blush: the unbelievably absurd diary of a gay beauty junkie is a memoir based "traumedy" taken from the pages of Harvey Helms' diary, about a young gay man who accidentally ends up as one of the very first MALE beauty advisors selling behind a department store cosmetic counter in the south. Throw in She-Dragons, Man Drama, Lipstick, Tammy Faye Baker, Senator Jesse Helms, plus more than a large dose of gay man craziness and mix! You'll have one of the most twisted Mint Juleps you've ever tasted! Through a humorous lens blush examines almost deadly bullying, and the not so pretty side of the cosmetic industry. Men behind cosmetic counters are seen as the norm today. When Harvey started it was more like he was part of a freak show that is vividly conveyed in the first chapter "I'm the Revlon Girl." The book also gives an indepth look at growing up gay in an intolerant world and being authentically yourself against all odds.
blush: the unbelievably absurd diary of a gay beauty junkie
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Book Description
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More About the Author
Harvey Helms is a beauty culturist and writer, drawing on 30 years of experience in cosmetics, fashion and design. Harvey has held positions ranging from Global Director of Beauty for Revlon Cosmetics to Executive Director of Special Events for Donna Karan Beauty. Harvey currently lives and works in Silicon Valley, where he just finished writing his first book in a trilogy: an engaging tell-all on the beauty industry.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
We all need a friend like Harvey! I must confess that I'm not much of a casual reader...most of what I read falls on the heavy side, and should not be taken after a big meal, too close to bedtime, or during a sunny afternoon while relaxing on the sofa with a sleeping cat in your lap...ahhhh, but Blush? This I could read anytime. I don't think Mr. Helms will mind too much, if I say his book was for me a sugary sweet indulgence--my own RC Cola with a Moon Pie, please! (If you're over forty and from the South, you'll know my meaning here.)--"Oh pinch me, I must be dreaming! I put on Ralph Lauren beige everything with chocolate crocodile loafers. Ralph with crocodile is always appropriate, you know."--So, funny! And I think to myself, if Harvey says so, it must be true!
Blush, though, is ever so much more than entertaining...we get a glimpse into the private world of someone who can't have had an easy life: a young, gay male, living in the South, trying to succeed in a highly competitive, mostly female-based business--the challenges must have been daunting. I say we get a glimpse because Blush never dwells on the ugly or the cruel; it lets us know it's there, and then moves on quickly--or we could say Blush rises above it, like a bubble. Either way Harvey Helms is a true indomitable spirit! So indulge yourself a little, read Blush--the way you look at the cosmetic's ladies in Macy's will never be the same!
Blush, though, is ever so much more than entertaining...we get a glimpse into the private world of someone who can't have had an easy life: a young, gay male, living in the South, trying to succeed in a highly competitive, mostly female-based business--the challenges must have been daunting. I say we get a glimpse because Blush never dwells on the ugly or the cruel; it lets us know it's there, and then moves on quickly--or we could say Blush rises above it, like a bubble. Either way Harvey Helms is a true indomitable spirit! So indulge yourself a little, read Blush--the way you look at the cosmetic's ladies in Macy's will never be the same!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A. Macdonald
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this for fun, on a hunch. I'm so glad that I did as it turned into a wonderful bit of fun with some really touching moments to make it real. No one who grew up gay in the South in the 80's could escape without some challenges but Harvey let us into his world through a wonderfully amusing and heart warming tale. Kudos!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By L. Sturges
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a fun book. I have no idea how I stumbled upon it but I'm glad I did. Harvey, you had me talking out loud to the book! "No!" "Really?!" "You can't be serious!" I feel like I was sharing the time with a good friend and I'm sad that its over. (That last chapter went by so quickly and then "poof" you disappeared. Really, do you have a blog? I need to know what happened next and I need more on that last chapter!!!) Money and time well spent.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pack this one in your beach bag!
A super-fun read, Harvey Helms' Blush reminds me a bit of that long-ago, guilty-pleasure Coffee, Tea or Me? and the not-so-long-ago The Devil Wears Prada. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Mary Novaria
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sassy and silly
The coming up story of a gay southern boy is full of funny events and beauty secrets. Harvey's life is a upward spiral told with joy and no little drama. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alison Hyder, LICSW
5.0 out of 5 stars
blush
Very well written and extremely entertaining. Loved his sense of humor, most revealing. Suitable reading for all.
There was nothing I disliked about the book. Read more
There was nothing I disliked about the book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by edith
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quick, easy, hilarious, fun read
This was such a fun diversion from life. Took me back to the 80s with hilarious stories that seem impossibly untrue, yet, because it's Harvey I know it is all sadly true.
Published 5 months ago by Eric C Kennedy
5.0 out of 5 stars
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!
Having once served as a Beauty Consultant/Makeup Artist in a major Department Store in the South, and personally knowing Harvey, I simply could not put this book down. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Reggie Coleman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't Want It To End!
Blush is a wonderful read and pulls you into Harvey's world of beauty and being a gay man in the South. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Str94024
5.0 out of 5 stars
Live! Laugh! Love!
All i can say is that i havent experienced this much emotion since i walked out of the theater of "the help. Can't wait to see you on the red carpet!!! Bravo!
Published 9 months ago by Suni
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blush
Harvey's book made me laugh, cry and smile a lot. It touches the heart and makes us wish for a better world. Thanks Harvey for you insights.
Published 9 months ago by Norma D. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice one Harvey...!
Blush is a tender and bawdy romp through the roller coaster ride to success in the fickle and fabulous world of cosmetics and couture in America. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Charles R
5.0 out of 5 stars
So funny and witty yet so real; a must-read!
When I first read Blush (in the bathtub), I was getting all pickled and could not put it down. It is so funny, yet so real! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Kathi
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