Lydia Cornell on Beauty, Mentoring and Inspiration

Friday night at Culina restaurant in Beverly Hills. The hotspot is packed with stars including Susan "Erica Kane" Lucci spooling spaghetti. James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini is having a salad on the patio. Agents and managers pack the bar. Bold faced names are canoodling in dark corners.

Eyes shift when another actress walks in. Everyone knows her. Everyone loves her.

Everyone still stares at the gorgeous blonde haired woman who suddenly is talking to the lone teenage girl in the room and giving her life advice.

Beautiful and a brain. It's barely allowed in this town.

She's one of my best friends in the world.

Lydia Cornell, who starred as Ted Knight's daughter Sara on the hit series "Too Close for Comfort,"  had a poster back in the day that only came in second to Farrah.

Tonight, men in the vicinity are at risk for whiplash.

"Do you know her?" a guy asks me. "Is she single? What is going on with her? Does she have a cell phone number?"

It's LA. Does she have a cell phone? That's like saying does she have a spleen.

Yes, she's single. She writes comedy, did a stint on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Kelsey Grammer Comedy Hour" and has her own talk show on Ustream. And most of all, she's an inspiration for teen girls and women working through recovery. That's her life passion.

She also has the best beauty secrets? Want to look gorgeous right now? Stop stressing. "Forget about yourself as much as possible and think of others first," she says. "I've found that the key to happiness is being less self-centered." 

"Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad is a full minute of happiness you can never get back," says Lydia.

It's great advice.

AGE V. BEAUTY

Lydia has a line on age vs. beauty. "Anybody can look hot when they're young," she says. "I could roll out of bed after eating a whole pizza and I'd look the same. At the time, my friends would say, 'You never gain weight.'

"But when you get older, you need to work on it."

She adds that age and beauty is really a mental battle.

"I don't worry as much anymore," she says. "I don't care about six-pack abs right now."

READY FOR THE BEAUTY SECRETS

Lydia, who looks like she's still in her 30s, says the secret doesn't cost much. "I love putting vitamin E oil and olive oil on my face.

"I also use plain Vaseline scented with lavender," she says.

As for products, she keeps "a large jar of Vitamin C crystals, which I mix with glycerin and Burt's Bees Radiance lotion for a homemade night cream," she says. "I love Oil of Olay's Regenerist micro sculpting cream." 

When she opts for a bit pricier treatment, she'll rely on products from Sports Club of Beverly Hills.

"Recently, I was a guest at the Oscar suites," she says. "The TMG Luxury Suite had an amazing facial from the Sports Club of Beverly Hills. I've been using their products and I love them," she says "I also like Dr. Renaud's Hydra Science mask that hydrates your face."

"I'll use Decollete Pure for the neck and chest," she says. "Try the Pure Eye contour patches for an anti-aging lifting effect and instant glow. My eyes look light years younger."

If you're going out for a big night do what Lydia does to glow. "Try Body Drench Daily Replenish Shimmer lotion and self-tanning creams. They gave them out this year at the Oscar suites and they're amazing," she says.

What's in her purse these days? "I have Sally Hansen lip plumper and lip gloss with jojoba oil," she says.

A FEW NON-DIETING SECRETS

Her diet secrets include not dieting.

"I do not diet. Dieting is a form of worry, and what you focus on grows, so I don't make a big deal out of food. If it doesn't become a big deal, I don't become bigger," she says.

She drinks a lot of water. "I also quit drinking 16 years ago, and never smoke," she says.

A SPIRITUAL BEAUTY LESSON

Lydia is all about working on your inner self. "You're beautiful when you keep your thoughts on love, and on helping others. I call that my spiritual beauty treatment.

"I've noticed that my girlfriends who worry and stress out a lot look much older," she says.

But how do you chase the worries away?

"I practice escaping from the mind and remembering the beautiful places I've visited or seen. I'll take a day trip out of LA which really helps. Chocolate helps, too!" she says.

"Literally, I surrender worry and fear as much as possible," she says. "When I'm really in fear, sometimes I have to surrender and let go. I try to see the good in a bad situation, and I get over myself!" 

And it's about giving back. That's why she speaks on recovery, overcoming domestic violence and abuse and mentors teens. 

HER BOOK AND LIFE

Lydia is launching a weekly Internet talk show aimed at women. She wrote, produced, and directed the film "Venus Conspiracy." The award winning writer and blogger is also busy working on her first book, a memoir of her adventures in Hollywood combined with spiritual growth.

"The book is about being over 40 in Hollywood, a business that caters to youth. It's about staying alive when you're not allowed to work after you're 30," she says.

The book is also about reinventing yourself. "My husband left me for Gene Simmons," Lydia says about her marriage just ending after her husband went on tour working for Gene.

"You have to embrace the changes in your life. I feel so much stronger now," she says. "I've found my place in life. There is a new word tribe that's popular. Those are the people who you choose to bring into your life.

"When you find your tribe, you can do anything," she says.

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