Customer Reviews

Cindy Crawfords Basic Face

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It all depends on what are you looking for: If you already know the basics about make up or have been using make up for years this is not for you. If you're looking for a book that explains you all the posibilites of make up this is not for you. (Try Kevin Aucoin's "Making faces". But if you're a teen, or beginning to use make up or just unsure about the basics this book is informative, clear and covers all the things you should know: how to choose colors and formulas, how to aply them and the use of every product. It puts an emphasis in how to achieve a natural, non make up look and on quick, easy, 5 minutes make up, so it's perfect for beginners. The book's is quite beautifull too, simple, clear and modern, with good pictures although all of them are of Cindy so you can't compare technics and looks in other faces.

If you know nothing about makeup then this is the book for you; when Cindy chose the title "Basic Face" she knew what she was talking about. There is great advice on how to look beautiful and at the same time natural. Cindy is also very approachable and kind to all types of women. However, if you have an idea of which colours suit you best and how to apply makeup without looking like you were dipped in flour, then you may need something more. I don't want to underestimate this book, I am glad I have it in my collection, however it told me very few things I didn't already know, and I'm no makeup expert. It also said nothing about night-time make-up, or advice about a little more dramatic, intense look. Cindy Crawford's Basic face is simply... basic.

I think people like to bag this book simply because Cindy Crawford wrote it. It's like "oh, she's a model, professionals do her makeup and she has to be too dumb to write anything worthwhile anyway". Actually this is the best book I've ever seen on makeup and the one I'd pick above any other to recommend and I'm a qualified makeup artist myself.

A lot of the things you'll find in this book make up the foundation of the course where I studied (the section in beauty as opposed to screen and theatrical). Why? - because it's the essentials of what beauty and everyday makeup is all about. It gives you all the basics and then pointers to enable you to develop your own style. It's also easy to follow, well written and yet very comprehensive.

I've personally found that most books by professional makeup artists only appear to help you, but in reality just give a lot of pretty pictures with little workable substance. And if you know what you're looking at, most of their 'tips' and methods arn't that great either. These books have struck me overall as being more for self-promotion then anything else. A makeup artist with a book full of glossy model and celebrity photo's, if it sells well, will instantly become a 'star' makeup artist.

Totally recommend this book for actually delivering what it promises to.

Cindy Crawford is a model who is fortunate enough to have professional makeup artists apply her makeup. You would think with access to these professionals, she would have learned some more impressive techniques on the way. Read the disappointing reviews of this book, and don't make the mistake I did and buy the book anyway!

This book is not for people who don't know whether to use liquid or powder makeup. This book is for people who can't pronounce the word makeup. I imagine that this book would be a good gift for a young girl who is just starting to learn how to wear makeup. It faithfully catalogues the different types and textures of makeup and the types of brushes used. However it gives NO COMMENTARY on which types of makeup should be used for different looks. Applying foundation and skin care are the main things emphasized. Anyone who has been wearing makeup for even a brief time knows what is out there and knows how to put the simple products on. There is no mention in this book of color choice, contouring, shading, or more sophisticated styles. These are the difficult aspects of makeup that very few people can pick up on their own and require a book to learn. The "techiques" and lists of makeup types that obtain from this book can easily be figured out by a simple trip to the makeup counter.

Another tell-tale sign of a bad makeup book is the lack of pictures featuring different looks on different faces. The only face in this book is Cindy Crawford, and all the makeup looks are natural, and might very well be from the same makeup session. In every picture it doesn't even look like she's wearing makeup. Obviously, I don't think the ground breaking techniques this book mentions (blending is important, shocking!) make her look good. The fact that she's Cindy Crawford makes her look good. The pictures are useless, and they all look the same.

The makeup philosophy Crawford swears by gives the best possible insight into the quality of the this book.

"Makeup should not take more than 5 minutes"

If a rudimentary understanding of makeup is what you require, then this book is the perfect present for your 13th birthday. However, by your sweet sixteen you're going to need something with a lot more substance than this. Only a model with a professional makeup artist to rely upon can get by with this simplistic knowledge of makeup.

I do enjoy rereading this book from time to time, but it is an elementary guide. I must agree with other reviewers that this book is aimed toward young teenagers and women who have very little experience with cosmetics. I am glad I purchased this for a few dollars through a book club special, because for most women, it certainly is not worth full price. Any reader of ALLURE Magazine knows these techniques!

Though this book is attractive enough and comes spiral-bound (great when you're trying to read it and follow application instructions), I'd recommend it only if you've absolutely never used makeup before. The instructions and advice are extremely basic, almost to the point where you'd need another book to supplement this one. Kudos to Cindy for appearing in the photos sans makeup, but some of the 'oh-she-doesn't-look-so-great-without-makeup-either' effect is diluted by the fact that she looks nearly perfect even without wearing cosmetics. For more in-depth instructions on makeup and application, try Beauty Secrets for Dummies and The Beauty Bible by Paula Begoun.

I'm not the biggest fan in the world of Cindy Crawford, but I thought that perhaps someone who spends all her waking hours thinking about her looks and telling us all how beautiful she is would have something of interest to say. Guess what, she doesn't?

Let's face it: if you don't have Cindy Crawford's genes, you're not going to look like Cindy Crawford no matter what you do. However, if you follow her makeup guidelines, you can wear makeup exactly as she does. Which is too bad, because although her makeup style suits her, it isn't likely to suit you unless you already resemble her.

Ms. Crawford seems to believe that her colouring and facial shape are universal. For instance, she claims that anyone can wear black mascara. This is false: light-skinned blondes and redheads should avoid black mascara and instead go for the lightest shade of brown they can find. (Black mascara can look obvious and fake on a very light-skinned woman.) I'm sure other problems would exist for women of Asian or African heritage attempting to follow some of the steps.

The book is written in such simple English that I felt as if I were being talked down to. The information is skimpy (you'll find more on one page of any of Paula Begoun's books) and the photos more glamour shots of Crawford than useful aids for the reader.

I received this book for Christmas and really wish I would have received something else. She gives you some helpful knowledge, but there are better beauty books out there to spend your money on!

Although I found a few pointers, more then anything I read things I already knew about. Such as drinking plenty of water and washing your face...puh-lease, if you're a woman you know this by instinct.
Don't expect any real secrets of the trade, it basically covers everything a teenage girl should know when starting to wear makeup. A sheer waste of money and time.