An Interview with Aleysha Proctor, Author of With Style and Amazing Grace

New Author Reveals How to Achieve True Beauty

How many times have you picked up a women's magazine only to feel worse about your outer appearance than you did prior to flipping though the pages?

Your favorite celebrity graces the cover showing off her perfectly shaped body and her dentist-approved smile and before you know it, your self-esteem takes a sudden nosedive and you start searching the Internet for a qualified cosmetic plastic surgeon. A new nose and a more developed cleavage should make you feel better, right?

Aleysha Proctor thinks otherwise.

In her book, With Style and Amazing Grace, author and Certified Image Consultant Aleysha Proctor takes the myths that lie within the beauty industry, tosses them aside and brings forth a brand new, more healthy perception, which she defines as true beauty.

Proctor explains her inspiration behind writing With Style & Amazing Grace, why her beauty book stands out amongst the rest and what accessory no woman should be without.

Myrick: Growing up, were you more of a girly-girl or more of a tomboy?
Proctor: I was more of a girly-girl when growing up.

Myrick: When did your interest in beauty start?
Proctor: My interest in beauty started when I was in middle school. I was always nominated as the "best dressed" in my class, and to go along with my sense of style, I knew that I needed to have my hair done on a regular basis by a professional beautician and add a little make-up to complete my look.

Myrick: I read in your bio that you are an image consultant. How long have you been an image consultant and what does it entail?
Proctor: I was certified as an Image Consultant in 1995. Image consulting can mean different things to different people. It could mean more of a professional communications practice, more emphasis on professional marketing or just "old school" image consulting which entails make up, hairstyle consultation, closet audit, personal shopping, color analysis and/or style analysis. I had developed my "eye for style" over the years and therefore I was more partial to consulting on colors and style.