Beauty Literature

Guten morgen!!!

Recently I have been noticing that there has been an increase in beauty literature outside of the big names in the industry. I took some time to read/skim through a couple of the books and here is my review:

1. Fracois NARS: Makeup Your Mind 3 out of 5 lipglosses

I like this book, but the packaging sucks. I think this book is good for those of us who need to see a little color in our lives. It is written like most books on beauty, but the visuals are a bit different. He opens the book with the basics of makeup like good skincare and brushes, then he moves into the actual makeup part. On one side of the page there is an untouched girl and on the opposite side of the page she has on a full face. He incorporates a transparency over the side with the full face with products and colors that he used. The faces in the book bring me back to the 80s and 90s style of makeup (bright colors, bold makeup, constructed makeup, thick brows), which is when NARS really took off in his career. The brows were bushy (in the book he expressed his love with full untouched brows), and the use of color was unrestricted. The visuals were good, but I think I would have liked this book more if the book was packaged differently. This is not really for those who are on the low end of the artistry skill. Its good to have on the shelf as a reference and a fun read. He gives instruction with the "there are no rules in makeup" way. I love that he states this, because I share this belief as well.

2. Thalia: Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness 3 out of 5 lipglosses

For those of you who don't know who she is...you better ask somebody!!! She is the Latin singing sensation from Mexico. Before she began her singing career, she was a Mexican soap star. Anyway, as you guessed it the book is geared mainly toward Latinas, but being an African American female, I still pulled out things that I could relate to. The advice offered are things that she personally does. I also like how at the end of the book, she has photos of Latinas rocking makeup that is multicultural ( I love the Bollywood look). This is a good read for everyone, because it is written simply and anyone can follow this advice. Plus, not all of the book is about makeup, she includes tips on living a happy, balanced life.

3. Carmindy: The 5-Minute Face 5 out of 5 lipglosses

This has been my favorite beauty read for almost a year now. I love this book!!! I can read it over and over again. Its like watching your favority movie and everytime you see something that you didn't pick up on the time before. She begins the book with the reservations that women have about applying makeup in the small time frame, so we only opt for mascara and lipgloss. This is soooo true!! I know alot of my friends that take on this routine, when they could use a little concealer under the eye and a pop of blush. Her book is very instructional. She touches on the importance of skincare and good brushes. She goes into good makeup options for every skin tone, and she didn't just push the brown girls into the "dark" skin category. The visuals are more for "everyday" but she also shows you how to create that "hot date at 8" look. Any woman of any ethnic background can read this book and find that it speaks to them. At the end of the book, she includes all the products that she used on the models and suggest alternate drugstore brands that were similiar. I love this book!!!

4. Bobbi Brown: Living Beauty 5 out of 5 lipglosses

I know people think I ride Bobbi products hard, but for good reason!!! She is a savior for the modern woman age 25+. She preaches the gospel of skincare, concealer, blush, lipgloss, and mascara. The target audience of the book was the woman over or approaching 50. I say GO Bobbi Go!!! The aging process has gotten a bad rep, by the media. It isn't embraced enough. I swear if I hear one more women picking apart themselves, by talking about how bad their crow's feet look, or how droopy their eyes are becoming I will scream !!! Bobbi encourages women to age gracefully and make the best of what they have. Of course she spends a whole chapter on GOOD skincare and the process that skin goes through as we age. Then she goes into things that we can do to instantly give ourselves a face lift, such as cream blush on the cheek, teeth whitening, a shimmery gloss, etc. My favorite section of the book is the "makeover" part. It appears as if her staff worked miracles!! You have got to see it to believe it!!! I love this book, because as a women who has not reached that age group, I still felt like the advice was good enough for me to use now. She touched on everything that women at that age and younger encounter....two toned lips, age spots, etc. This is a must read for everyone at every age!! Definitely worthy of a space on the shelf!!

I hope everyone goes out and atleast browse through these while sipping coffee at a bookstore.

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Be on the look out later this week on how to do a smoky eye. Smoky eyes are my biggest request.