The Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty [Paperback]

Paula Begoun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Myriad new formulas, outrageous claims, and hot controversies run rampant in the cosmetics industry. This second edition of The Beauty Bible will help clear up the confusion. From tanning pills to oxygen in products, from facial exercises to behind-the-scenes industry information, this book covers it all. Containing 50 percent new material, this edition includes advice on the latest cosmetic surgery procedures, online beauty shopping, and permanent makeup. Drawing on her background as a makeup artist, her 20-plus years as a consumer reporter, and the latest dermatological studies, Paula Begoun (a.k.a. the “Cosmetics Cop”) gives readers the tools and information they need to make smart skincare decisions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Beginning Press; 2nd edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877988294
• ISBN-13: 978-1877988295
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great information, but buy the author's other book first, April 12, 2004

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty (Paperback)

The Beauty Bible is meant as a companion volume to Paula Bogoun's Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, and it does contain some unique information not found in Don't Go..., including advice on overall body care and tips on makeup application. However, the most helpful sections of this book--eg, instructions for blemish/acne treatment, inside information about product ingredients, etc.--are covered more succinctly and clearly in Begoun's other work, which also includes a ton of useful information on specific skin care and makeup products. I recommend that you first purchase Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, and if you then require additional information, consider buying this book.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It will change how you think about cosmetics and skin care, May 1, 2003

By 

Jaclyn McKewan "situpandcycle.info" (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty (Paperback)

I think this is a very informative book. Paula explains why fashion magazines will never give an honest critique of beauty products - they can't say anything negative and risk angering the cosmetics companies who advertise in their pages - so you will rarely see anything there but glowing reviews. She explains how most moisturizers are the same, and how any claims that they can lift, firm, or tone the skin are a bunch of BS. She explains why so-called "botanicals" or "natural" products have no special benefits for the skin and are only used as a marketing strategy to make products seem more interesting or glamorous. (By the time the "natural" elements are extracted and bottled, there is hardly anything "natural" left in them. Plus they are only added in teeny-tiny amounts, just enough so that the company can say that the product contains natural ingredients.) She explains how toners/astringents and most products that supposedly help acne contain extremely irritating ingredients that can make your pimples worse. She also explains why the terms "hypoallergenic" and "dermatologist tested" are meaningless hype, and how the cosmetic companies can get away with misleading advertizing because cosmetics are not regulated by the FDA.

Paula also includes a lot of information on skincare and makeup application. I didn't always agree with her opinions about application, but it's still refreshing to see someone willing to speak out against the downright dishonest claims made by cosmetics companies, and to educate us consumers. Every woman who uses cosmetics or skincare products should read this book, as well as _Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me_. These two books will pay for themselves when they save you time and money. You'll learn to be a smart consumer and see right through the marketing hype and ridiculous claims that the cosmetics companies would have you believe.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars End The Confusion And Get This Book, August 6, 2002

By 

Angelaustin (Elkhart, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty (Paperback)

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You pick up a copy of you favorite magazine, and when you flip through the pages, you find an article on skin care. In it, you are told that if you have oily skin (and just for the sake of this arguement, let's say you do ), you still need to use a moisturizer, because oil is not a moisturizer, really, and you need to protect your skin. They tell you that you need one that is light and oil free, and usually name one or two that they recommend. So, even though you have never used one, you figure that hey, they are the experts so they should know. You go right out to buy one, start to use it, and notice that your skin seems even oiler than before. Before long, you start to break out. The next month, when you once again pick up this magazine, there is another article on skin care by someone else, only this time, they tell you NOT to use a moisturizer if you have oily skin, because oil is the skin's own natural moisturizer, and if you use one, it can cause problems, like breakouts. Now you are mad, confused, and at a total loss. Just what is going on here?
As far-fetched as it sounds, this happens all the time. And until I found this great lady, Paula Begoun, I didn't know what to believe. If you are fed up with conflicting advice, then read this book,and be confused no longer.
Paula is not a quack who decided one day to write a book. She has been at this for a long time. She does very thorough research, interviewing cosmetic chemists ( the people who formulate cosmetics ), dermatologists, she reads cosmetic industry journals and papers, medical journals and papers, etc., etc. She really is the Ralph Nader of cosmetics. She cuts through the crap that the magazines and cosmetics companies and their salespeople try to tell you. She gives practical, down to earth advice on skin care for all skin types, and she adds new information or corrects old information found to be outdated in each new addition of her books. She keeps up with everything going on in the industry, and lets you in on the latest news.Most importantly, she will tell you what the cosmetic companies wish she wouldn't: the simple truth.
If you're tired of being lied to, tired of being confused, read this book. You'll be doing yourself, your pocketbook, and your skin a big favor!