (Hardcover)
For Marilyn fans, this book is a nice addition to a collection. I learned several neat facts and tid-bits about Marilyn's lifestyle, but it didn't focus on anything specific. It was more of a vague instruction manuel for impersonaters. It also focuses on the author's life just as much, if not more, as it does on Marilyn's. I was hoping to get a book on Marilyn's mannerisms and the like-- but I was disappointed. I'm glad it was a gift to me, and that I didn't have to pay for it myself.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be Marilyn if You Dare!, September 8, 2005
This review is from: Be Marilyn!: A Glamorous Guide to Living Blonde (Hardcover)
Gailyn Addis is a professional Marilyn Monroe impersonator who offers tips from her experience studying and performing as Monroe, to the curious individual or pro impersonator who wants to capture some of Marilyn's magic. In "Be Marilyn!: A Glamorous Guide to Living Blonde", Addis reviews a little bit of Monroe's career, behind-the-scenes secrets to her makeup and image, how she personally got started peforming as Marilyn and where it's taken her, and information on other Monroe impersonators.
I love to study Marilyn's image, movies, and photographs, and Addis does give alot of insight into the Monroe creation: revealing, for instance, that it took hairdresses and costumers up to six hours to get the real Marilyn ready for public appearances. The book offers a good amount of information. Marilyn Monroe's look, to the credit of the late actress herself and those who impersonate her, is not easy to pull off. Makeup application steps, hairstyle and wig techniques, costume guidelines, and mannerism styles are all included.
For those who simply admire Marilyn and the glamour of her era, there are tips on how to "Marilynize" your image such as minimizing stage makeup techniques for everyday, and including tapered skirts and heels into your work wardrobe.
The book is cute, classy, fun, and informative. It's not intended to be a biographical guide to Marilyn Monroe, but it is a tribute to how the indelible effects of her image can either be fun to replicate or actually become a full-time profession for those with the committment to impersonate her.
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