Character actress Kathy Najimy plays best friends on screen for a reason.
She could be your friend if you happened to live in New York City and ran into her in Zumba class one day.
She is not some fussy type. "My hair is so unruly today!" Kathy cries, walking down the streets of Manhattan on a 98 degree summer day.
"I'm walking back home from Zumba and I'm not complaining," says the 55-year-old best known for movies like "Sister Act" and "Hocus Pocus."
"I'm madly in love with living in New York, so I'm happy to deal with the sweat and the hair frizz," says the California native.
"Sweating feels good," says Kathy who stars this weekend on the Hallmark Channel's charming new romantic comedy "How to Fall in Love" about a shy CPA type (Eric Mabius of "Ugly Betty") who wants to fall in love. There is this waitress played by Kathy Najimy.
"It's the kind of movie you watch 100 times on your couch in your PJs," says Kathy who might just do that to get a break from the New York heat.
Of course, we wanted her beauty secrets. But first, there was the matter of Kathy, the fashion designer.
HATE YOUR ARMS? KATHY CREATED SPANX FOR ARMS!
Her product is called Ch'Arms and is sold on her website kathynajimy. Sold in multiple colors from black to beige and even pink and red, the device is put on like a shirt and covers your arms as it slims them. Think of it as Spanx for your (often) most hated body part. (Personally, I'm ordering about 1000 Ch'Arms for the rest of my life.)
"A few years ago, I was doing a press junket. I had just bought a cute little v-neck top. It was short sleeve. In order for me to wear it, I needed a cover up because my arms were too big for my liking."
"Believe me, if you choose to bear arms then great! I applaud you. But many women and especially us ladies over 40 don't want to flash our upper arms. That's why we wear our shmatas.
"You know what I'm talking about. You see it everywhere," she says. "I see hundreds of women walking down the street of New York with these huge smatas on. They're these huge tent-like sweaters. Most of them are thin, sloppy and ugly.
"In the summer, I see these poor women wearing these smatas and sweating through them just to cover up their arms," she says.
"I created this product by taking a garment and cutting it out so the only thing showing was the sleeves," she says.
"The next day I said to my husband, 'I think I just invented something," she says. "It took two years to get it to market."
She makes Ch'Arms in cotton, lace and sheer fabrics. She sold them out on HSN and is re-launching them in August on her own website.
"I love them with sleeveless dresses," she says. "What's so great is women who avoid pool parties because of sundresses can feel good about themselves."
"I encourage women to be proud of their arms. I'm all about choice when it comes to designs, family, sexuality and basic rights."
"I just want women to have a little something that makes the feel good," she says.
KATHY NAJIMY BEAUTY AND BODY SECRETS
Kathy keeps the rest of her beauty routine simple.
"I love Jan Marini products," she says. "A lot of actors use them."
"There is an amazing sunscreen with a tint in it. What I love is it doesn't break you out or burn your eyes," she says.
"I'm also a big fan of Dr. Hauschka skin care products because they're natural and organic," she says.
As for her weight loss, Kathy says that she was over 300 pounds at one point, and now is nearing a size eight.
Don't expect weight loss tips.
"I just say to women, 'When it's your time, you will do it.'
"Listen," she says. "People who are heavy know how to lose weight better than anyone in the world. They know every calorie, every fat gram and every diet plan known to mankind. They're diet experts.
"It's really about getting your emotional and spiritual life together to lose the weight," she says. "It's about getting up in the morning at any weight and saying, 'I'm doing just fine.'"
