Customer Reviews

Growing More Beautiful an Artful Approach to Personal Style

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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The nicest part of this book is the cover. It's pretty, inspiring. The book itself is just so-so as a style book. I don't think it's going to help me grow more beautiful. The author plainly states within the book that her aim is not to present another formulaic makeover book, but I think the title and descriptions I read prior to purchase said otherwise.

If you want a rah-rah, you're beautiful, be yourself, be authentic sort of chat with your mom or best girlfriend, this is the book for you. If you're seeking to improve your appearance by taking concrete steps - and still be your true self, I would look to some of the other style books out there, like Isaac Mizrahi's How to Have Style, The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own, or Garza and Lupo's Life in Color: The Visual Therapy Guide to the Perfect Palette--for Fashion, Beauty, and You!, or Color Me Younger.

Sorry, ladies, I can't recommend this one.

This is a book for every woman -- no matter what age, nationality or type.

It truly speaks to every woman.

I am very visual and for me to see the colors and read the descriptions brought this book to life.

It inspired me to get my own "rack" and start putting together those "cute little outfits" that Jennifer talks about. I will confess I am a buy-one-thing-at-a-time shopper and I usually end up with tops and bottoms and no outfits.

Reading this book really made me want to dress more beautifully and as a result - I feel more beautiful.

This is a "must" investment for any woman who wants to radiate her inside beauty to the outer world.

Thank you Jennifer for giving so much of yourself in the writing and designing of this truly Beautiful Book.

Carole Martin -- LaJolla, CA

I bought this book along with the Lucky Shopping Manual to see how other people create wardrobes, and learn a thing or two from them. It turned out that this book is written by a very deep and mature person whose impact is huge. I was turning pages: colors that relate to my inner being, colors in nature, collages, energy management, and practical tools for creating my personal style--everything was valuable.

The collage theme... When I made my first collage inspired by this book, it was not for clothes but for a love relationship. I experienced true therapy: images that deeply touched me popped up in magazines. I sorted them while feeling and thinking of what drew my attention to them. It helped to understand my true desires, values and my true nature. I glued them on paper. Now it is on the wall inspiring me to look further for somebody who is my true match.

We created a team collage in our company. It is a source of inspiration and shows what every team member wants deep inside for the company. I noticed I am highly motivated not only by the images I chosen myself but also by those brought in by my colleagues. (However, be gentle and respectful since the collage is a sensitive and revealing tool for team building and planning, not superficial.) While the book does not say any word about business, I highly recommend it for women building their businesses.

Now, six months later, I am creating my wardrobe collage and discovering myself. It makes it easy to go out and buy clothes that I finally love to wear.

The book contains practical tools related to building a rewarding and highly functional wardrobe, great budget considerations, a good note on accessories and the third element for any garment, nice pictures, and good paper. It touches energy management for fragile women (several valuable paragraphs). My friend is reading this book right now. She says that many years of her struggle with choosing the right clothes and style came to an end. She is discovering her style, her colors, and her way of expressing herself.

The most stunning experience from this book is its huge inspiring energy. This energy has become a turning point for me towards greater creativity.

Growing More Beautiful: An Artful Approach to Personal Style is a gorgeously illustrated guide to beauty and fashion, written by expert artist and image consultant Jennifer Robin. Chapters teach the reader how to continue to grow beautiful as one grows older, from the effective use of color to build one's wardrobe, to finding garments that fit and flatter one's body, to skillfully organizing one's closet, to the discreet application of makeup, to proper shopping for clothing and swimwear that best complements one's body. A spiritual aspect to Growing More Beautiful reaches beyond physical appearance, touching upon the importance of creating balance in one's life, nourishing one's artistic self, and being aware of the impact of one's physical and social environment. Full color artworks and photographs on virtually every page enhance this in-depth, easy-to-follow fashion guide highly recommended for women of all ages.

I saw Jennifer Robin person at a corporate woman's event, and my colleague bought this book and lent it to me. I read it over the new year's holiday weekend and wept tears of sadness and joy. the sadness was from realizing how much I have allowed "well-meaning" "friends" to criticize me in life; the joy was in remembering my creative powerful potential once again! As I turned each page, I made notes to reflect on from her feminine-positive words of wisdom and encouragement. Here are some bullets:

* Learning to see ourselves is artistry. "Vision" is seeing not only with your eyes, but with your mind, your heart, and your life experience.

* Learn to see ourselves without judgment or self-doubt -- those things which choke our true essence. Check the inner critic at the door. The negative voice isn't ever totally silenced, but in the other ear can be the voice of love, affirmation and pleasure.Choose empowerment over self-criticism.

* You can't reach full potential always worrying about what others think (of you). Be unwilling to have your power sucked away by negative thoughts or people. Don't allow "well-meaning" friends to criticize you -- don't take it in.

* Allow compliments in!

* Focus on your assets, rather than your perceived imperfections. Find aspects of your body to admire. Adjust the mirror to find a more pleasing reflection.

* How you see yourself will be transformed when you approach looking your best in a way that reflects your personal values. Decide what matters to you and stand in it!

* Do what you love, not what you loathe -- choosing what makes you happy creates wholeness and unmistakable confidence!

* Wouldn't you rather meander down the path that feels right for you -- instead of struggling uphill?

* Appreciate your uniqueness -- your original way of creating your unique vision.

* Being beautiful is about showing up in all of your glory.

* Move your body in ways that you enjoy, allow your body to express who you are and what is important to you!

* Use your passion to overcome obstacles! Create the world you wish to inhabit.

* Since art (your appearance), is never a "finished" "product," seek out and enjoy the pleasurable aspects of tending to your beauty.

* See each curve as part of the entire melody! The body is a beautifully balanced, integrated whole.

* Be more present to what is, and blossom like a natural, cared-for plant, growing more beautiful with each passing season...

* Know that you are in it for the long haul...relax into it!

* Take it gently, who you are and what you do is more than enough. You are perfect.

At the end of the book she has an exercise where you choose powerful and fun words to describe your essence, called "spirit terms." She describes having these words as a sort of "tether to self" when when are being blown around or riding the waves of life's changes! "Find the thread of who you are, and spin it into a rope you can use to anchor your unshakable sense of self!"

Enjoy!

What an interesting take on personal style! A new approach that I really appreciated because it was something I had never heard or read before. Coming from an artistic approach, Jennifer Robin advises that everyone understand their colors and body before they step foot in a store.

To understand one's colors, Robin advises that everyone take into consideration their skin tone, hair color and what colors they are drawn to. A lot of her theories revolve around the idea that everyone is drawn to the colors that naturally work for them. As well, she believes that we naturally gravitate towards the fit that best works for our body type. I like this idea because she believes that we instinctively know the best colors and style for ourselves.

At times I thought this book was a little to artsy for me as I am a practical thinker. But I loved the overall concepts that a woman should be in control of her wardrobe and shop sensibly. I would pass this book along to all women of any age because whether you are just out of college starting a wardrobe or on the older spectrum where they may need a re-working of the wardrobe.

I received this book on April 6 and read half of it that night. I have many books on style...but I feel like this is THE book I have been waiting for ! I find the author as one would like to find a best friend, an empowering and supportive force that says, "go for it, you know what really looks best on you!" As a fiber artist, I am particularly interested in and affected by color, her paintings and photographs are simply beautiful. Thank you for writing this lovely book.

Growing More Beautiful an Artful Approach to Personal Style

When you open Growing More Beautiful, you open up to a new way of seeing, and of being - and of being seen. The process is much like embarking on an apprenticeship of discovery. Jennifer Robin is an artist and image consultant who provides welcome relief from the media's competitive, often impossible messages about beauty and fashion. Jennifer has filled her book with breathtaking imagery, including her own colorful paintings, along with generous words of wisdom that teach and encourage.

This book is like having a trusted friend (who happens to be a fashion and beauty expert extraordinaire) helping you clean out your closet, taking you shopping, updating your make up, and telling you wonderful things about yourself - things you never knew but suddenly realize are true!

What makes a woman's outfit look stylish? Is it the way the fabric flows or hugs her figure? Do the colors match her complexion and hair? Or maybe it's the way her makeup and accessories complement her outfit? Jennifer Robin suggests all of these and more add up to the perfect look.

Using an artful approach to building a wardrobe, Robin gives us her own perspective as a fashion consultant. She encourages us to analyze our lifestyle and make sure we always have the right clothes for the situations we find ourselves in. There's nothing more frustrating than staring at a full closet and feeling like we have nothing to wear. Robin explains why we feel that way, and what we can do to fit the problem.

My first thought on reading a book written by a fashion consultant is that she must think we have unlimited budgets for clothes. But this assumption proved false when she brought up the subject herself, suggesting that we need to carefully choose where we plan to shop so we can maximize our clothing dollars.

Art and fashion blend so nicely together in Growing More Beautiful, as photos of beautifully decorated store windows, mannequins, and the author's own paintings grace the pages. After reading this unique book, I'm sure you'll be inspired to pick up your own arts and crafts project and go out and buy something new. It's no fun to go through life drab and dowdy when all it takes is a little artful play to jazz up your own wardrobe.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

I think this is a wonderful concise book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in embracing personal style.