Customer Reviews

Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Bobbi Brown isn't about makeup trickery and techniques designed to alter the shape of a feature or make an average woman look like a drag Marilyn Monroe. If you are looking for this kind of book--as I suspect some of the other reviewers were--look elsewhere. What she is about is teaching a woman to look and feel her best, and this book does an excellent job of showing each and every step, in a way that a novice can understand and a pro can appreciate. Not everyone may feel they need this kind of instruction...but then why read a book called "Makeup Manual" if you already know it all?

Unlike her other books, which focus quite a bit on how health and lifestyle affect beauty, Bobbi's Makeup Manual really is dedicated to makeup artistry. A beginning makeup artist will find the detailed instructions on dramatic smoky eyes, false eyelash application, and how to work on a photo shoot especially useful. Bobbi also delves into extreme color, editorial looks, makeup as art, and tribal and geisha looks, all of which are territory uncovered in her previous books.

To summarize, if you appreciate Bobbi Brown's aesthetic, you will enjoy this book. If you want to know how to create basic and dramatic looks in a way that is pretty and modern, you will love this book. If you are a new makeup artist, you need this book. If you want to know how to transform Andy Rooney into Audrey Hepburn with lipstick, glitter, and seventeen concealers, you will hate this book. If you already know it all...write your own book. I'll look forward to reading it.

Cheers!

Leafing through Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual is almost like sitting down and having a cup of latte with the makeup whiz herself. Her book answers every question I'd ask, and subjects are arranged in an easy to locate format along with step-by-step instructions so the reader can take as much or as little time as she wishes. Dramatic for a special evening? Understated for the office? Picture perfect for a photography session? The choice is ours. While some tend to make applying cosmetics a difficult task one of the reasons I like Bobbi Brown so much is that she makes it easy.

Never one to overlook the necessity of good health via nutrition, exercise, and sleep Bobbi begins with some practical reminders along those lines. Then, it's on to skin care basics. I thought I knew all I needed to to know about cleansing, moisturizing, etc. Wrong! Bobbi said that dry lips are a sign that one should drink more water, and she's right - it worked for me. Also, she suggested applying moisturizer by "gently pressing the product into the skin until it is completely absorbed." Also works for me!

There are tons of these tips that really do make a difference - all the way from choosing the right foundation shade (swatch a few shades on your face, check the colors in natural light - the one that disappears is for you) to shaping eyebrows to applying lip gloss that stays, yes, glossy.

The photographs are gorgeous and especially useful when the reader is shown the application of blush or eye shadow from start to finish. If you're a budding makeup artist Bobbi shares a wealth of information and advice.

Also included are makeup tips for teens, brides, and special occasions. There's something helpful for everyone in Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual!

- Gail Cooke

If you are looking for makeup from waking up to waking up the Boardroom this book is filled with great advice. Typically, I have found that many women just DON'T want to COMMIT to looking good. They want great results with no effort. If you want to get rid of those dark circles, TRUST ME, it really may take 2 or 3 colors, powdered down and maintained during the day. As to the profession, Bobbi Brown does the best thing by exposing her kit and listing ALL the items that must be carried to every appt.,plus cleaned up and maintained for the next time. Again the wise message is there are no shortcuts to looking great or being in the beauty business. But the rewards of fun, meeting interesting people and escaping 9to5 if you wear makeup or use it as a profession are worth it!

Rating: 4.5 stars


Bobbi Brown's latest book is said to be the book that her fans have been waiting years for and I can see why. This book is incredibly comprehensive not to mention aesthetically pleasing, with its vivid, colorful and sometimes artistic photographs.

The chapters start off very basic by outlining the fundamental makeup tools and their maintenance, as well as helpful shopping tips. I liked how everything is laid out very clearly and explained in great detail. Even someone who is quite familiar with makeup and its equipment can benefit from this section. There are also sections on skin analysis which teach skincare basics and even discuss healthy lifestyle and nutrition.

The next sections feature step-by-step makeup applications for the face, lips and eyes, which take great care to educate readers about the right shades, right application and troubleshooting recommendations.

The sections start becoming more advanced which I would recommend reading after the basics are mastered or at least familiar. Bobbi Brown also includes advice for those seeking a professional career as a makeup artist which was interesting, although I imagine not incredibly relevant for the average consumer.

Above all, my favorite section of the book is on makeup for magazines, television and film because it offers a rare glimpse into the ideas behind makeup choices and really highlights the power of makeup. At the end of the book there are some more interesting sections that rarely get included into a makeup manual, such as a history of makeup and a guide to the big names in the makeup industry.

This book is a fun, beautiful and informative makeup guide, which as the title states, is "for everyone from beginner to pro".

http://bookopolis.blogspot.com

The subtitle of BOBBI BROWN MAKEUP MANUAL indicates it is for the beginner to pro and I'm in the beginner category. All I'm interested in is doing my own makeup well. As a user of Bobbi Brown makeup for over ten years, I wanted to read this book to see what I could improve as formerly I was just applying the makeup as instructed by the BB counter saleswoman instructed me. I didn't know why I was doing what I was doing until I read this book.

The bulk of the book (the first 138 pages) is designed to be used by both individual women for their own makeup and can also be used by professionals. After giving some brief opinions and recommendations on which products or product types to use on various skin types or for different purposes (such as when to use crème blush versus powder blush for example), clear directions for applying the makeup properly are given in brief text along with full step by step directions. Important to note is that all skin colors and different ethnicities are included. Special techniques for Asians are given such as handling eye makeup. I was happily surprised to see special advice given for women with freckles, the advice is to not cover them up completely but to use special makeup effects that allow them to show through. Also covered is how to handle makeup with skin conditions such as rosacea and others.

A section at the beginning gives information about brush selection, the importance of proper brush maintenance, and the reasons to use high quality brushes. Advice on compiling makeup kits is included, specifically, what items to buy and how to organize them for different purposes (travel, everyday use, and so forth).

I was impressed also with the section about eyebrows and eyelashes. Included is information about the benefits of and best ways to shape the eyebrows and when eyebrow makeup should be used. Directions for penciling in eyebrows for women with sparse eyebrows or who are currently undergoing chemotherapy is useful too. The proper way to apply mascara, how to use an eyelash curler and even how to apply false eyelashes correctly is included.

What struck me the most about this book is that it gives just enough information to be thorough but not too much so as to bog down or intimidate the reader. The photographed stepped out directions are done well. It is easy to find the makeup technique or effect you want to achieve to use the book's directions when needed. When to use various effects is explained, such as daytime makeup and then touching it up for evening. Makeup for weddings and other formal events is also covered.

The last 80 pages are dedicated to professional makeup artists or those striving to become professional makeup artists. Those pages cover a range of topics from special makeup procedures to use on models in dramatic photo shoots to job basics such as career options, marketing oneself and booking work.

A short resources section is included at the end.


I read the book cover to cover and learned some things about makeup and makeup application that I never knew. I finally know how to pick the right shade of lipstick and foundation, and how to bring up the various levels of makeup for a more dramatic effect if desired. Now I will use the book as a reference guide for applying makeup. The book can easily be referenced for step by step directions.

Again from the perspective of an amateur, I loved this book. It breaks down a lot of information into easy to understand manner. I like the makeup style used by Bobbi Brown, of how natural her everyday makeup look is and the fact that Brown seeks to enhance a woman's unique features rather than putting the makeup first and the women second. Unlike other makeup companies, Brown does not just churn out trendy colors each season and expect women to buy and use them as they are `in style' at the moment. Brown wants women to look their best, to look natural but an "enhanced" natural. Brown's makeup recommendations for evening and special occasions is elegant and beautiful, the makeup is not overpowering.

Most women learn how to apply makeup in their early teens and then continue learning new things as they mature. By the time they are fifty-seven (like I am) they pretty well know their faces, their coloring and what works and what doesn't. But suppose you started life at age fifty-seven, where would all of your experience be? This happened to me. I transitioned from male to female, and there I was with, pardon this, my face hanging out and nothing to put on it! For someone in my position, Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual has been nothing less than a Godsend! I have learned more in the past few months from this book than I ever dreamed possible and instead of looking foolish with bad makeup and no knowledge of how to use it, I have not only learned how to apply it properly and what works for me, but have also gained a great deal of confidence just because I know what to do now. Thank You Bobbi, from the bottom of my heart. This book is just THAT GOOD!

I decided to purchase this after the rave reviews I read here but I found this book to be a real disappointment. The instruction is extremely generic and too basic: there are no insider tips or in-depth analysis of any kind despite the 221 pages! Some of the featured looks are great, but a lot of the makeup looks somewhat slapdash and gaudy. For example many of the model's eye concealer is too light, so much so that they appear too have white rings underneath their eyes. Some of the eye makeup is seriously questionable as well, with very visible lines of demarcation and very little blending. I was really shocked and I plan to return this item.

This book was too simple. Wish I hadn't purchased. I was looking how to do smokey eye and other techniques and the book just didn't deliver. Way too simple...............

I was so excited to buy this book and leafed through it to make sure I wanted it. I was disappointed however when I was done reading the whole book. Although Bobbi Brown does give awesome information about skin, I felt that there was a lot of makeup techniques were missing. The book is mostly basic makeup. If you're looking for new techniques, like I was, you should find another book. Great pictures and information for a beginner, just not for me.

This is one of those yummy books with glossy color pages that smell good! Everything you need to know about makeup is included in this volume from equipment to the "Ten-Step Guide to Perfect Makeup." Tips for advanced makeup care for fashion shows, television, and photography have a chapter all to themselves. The history of makeup in chronological order and "Who's Who in Makeup" are two delightful surprises at the end.