Customer Reviews

The Beauty Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Smart Beauty

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I just love Paula Begoun. The strides she's made possible for women everywhere is beyond belief. I loved her first edition of this book, and now this one brings so much more.

One of the newest strides Paula's brought out in this book is new research on chemical exfoliants to help people with oily skin and those with wrinkles. She reminds us that THERE IS NO WRINKLE CREAM that can erase a single wrinkle. Yet here we are with options to improve the skin we have through AHAs and BHAs, AND she reminds us of how to prevent wrinkles in the future. Sunscreen! Worn daily, under makeup. One simple step to prevent those wrinkles that make us cringe when we look in the mirror.

But that's not all. She talks about her newsletter, where people can get the latest info before her next book edition comes out. She talks about advertising hocus-pocus and why there just IS NO WRINKLE CREAM. Sure, they've created creams with the claim of getting rid of wrinkles, but they don't work. So what does that mean? Women everywhere can save their money and forgo such creams!

Paula gives us the hope that a wrinkle cream might come out in the future -- anything's possible -- but until she tells us, don't spend money on that.

She talks about ingredients in products and what they do and don't do. She describes how smoking affects one's skin and makes a person age prematurely. She describes skin care for every skin type.

But she's not done! She talks about cosmetic surgery, the types that are out there and the prices. She even describes personal experiences with different types.

She gives a detailed description of how makeup should be applied and why shiny eyeshadows and BLUE should be avoided. Pictures are included of makeup application on a woman. She goes on to describe nail care.

Nope, she's still not done. THEN she tells all about men's skin care and suggestions women can give the men in their lives. She talks about baby skin care, and how teens can ease into makeup application without looking like they walk the streets, but more than just "a little pink blush and lip gloss." Then she has a problem-solution section.

Paula even has a wonderful section on how a woman can feel beautiful while undergoing cancer treatment. Written in very tender terms.

She uses humor and kicks the advertising and magazine hype in the...well, you know where!

READ this book if you are at all interested in your appearance, as you must be if you got this far in my review. Kudos to you, Ms. Begoun!

A must-have for every beauty enthusiast who spends thousands of dollars just to look for the next miracle cream because the last one didn't do what it was claimed to.
Written clearly and with a sense of humour The Beauty Bible is literally a bible, explaining with details all the 'You Shalt' and 'You Shalt Not' in cosmetics, including all the hype ingredients, what to do to really have a better skin (it works, I bought her products) and how to prevent future damage. The book also includes a How-To makeup section.
The best part in the book is reading how we are fed with lies by the salespeople and cosmetics companies. I was amazed!
I will never look at the beauty industry the same.

I highly recommend her skincare advice for managing oily skin and acne: its sensible, easy to follow, and it works like nothing I have tried before, esp. milk of magnesia for shine control and salicylic acid for exfoliating pores. However, her one-size-fits-all approach to cosmetic colors and textures left me cold. Don't wear anything blue or green. Neutral matte eye colors, colorful cheeks and lips (creamy, not glossy). No color correcting powder (tell that to women with rosacea). No sparkles or luminescence. Pah-leeeeze. Cosmetics, like clothes, are an expression of personality and style. If you are clueless about make-up and don't mind looking like a suburban soccor mom, her style will work for you. Otherwise, for a more diverse collection of cosmetic ideas, check out The Make-up Book by Joy Terri.

Paula has done me a huge service in recommending Cetaphil skin cleanser. Everything I tried before, even if it was much more expensive, made my skin itch, turn red, even get hives. So for that alone, I really appreciate her. This book was also very helpful in finding a BHA product. The one I had had was the wrong PH (no wonder it didn't work). I also know ingredients to avoid in anything else I put on my face, and I'm using a sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB both. I don't wear makeup, so I just skipped that part. I did read some of the parts on cosmetic surgery with a ghoulish fascination. I do have a scar I might want to do something about, though . . .

My older daughter is ten, so I will be giving her the chapter on break-outs soon, and then perhaps she can handle them much better than I did. I put alcohol on my skin when I was a teenager. Ouch! This section is wonderful in keeping you from making matters worse by irritating the skin or drying it out too much. It also covers all the options, even the ones you hope you'll never have to consider, like Accutane.

I'm studying beauty therapy, so books like these are of great interest to me. The thing I like about this book is that its unbiased. Sure there are things that are hard to believe, and things that you think ... sure that makes sense ... but ingeneral, Paula tries to be as objective as she can and substantiates everything that she has written in the book. I may not agree with everything she says, but I can respect what she says and the position she takes and I have learnt more than a few things from the book.

Reading this book and her other book, Don't go to the cosmetics counter without me, has completely changed how I care for my skin. The author's advice is very practical, realistic, and sane. My skin is clearer, looks much nicer, and feels comfortable for the first time since I was under the age of 10. I remember having dermatologists (yes, actual medical doctors) prescibe harsh bar soaps for cleansing, irritating creams and lotions, and not making any mention of sun protection. It's no wonder I couldn't get my face to clear up! I've probably used every product marketed towards combination skin or acne-prone skin, and none of it has helped. By reading this book, I now understand what I was doing wrong and have put together a skin care routine that actually works. It's just amazing.

Some reviewers have tried to portray this book as a pro-plastic surgery, pro-chemical products, anti-nature, ill-informed rant, but that really couldn't be further from the truth. Paula Begoun is a consumer advocate and is trying to stop people from swallowing all the marketing nonsense that the cosmetics industry feeds us. She's also trying to help people have realistic expectations for what skin care products can do for you. No cream, toner, or serum can remove wrinkles, so she explains that if you really want to remove wrinkles, plastic surgery may be your only option. It's better to know that than to keep wasting tons and tons of money on supposed "miracle" products. She also is trying to debunk another myth the cosmetics industry feeds us, that "natural" equals "good". Look at products like Origins, Aveda, etc. that claim to be "natural" solutions -- they contain miniscule amounts of "natural" extracts and all the same chemicals that all other products have. She's not advocating dousing yourself in chemicals -- she's advocating not buying into the lies these companies use to sell you products.

At any rate, I highly recommend this book to anyone who's ever had trouble with their skin and has tried everything under the sun to improve it. Granted, not every recommendation she makes will work for you, but the bottom line is that with her advice, you can make much, much smarter choices for yourself.

I am a beauty junky, myself. I own almost every beauty book ever published. I use this one a lot. It delivers exactly what it promises. It's more for shopping purposes than for learning about beauty secrets, makeup techniques, hairstyles, etc.

If you're a beauty junky, I do think you'd like BeautyRiot.com. It's free and has answers to just about any beauty question you can think of. Plus they tell you how to copy celebrity hair and makeup and they have a ton of pictures.