Businesswoman Dana B.E. Dunn Smith, on the verge of publishing her third book, is seeking a resurgence of her cosmetics line.

She moved back to Bermuda late last year from New York to rejoin her 27 year old business, Salon Lady Dana, a Hamilton beauty salon that has been run by daughter, Janet Glaze Hinds in her absence.

Clients who started frequenting her salon 25 years ago, still regularly book appointments. She believes that beauty salons have a significant contribution to make to society.

She said, "Not only does time spent at Salon Lady Dana make you feel good about yourself and the way you look, but it is good for the country as a whole. Bermuda is a tourism destination and people are often surprised to see how well-educated Bermudians are, how civilised and well-mannered the people are, no matter what their personal problems of the day may be.

"This makes Bermuda an attractive tourism destination. And if beauty salons make people happier, and make them feel that they look better, that has to be good for tourism, too.'' She added, "A beauty therapist can never go hungry in Bermuda, because there is always someone coming along who wants to be groomed, who wants to look and feel great.'' "Beauty and a Better You'' is the name of a radio programme she hosted for 14 years on ZFB and a subsequent half hour programme on ZBM television that aired in the 1980s. The "air time'' was used to discuss beauty tips, but also to market her Lady Dana cosmetic line, now being marketed under the name Kishon.

As a writer she has travelled throughout the US, Switzerland, Germany, Bahamas, Jamaica and the UK speaking to college students and various groups.

An interview on BBC for her books brought an overwhelming response from women writers at her next speaking engagement.

Her first book in 1990, "Faces In The Sun'', was a collection of poems. Her second, "The Nations In Waiting'', written in 1992, is a collection of essays and poems. It has also been translated into Dutch and circulated in Switzerland, Germany and a number of other countries. The third, "Mystic Symbols'', is due out soon. Luminous Ltd. of St. Louis, Missouri is the publisher.

Some of the work for the books was done during the days she was living in New York, marketing her cosmetics through her US companies Lady Dana Cosmetics Ltd. and Kishon Ltd.

But "Lady'' Dana is now considering ways to gain better market share for her perfume, men's cologne and various cosmetics that she sells here and abroad.

Her scents are of particular interest to her, having had to fend off legal action in New York over her fragrance line, because of a similarity to a competitor.

Sitting this week in her beauty salon during a quiet moment, she sadly recalled the day she told her New York lawyers that she'd rather switch than fight.

It was nearly a decade ago that she spent almost a year with noted chemist, Hugh Spencer, who was involved in the design of fragrances for Beverly Hills and Elizabeth Taylor.

She insisted on having final say on the detailed process of creating the scents. The men's cologne is called Yacht and the former Lady Dana perfume is now called Kishon. A New York company had already registered the name Lady Dana and had a men's cologne called Canoe. She insisted it was totally coincidental, but eventually agreed to drop the use of the name, Lady Dana, from international markets and use Kishon, instead.

Dana groomed for success Dana, while supplies last.

Lady Dana was born in Jamaica and came to Bermuda as a teenager. She studied at Marinello beauty school on Madison Avenue in New York. She also attended Medgar Evers College and studied mass communications and acquired a Bachelor of Science Degree at the City College of New York.

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