JULIE ANDREWS ONLINE

Beauty Plus Magazine
By Sophie Fal
1973

Meet Julie Andrews - SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIUAS!
Julie Andrews’ own words - and perfect for her, even if I do have to beg her pardon for using it. But after having net her I can’t better the description of this supper star.

I trailed round to a jazz club off Park Lane, and after consuming countless cold drinks, sitting around for what seemed like hours, swooning at the sight of Omar Sharif, her co-star in her new film “The Tamarind Seed”, Julie arrived, dressed very casually in a coloured shirt and blue jeans.

If possible, she is lovelier in real life than on the screen. She has a beautifully clean, wholesome air about her and a sparkle, even on that hot sultry afternoon when all round were wilting.

We met first just to shake hands, and she has a firm warm hand-shake. a good indication of the person, I always think. And then she had to dash off for a couple of scenes and I waited some more.
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When she came up again for our chat, which was very brief because it was in-between shooting, she was looking very feminine in a flowery patterned shirt waster with a pleated skirt.

I led the way to a quite corner with Julie directly behind me, turned round and blow me, she was no longer there. Instead, she was being enveloped in a huge hug and kissed very thoroughly by a big handsome man, who turned out to be Blake Edwards, the director of the film, - and incidentally Julie’s husband.

“This film is an ideal situation as far as we are concerned,” Julie said, having settled down with Blake beside her, her hand slipped into his.

I was fascinated by the voice. It’s quite low, very musical and she speaks clearly and slowly without being in the least affected. In fact, she is very English in spite of her 10 years spent in America.

I asked her about the news that she is thinking of staying in Britain. “We will definitely stay here for a year anyway. But that is as far as we are allowing our selves to plan. At the moment we are up to our ears looking for suitable schools for the children and the usual paraphernalia associated with moving and coming into new surroundings.”

She is very firm that while they are living in England, it will be as a family unit.

“Blake and I have this wonderful arrangement that while one is working hard, the other tries to be at home as much as possible and vice versa. This has worked out so far - so I think it will go on and of course we are both involved in this film, so it’s wonderful, darling isn’t it? This last was not to me. She had turned to Blake for confirmation and he gave her a crooked, craggy smile and somehow for that second there were just the two of them in that cram-filled, sweaty room.

But Julie is a very practical person, so melting looks apart, she came straight back to business.

Make-up and Skin
“When it comes to make-up, my message, both to myself and to every body else is - be yourself and let yourself be seen. Don’t slosh so much make-up on that you can’t see the real person. I use it very discreetly, lightly and sparingly.

“I don’t wear false eyelashes or wigs unless I absolutely have to for a film or television, and never ever in real life. I may use a little more make-up for colour work, but even then I try to keep it down to the minimum.

“I use a milky powder base and some translucent powder, very light eye shadow, either lavender or blue, but very subtle, and a light coral lipstick - all by Elizabeth Arden. Cleansing is all important. I use Arden’s milk cleanser and I always cleanse at least twice. It keeps the skin supple. Then I follow this up with a wash with a very mild soap and water.
“My two main problems are open pores, for which proper cleansing seems to only effective answer, and with all the traveling we do I suffer form the different qualities of water.” To overcome this she always uses bottled water these days.

Just for the record, Julie’s complexion is flawless, She has that lovely creamy skin which seems a speciality of colour films, only she has it for real. And her blue eyes sparkle with zest and good health.

I asked Julie the secrets of her cool looks, she thought a minute. “Well, it’s nothing special really - and actually I did suffer form the heat a lot. I did when we were filming in Barbados. I used a very strong colourless sun barrier cream on my face - and then powder over. I don’t mind tanning my body, but I don’t allow the sun to get to my face because it becomes too difficult to match the shots when filming.

“I always carry a fan because in intense heat I can feel quite claustrophobic. But mind you, I adore just lying and basking in the sun when I have nothing to do. It’s very different from having to work in it.”

Julie said that one cooling tip is to take two pieces of ice and lay them on the wrists for a minute. “That’s bliss when it’s really hot,” she says. And she maintaines that make-up put on carefully in the first place will stay put.

Hair
Her light brown hair, very short and close to her head and extremely well cut, which she says is the secret of the style and which makes her hair stay put what ever happens - is glistening and bright.

“I wash it daily with the first shampoo that comes to hand. I give it a conditioner or a rinse only when I think it needs it, not as a matter of course, and I blow it dry. I realise I am lucky I don’t have to fuss with it because I can think of nothing worse than having to walk around in curlers and I certainly don’t approve of curlers in bed,” she caught my look and chuckled. “I see you agree with me.”

Figure
Standing five food seven inches in her stocking feet and weighing eight and a half stone, Julie is lovely and slim.

“I am very strict with myself,” she says. “I have a very high protein diet and I have to maintain this to have a decent sugar count. So I keep to it for health reasons as well as the usual beauty ones. I find that I’m much more energetic when I keep to it, so it’s obviously good for me.

The only trouble is that Blake is such a sensationally good cook - I give way there and just do the washing up!” she gave his arm a squeeze. “One of our daughters has turned vegetarian and this poses problems, especially seeing that she still has her correct protein intake, but we deal with that on a daily basis and we come. I like variety in my food, so I am all right.”

Fashion
When it comes to fashion, Julie is also very definite. “I am not a trendy person, though I like clothes as much as the average woman. On the whole I like casual gear, trousers and shirts. But then I can veer right away and be terribly elegant in a very feminine gown and dress right up and thoroughly enjoy it. But I always like the simple, uncluttered look best.

“On the whole, I think women wear too much and are to fussy. They have a scarf at the throat, a fancy belt, a cardigan or shawl, a shoulder bag - you can’t see the person for all the clutter.

The less I have about me the more comfortable I feel.” I then realised that Julie had no bag when she came into the club. She had just swung in, free and unencumbered.

It was the same with jewellry. She likes it plain and simple, “though, I like it to be good jewellry,” she grinnes.

Liberated
One last word form Julie before she disappeared into the depths of the club for more filming - what did she think of Women’s Libbers. She paused.
“Of course, it’s hardly fair of me to comment,” she said seriously. “I am a liberated woman myself. And I do believe if a woman does equal work she should be paid equal money. But personally I am feminine and I do like male authority to lean on.”
She means Blake of course.

“And I do like doing various feminine thing around the house - but then s I said, Blake does the cooking and I do the washing up, so there you are,” she grinned impishly and was gone - straight into the arms of Omar Sharif, the Russian KGB man she falls in love with. But only in the film mind you.
In real life it’s Blake all the way - both as director of her films and as director of her life - and that’s the way she likes it.