Customer Reviews

Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Jean Godfrey-June offers beauty advice that real women (even, gasp, working moms) can benefit from. Her monthly column in Lucky magazine is something I flip to first, with much anticipation, and she manages to cut through the hoo-ha of beauty marketing with both grace and humor. Equally admirable in my book, she makes trenchant observations about the crossover products -- those products one buys for your children or other members of your family that can be re-used for yourself. In this way, her guidance marries the best of the women's magazine ilk (do it cheaper or more efficiently) with the heady fashion forward tone of Lucky. I love going to Target with her column in hand, and buying 60% of what appears in any given month. And when she does reccomend a pricier item, I have full confidence that it will not disappoint. I think it's entirely possible that she is beauty's fairy godmother for every woman (and baby, teen, and man, to boot).

If you liked "The Devil Wears Prada," the book or the movie, you will love this book. It's like a non-fiction version of the same story -- nice girl works at huge, fancy magazine with stuck-up, crazy people. NOTE, the author is mostly writing about her time at Elle Magazine. I was truly pleased with the level of dish. It almost made me want to dig around the internet for the real identities of these wacky magazine people. I also like how the author, Jean, gave us in the inside story on being a beauty editor -- lots of fancy, but boring, lunches with lots of free products, a whole closet of beauty products at her disposal. But, and she is the first to admit, most of these are hyped-up, useless, French-scientist-touted jars of goop. It's refreshing to have Jean tell the truth but admit to being taken in by the glamour. The other thing I liked is that it sounds like her new employer, Lucky Magazine, is a swell place to work -- which is great since I personally love the magazine and am glad to know that the people behind it are as good as the product. If you are interested in makeup, magazine publishing, then you should read this book. I will just warn you that it starts slowly -- Jean spends a few chapters discussing her youth, and this may not be your cup of tea or resound with you. It'll sound much better in the novel I hope Jean writes!

I really enjoyed Free Gift with Purchase. Athough it might be hard to tell from looking at my wardrobe or make-up, I am a big fan of beauty and fashion magazines, and read almost all of them each month, plus some from Europe. Godfrey-June provides an inside perspective of working for two famous beauty magazines, and of the products and companies that they feature. As you would expect from a established writer, the book is very well written, and although there is some insider gossip, none of it is uber-mean.

Godfrey-Jean intersperses some personal anecdotes along with her work stories, including a hilarious story about how June's mother made June and her sister get pixie cuts when they were young. I thought my mom was the only one!

Free Gift with Purchase is an engaging afternoon read, both for the subject matter and the adept handling by the author.

Ever wonder what a beauty editor really, truly thinks of the products that fill her magazine's pages? Or, hypothesize about what happens to the between 50 and 200 free beauty items that come across her desk every day? If so, pick up a copy of "Free Gift With Purchase" by the winning tell-it-like-it-is Beauty Editor of Lucky Magazine, Jean Godfrey-June. She has crafted a breezy, down to earth, funny peek behind the scenes look at what goes on in the glamorous world of makeup and skin care, which she allows is "impossible to take seriously."

As she notes, she has a cousin who is immersed in research, helping to find a cure for pediatric cancer. "Me," she writes, "I ponder lipstick."

Her memoir is aptly subtitled "My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup." Rightly so, because as she says she used to think she was ugly. In fact, while a youngster her one concern was that "people would mistake me for a boy." But life has a way of surprising us - she never dreamed she would some day do an interview on a hotel bed with Tom Ford. And, she found herself attracted to the mystique of those lotions, potions, and colors that held so much promise. As she writes, "It's like candy, all those little boxes and bottles."

Her take on fellow workers at Elle magazine is hilarious - there was "The Playboy" ("noted for the trail of broken hearted supermodels in his wake); "The Fashionista" who ruled the fashion department; and "Eminence Grise" who evidently had money and gave input to the magazine re finances and personnel issues. Sound a bit like "The Devil Wears Prada"? It's even funnier.

Godfrey-June's tales of the parties, the trips to Paris, and the fashion show seatings are fodder for daydreams of life among the glamoratti. Sidebars filled with information dot the book, such as in one titled The Fungible Truth we learn that many eye pencils come from the same factory in Germany, and that nothing, zip, zero from the cosmetics counter will erase wrinkles.

Each page bursts with chuckles, dishy tidbits, and solid advice - don't miss "Free Gift With Purchase."

- Gail Cooke

I love this book which marries the accessibility of a well-written magazine article with the bounce and surprise of a favorite novel. I read it for the story, and also came away with useful beauty tips. I felt a genuine, unanticipated boost in my own self-esteem. Boost? Yes, inspired by Godfrey-June's honest accounts of her own coming-of-age into the world of fashion and media. Who doesn't want to experience the inside of a very popular, fun and chic clique (without having to experience any of the downside of fitting in)? Her hilarious stories allow me to keep my fantasy that no one feels like they fit in or have the perfect body even if it looks so from the outside (ok maybe a couple ego maniacs like the "Playboy" or "Model-Wife").

What did I do after reading? Ran out and bought a bunch of make-up and beauty products, of course.

I fell in love with this book! I rarely get through an entire book but this one was the true exception. Why? Jean Godfrey-June's writing style prevails, foremost, but I found it personally interesting because I have been trying to understand my buyers' habits on eBay. Why would anyone pass up a chance to own a big name brand for a cheap price? Jean knows why. What really works or what really doesn't work is highlighted right throughout this fabulous book. I often found myself reading pages out loud to people because I was so entertain or just shocked. I love her beauty tips and I love her sense of self-contridiction (where and how she lives). I read this before the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" ever came out. If you are interested in fashion journalism or understanding people from a marketing/psychology point of view, I definitely recommend this one to you. This is such a good read for the 30+ gals who are considering using expensive beauty products.

I almost felt guilty that I had so much fun reading this book. I read it in one day--couldn't put it down. I felt like I was spying on someone (and something) that I wasn't supposed to know about. Highly entertaining.

This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Jean Godfrey June's humor is wry, self-deprecating and totally spot-on--she made me actually laugh out loud several times while reading it. It reminded me of Diana Vreeland's autobiography, which is really insidery, yet also totally clear-eyed, down-to-earth and witty. Plus, her beauty advice is almost freakishly honest (cellulite creams don't work, all makeup comes from the same four factories, no matter the price), which I appreciate.

How nice to find a beauty editor who's managed to retain her sense of humor. There is a very droll wit at work here, and it's perfect for the subject matter. Godfrey-June is intelligent and speaks in a voice all her own--readers of her Lucky column will recognize it immediately. She really is like no other. The amazing thing is that there really is something for everyone even remotely interested in beauty/fashion in here and, unlike Allure's new "Confessions of a Beauty Editor," which takes recycling to a whole new level, this is an original voice with something new and different to say. She never takes herself too seriously, which is part of the charm. It's good, quirky fun. Long may Godfrey-June remain comfortably ensconced "above the fray" at Lucky--they are "lucky" to have her.

i deplore fashion and beauty magazines and I have never read Lucky- haven't read Elle in years- so I am in the minority of readership. However, I liked the sidebars especially, finding them full of practical information. As well, the dishy gossip on corporate politics a la fashion- I thought were very realistic without being cynical or cliched. The writer seems down to earth and perceptive, and funny and warm. I breezed right through the book and may just become a fan. the beauty business is HUGE and nary a modern woman of any ilk can be considered on the sidelines- everyone brushes their teeth, washes their face and hair- this is not an elite category- Indeed the items needed for absolute basic items constitute a hefty enough portion of take home pay and information is power- we need "scientists" like the author to navigate through the aisles of the real world