I Love It!!!

I absolutely love this book! I am in my early 40's and only just beginning to play with make-up, I know, can you believe it!? As a teenager I always felt that I made such a hash of putting on make up and really didn't know where to begin anyway or how to choose colours to suit me. I ended up leaving it by the wayside, apart from a little mascara and lipstick/gloss from time to time and on special occasions. However, just a month or so ago I felt inspired to look into it again and asked somebody to recommend a book, to help get me started on the basics. This make-up manual by Bobbi Brown was suggested and within days I had ordered it from Amazon ..... now there's no looking back. It has greatly demystified the use of make-up for me and shown me how to build up from a strong foundation (no pun intended). It is my bible of the moment and I refer to it frequently. This would be a fabulous gift for anyone new to make up, teenage daughters, nieces, grandaughters etc or anybody who would just like a good reference guide for the basics. I am having such fun playing now, experimenting to find colours that suit me, textures, tools etc and am already improving in confidence with my make-up choices, application and on a personal level as I look in the mirror and sometimes actually love what I see! It's amazing what a little make-up can do. I highly highly recommend this book with no reservation. I must admit, Bobbi doesn't always go into as much detail as I would like. For example: I would like more pictures to show exactly how to contour the eyes, instead of a few words telling you what you can do. I have also bought Jemma Kidd's 'Make-up Masterclass' book as an additional reference book and the two seem to complement each other very well. Overall though, if I was picking one book on make-up and how to apply it, this would definitely be 'the one'.

book review

Lovely book, covers all basic soap-making requirements. Very informative, but also written with a sense of humour which made it very easy to read. Haven't tried any of the 'recipes' yet, but I certainly feel confident and inspired to try.

Just started......

I have bought this book after coming across this type of book by chance. I didn't even know that you could do facial workouts.... I am 52 and blessed with great genes, many people think that I am almost 20 years younger. In the past I never cared about what I ate or about exercising, I just looked good even after having three daughters who are all now grown up but with the age I found that my body was going a bit downhill and before things change for the worst I decided that I had to do something about my fitness. And why not about the fitness of my face as well? After reading a lot of reviews on books on facial workouts I was very much mixed up and not knowing what to buy as there are many positive reviews but many negative reviews as well. This lady seems to have worked on this method for a very long time and even started with the lady who developed it so I thought that it had to be a bit trustworthy. I have read the book which gives you a lot of very useful information even if at times a bit outdates but you can have a bit of a laugh and that is great for your health as well. The facial exercises of which I only tried a few because I am pressed for time right now seem very interesting although difficult to execute at first. I also liked the other exercises. The bottom line is that I can't wait to have a bit more time to start doing it for real. They might not make me look 10 years young otherwise it would be rather strange when I go out with my three grown up daughters but hopefully it will make me grow old gracefully! A little book which is really worth the little money you pay for it!

Great for novices like me!

I have become very interested in soap making since spending time in the Middle East. With an increasing bias towards more natural ingredients I looked for a book that would get me started with very practical explanations and recipes. That is what I found in The Natural Soap Book. An added extra was that the explanations of the science of soap making, prompted my husband's interest too! My only negative comment would be that the resources information is (understandably)for companies in the States so I will need to research my own suppliers online in the UK. I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to get started in soap making.

fantastic

could not live without my liz earle products! so many useful tips in her book-a must to have on your shelf

Revamped Indian Face Massage Book

Having done the Indian Face Massage course and bought the Indian Face Massage book back in 2001, I was so excited when I saw this book by Kundan Mehta as I presumed it was a follow up book with lots of extras. If you already have The Art of Indian Face Massage by Narendra & Kundan Mehta, don't purchase this book. It is exactly the same except any reference to facial rejuvenation has been replaced with facelift massage. If you don't have the IFM book though, this has very useful information in it and the exercises work.

Excellent Book

I am studying acrylic at the moment and I have found this book to be an amazing help. I was having difficulties at home with types of nails I hadn't come across in class, a quick look in this book and it answered all my questions. I would recommend this book to anyone studying Nails. I take it everywhere with me so I can refer to it when needed.

Fantastic book!

I got this book to get an idea of what bridal look I wanted for the wedding day. By this point I had done 3 different trials with different make up artist and wasn't really happy with any of them. This book is full of great pictures and advice. The transformations are amazing. The only thing I wish it had more of was closer shots of the make up colours. It would have been easier to buy the same make up in the book if I could have been able to see the colours better. But overall, a great book for brides and every women who wants to look gorgeous but not overly made up.

It's a miracle!

Loved this book! If you're like me, you are always perusing magazines to find out the latest tips. Well, now I don't have to do that as often, not since this book which lays out over 1000 tops and beauty solutions. It's definetly worth the price, that's for sure. I also liked and recommend How To Be Wanted: Use the Law of Attraction to Date the Man You Most Desire and Live the Life You Deserve.

Fab Home-made Present Ideas Here.!!!

Excellent,well described ideas for home-made hand care products,using lovely pure ingredients & enabling the maker to have a finished item worthy of gracing any bathroom.Super gift ideas. An excellent & inspiring book.

A useful resource

The Holistic Beauty Book: With Over 100 Natural Recipes for Beautiful Skin<br /><br />This is a very comprehensive guide , good for beginners like myself. Some of the recipes use essential oils, some flower waters & other ingredients. I feel there is a fair mix of easy to source ingredients & those which may require more time to track down. There is advice on the beneficial properties of ingredients, storage & packaging for gifts. The book also contains a few edible recipes for internal nutritional wellbeing. The book is divided into sections for each part of the body. The best thing for me is that there are suggestions for variations. I really enjoyed looking through the book & can't wait to try the recipes for myself.

Excellent book!

As a self professed beauty junkie I had high hopes for this book, and amazingly these were surpassed! I must admit at first the sheer volume of information in this book was slightly overwhelming but if taken in small bite sized chunks it is an enjoyable read. It covers pretty much every makeup and skin care product made by every beauty company in the world - in detail!! Each product is evaluated as to whether it is fit for the marketed use (e.g. dry skin), if it comtains any potentially irritant ingredients, if the"miracle" ingredient is actually worth it and also if any particular shades/ colours should be avoided. She backs observations up with referenced scientific papers, and also her own experience of the products. She also discusses the SPF rating of products and if they properly protect against sun damage or not.<br />There is also a chapter of her favourite products in all categories at different price points. A dictionary of product ingredients is included at the back.<br />Although you may not always agree with her, I found she got it right about the products I use and I also tried some of her alternative picks and found them to live up perfectly to her rating.<br />One thing I will say is that the book is american and therefore some of the products are not available here and also the prices are in dollars. But seeing as the beauty industry is such a global entity pretty much all the products are available here, or it is possible to source them on the internet.<br />Overall a great book and a good investment as it could potentially save you a lot of time, effort and money trying to find the perfect product!

So far so good!

Maybe I would have been better off buying a book about stopping myself from procrastinating... instead I bought one on beating Mother Nature at her own game and although I've only carried out the exercises 4 times since I've received it (hence the need to stop procrastinating!)I must say it really feels as though I've had a"workout" on my face and my skin seems to have improved.<br /><br />I will haul myself off the sofa a few more times to gurn in front of the mirror and report back after the 3 weeks that the book feels I might see an improvement. I would recommend the book, especially to someone who can actually stick to a routine!

Brilliant Intermediate Book

As a newbie, I can honestly say not to start with this book. This is the next step for a total beginner.<br /><br />1. For Absolute beginners start with the Melinda Coss book on Handmade soap, as this has small recipes using lard to practice and make mistakes with.<br />After 5-10 batches, move on to this book.<br /><br />2. This book is a gem - as once you get started, you'll notice the different temperatures recommended - and this book will explain all that. Even better troubleshooting guide for temperatures 80-90 F, 95 -105 F, 110 - 120 F and 125 - 140 F.<br /><br />3. You'll want comparision charts of oils for lather, trace times, fluffy lather, stable lather, conditioning. This book is the only book that I've found with such charts.<br /><br />4. Good troubleshooting guides, for Transparent Soaps such as cloudiness, opacity, softness or slippery feel.<br /><br /><br />This is the"next stage" book, that handles in an easy to read format, all those wonderful things that can wrong or right. If you understand these, then you're ready to really experiment with confidence.<br /><br /><br />

Great Photos, Disappointing Text

I was hoping for more information to read, but much of this book consists of photos of how to conduct a skin routine. Whilst that's helpful and informative (great photos!) I'd prefer some text to read to help it make sense. Still, a novel concept that is worth following up if you want to look after your skin.

Hair without stress

Hair loss is a subject that is disturbing to most people at some stage of their lives. Inevitably, perhaps, it is most worrying to younger men and older women, mainly because it affects most older men and few younger women.

But these are by no means general rules and Vera Peiffer has drawn largely on her own traumatic experience at the age of only 14 when hair loss dramatically struck and treatment served very little more than to increase her state of stress, which itself aggravated the condition.

So in writing this book she is offering no prescriptions that have not been put under the microscope of her own experience.

Peiffer has written a portmanteau book - which is none the worse for that. Indeed, it is a major part of the book's success (and success it is!) that it does not merely address the issue of hair loss from the cause, effect and remedial bases, but addresses health and wellbeing in general, from the point of view of stress, since this, in Peiffer's estimation, is equally responsible for hair loss.

This is not really a surprising conclusion. Negative stress, that is anxiety, as opposed to positive stress, tension, will have a profound effect on body, mind and spirit. If we are suffering from any form of physical complaint, worrying about it will aggravate the condition.

So it is good that Vera Peiffer has devoted a large part of her book to anxiety and how to deal with it. Indeed, the copy of the book that I have includes a CD for self-hypnotic relaxation as an aid to hair growth.

In fact I cannot think of any aspect of hair loss, treatment, recovery and the physical and emotional control of body and mind associated with hair loss, that has been neglected in Peiffer's book. She deals with the causes, types and conditions of hair loss in the first part of the book; conventional, complementary and alternative forms of treatment in the second part of the book, and a final section covers a whole range of ways in which sufferers can be helped and can help themselves to feel better about the condition.

And it is so wonderful to find a book devoted to help sufferers and not simply to separate them from their cash by offering patent remedies.

A little disappointing

I read about Aucoin in a glossy magazine and thought I had to get one of his books on makeup. From the reviews in Amazon, this one looked the best option. And it has pros and cons, that's why I can't give it more than 3 stars.
First, the good news. It's beautifully edited, with big size pictures (even if yes, they're digitally or airbrush-ly enhanced)and clear explanations, step-by-step dos, etc. I liked the fact than Aucoin doesn't give any specifical brands -which I hate to see in magazines, as it's always very expensive brands they recommend and you get the feeling that you can't achieve the look unless you spend a fortune. Also, you can copy or develop a certain part (eyes, skin, and so on) of every picture. It's a very nice book for starters, but when you've read half the book the steps are beginning to repeat themselves a bit.
On the other hand, what I didn't like at all was all the"personal" stuff: Mr Aucoin telling us about how wonderful every woman -and some men- in the book are. It's just boring. He must have been a wonderful human being and all that, but when I buy an expensive book on make up by a professional artist, I want to read about make up, not about how he met so-and-so. I think it's the American stuff about"being yourself" and"look within" and so on, which they never actually use on real people and real life. For me all the small talk and gossip it's just booooring, and I think the book would improve if they had keep all the personal histories apart.
Thus said, I liked the book in the whole but maybe you can find better books by this same author, more about make up and less about his friends. Unless you really enjoy to know the stories behind the faces -if you do this book is for you.

I agree!!!

Yes this a lovely and simple book and easy to understand. It has plenty of tips and it gives advice on all ages, skin colour, face shape.etc. I love it because its a nice book to look through even if you dont need to read it!!!!!

Exciting, if a little fiddely!

I bought this book on the basis of other reviews and I'm glad that I did. It's a really great book, but it is quite fiddely. The idea behind the design is brilliant - the book in ring bound so it stays open and across a double page on the lefthand side there is a plain, not made-up face, and on the righthand side is the finished look. Between the two is a transparent sheet that lays over the finished look which has a map of what make-up goes where (so a circle under the eye for concealer and different areas on the eye for different shades of eyeshadow). This altogether makes it really easy t follow. The only downside is that the directions for the order in which to put what where are a few pages back which means that you have to flick backwards and forwards. The looks are organised into themes which is good and they are not unachievable (well, most of them!). I really enjoyed trying out the different looks and getting creative with colours - I only wish the make-up was cheaper to buy because it is really beautiful stuff!