Hollywood's Best Kept Beauty Secret
Sep 4, 2008It seems so unfair -- not only do Hollywood stars have beauty, fortune and fame, but it seems that every square inch of them is flawless. You see them practically naked in love scenes, you see their perfect legs, hands and hair in commercials -- how is it that one human being could be wrapped up in such a perfect package? We have news for you. They have flaws just like the rest of us. But they have a secret for hiding them. Her name is Louisa Maccan Graves.
She's Hollywood's top celebrity body parts model, and various parts of her have filled in for stars like Jennifer Garner, Cindy Crawford, Heather Locklear, Penelope Cruz, Kate Walsh, Alyssa Milano, Milla Jovovich, Andie MacDowell, Rachel Weisz, Debra Messing, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kristen Johnson, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, Paulina Porizkova, and an unnamed Desperate Housewife, just to name a few. That finger you see poking the Pillsbury Dough Boy in the tummy? That's Louisa.
Using her body to get work wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she moved to Los Angeles from Ontario, Canada where she was raised. She was modeling and acting north of the border, and was offered a part in a soap that taped in Hollywood, so she loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly. She didn't become a soap star, but her neighhbor, a commercial director,noticed her gorgeous hands, asked her to model in a shoot, and a new career was born. Her flawless limbs and other body parts began appearing on TV, movies, commercials and in magazines and catalogues. Her Canadian, porcelain skin was perfect for the jobs. Directors began singing her praises to producers, and more work followed. She never did dare to go bare, however. She was doing just fine with body parts and hands.
But wait...there's more. Everyone she worked with, including the famous actresses, begged her for her beauty secrets. At first she was reluctant to admit that many of them were were homemade, and some had been handed down through her family for generations. But after awhile, when she saw what women were willing to do to themselves with harsh chemicals, injections and plastic surgery, she decided she would do what she could to "stop the madness." She created a website (hollywoodbeautysecrets.com) and wrote a book, "Hollywood Beauty Secrets: Remedies to the Rescue." Soon numerous beauty products companies were sending her samples, begging her to try their wares and recommend them on her site. Not only would she recommend them, she would sell them, and she created quite the business niche for herself.
Even though Louisa can be seen in more films, commercials and television shows than the majority of today's hottest movie stars, fame and exposure are not the perks that make it all worthwhile for her. Incredibly enough, Louisa finds it far more rewarding to empower women to look their best without spending a fortune, than to see herself all over the country in the latest Aveeno ad. And the fact that she's found a way to make her first love help pay the bills is an added bonus.
"If I can look like this, anyone can," she laughs, and you somehow believe her. Although a lady never reveals her true age, she's still in demand to double for 25-year olds. "I'm not about anti-aging," she says. "Those words are so negative. I feel much stronger about 'rejuvenating.' I like to help people look the best they possibly can, without going under the knife or spending thousands of dollars."
In a cutthroat industry where you're only as good as your last picture and women are often over the hill at age 25, Louisa is a rare exception. She's found a way to parlay her good looks into a healthy and helpful business. There are probably thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of wannabe actresses out there shaking their heads and murmuring, "I wish I'd thought of that!" Louisa, and the Pillsbury Doughboy, are still giggling.
