How to Look Expensive: A Beauty Editor's Secrets to Getting Gorgeous without Breaking the Bank [Hardcover]

Andrea Pomerantz Lustig (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 7, 2012

Glamour's "Beauty Sleuth" reveals tricks of the trade to help you look fabulously high-end—in any economy.

Andrea Pomerantz Lustig has spent twenty years as a beauty editor, and her contact list is packed with the names of the most exclusive stylists in the business.In How to Look Expensive, she combines her own experience with highly coveted secrets she's learned from the experts to help readers achieve buttery highlights, luminous skin, flawless makeup, and more, all on a budget. Delivering red-carpet looks without putting readers in the red, tips include:

• How to get expensive-looking hair color at an inexpensive salon

• Superluxe DIY skincare cocktails for less than $20

• The cheap cosmetic secrets of expensive makeup artists

• Tips for princess-perfect skin on a pauper’s budget

• “Work Your Beauty Budget” sections that help you make the most of every dollar

With How to Look Expensive, every woman can afford to get gold-card gorgeous, and reap the self-confidence that comes with it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Full of beauty tips, tricks and artists’ secrets, in How to Look Expensive, veteran beauty editor Andrea Lustig helps real women determine exactly what they need to look and feel pretty powerful and make every beauty dollar they spend really count.”
—Bobbi Brown

 

“Andrea has a journalist’s eye in a beauty editor’s body: She knows what’s new, understands what works, and can sniff out hype a mile away.”
—Cindi Leive

 

“There are too many beauty books on the shelves, so the bar for actually buying one is high. This one leaps it, with room to spare. […] The philosophy behind this book is both wise and doable: Maintenance is important, but you can go overboard.”
—The Wall Street Journal

 

“Perfect highlights, flawless makeup, and glowing skin were once high-maintenance, high-cost endeavors. Not anymore.  Beauty insider Andrea Lustig pulls back the curtain to show us how those in-the-know do it better and less expensively.  This book's not a deal, it's a steal!”
—Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, NBC Today

 

"As a seasoned editor and beauty industry expert, Andrea's ultimate style guide uncovers a wealth of behind the scenes beauty secrets that have allowed many of the world's most glamorous and stylish women to always look their absolute best. This approachable, authentic book is chock-full of tips for every woman to look beautiful and chic without breaking the bank."
—Frederic Fekkai

 

"Busy women everywhere will appreciate Andrea's sense of what works, and her expert ability to highlight the necessities for easy, glamorous beauty.  This book is the perfect go-to for anyone looking to keep their beauty regimen fresh!"
—Giada De Laurentiis

 

“Andrea distills all the best beauty secrets in this fun, witty read.”
—Tory Burch

 

"The new beauty book I swear by"

—Self.com

 

“She promises and delivers on providing beauty advice on hair, cosmetics and clothes that will make you feel like a million bucks without actually spending it.”

—The Washington Post

 

“She reveals the power tools in her arsenal, and provides affordable and D.I.Y. alternatives for her cosmetic weaponry.”

—The New York Times

 

“Glamour magazine's "Beauty Sleuth" columnist gives a million dollars worth of practical beauty advice for $25 in How to Look Expensive."

—The Florida Times-Union

About the Author

Glamour's "Beauty Sleuth," Andrea Pomerantz Lustig, also contributes reguarly to The New York Times, Allure, and other publications. She was a pioneer editor in chief at Sephora.com and for nine years served as the beauty and fitness director at Cosmopolitan. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; 1 edition (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592407234
• ISBN-13: 978-1592407231
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial > Fashion Design
  • #23 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Beauty, Grooming, & Style

More About the Author

Andrea Pomerantz Lustig is known around the offices of Glamour as the "Beauty Sleuth," thanks to the wildly popular beauty advice column and articles she wrote for the magazine for the last decade, as well as her BlackBerry bursting with the hottest beauty pros. She started Glamour.com's beauty blog and is cherished by Glamour readers for her fresh, original beauty tips, ideas, and solutions. Prior to becoming a contributing editor at Glamour, she was pioneer editor in chief at Sephora.com, and before that spent ten years as beauty and fitness director at Cosmopolitan. She regularly appears in the national media, on shows including The Early Show, Good Morning America, Today, Oprah, and Entertainment Tonight. Her beauty tips have appeared in Glamour, the New York Times, Women's Daily, Allure, and bloggers share her tips with their audiences regularly. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 162 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable August 9, 2012

By Mrs. Parker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was hesitant to spend the money on this book, assuming it was the same old drivel I've read over and over. I'm not even FINISHED with this book and yet I'm imploring you to buy this. I'm only on like chapter 3 and I'm already saving money. Example: my 20 year old Mason Pearson hairbrush seriously needs to be replaced but they're so expensive. Guess what? I don't NEED a new Mason Pearson hairbrush! She makes plenty of much more affordable suggestions. She DIAGRAMS HAIRCUTS to take to your stylist.
This is not the same old schlock we've all read a million times before, this is shopping guide, an in-depth tutorial, it's everything a woman needs to know to look her best.
I NEVER review books. EVER. But the complete lack of reviews on this invaluable book amaze me. If you care at all how you look you really need to buy this book. This is the best tool in my beauty arsenal.

92 of 102 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing August 25, 2012

By B. Foibl

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying, I read A LOT of beauty books and this is by far the best compilation of information I've ever seen in one place. What I love about this book:

The author clearly defines what she means by "expensive". I met a woman the other day who was a wonderful person and I enjoyed talking with her, but the entire time I was distracted by her bright bright school bus yellow blond hair. Sometimes our efforts to look beautiful can do more harm than good and it can be hard to know the difference. This book helps you with that and warns repeatedly against the dangers of "over doing it".

It's not a cookie cutter "Here's how you too can look just like me!" type of beauty book. (I HATE those.) There is a break down of different celebrity style categories: Park Avenue Pretty, Hollywood Boho, Glam Globe-Trotter, and Modern Movie Star. You can pick the style or combination that best fits you and there are suggestions for how all of the advice can be applied to the various styles.

The author tells you what it is celebrities do to get a certain look. Most of the time this is not practical for us mere mortals either with time or money. Gweneth Paltrow's beautiful hair color for example (which is what I think the woman mentioned above was shooting for) is a huge investment of both and is therefor not too practical for most of us. If you really want to make the sacrifice to have that hair the book can help you out, but mostly I just liked knowing exactly what celebrities do to look so good because next time I envy something (like Gweneth Paltrow's hair) I don't have to wonder why I can never get mine to look that way. Instead I can say to myself, I can have it if I really want it, but it's not worth it.

There is advice for every budget. There is a lot of information on how to do things yourself at home, and on how to find an inexpensive but skilled professional. There are also tips for how to maintain things so that you can get the most out of your time and money. My favorite was the advice on how to style your hair as it gets closer and closer to washing time. I don't mind giving myself a blow out if I only have to do it every 5 days.

The author actually gives brand names! For me this one is HUGE. You can get the best beauty advice on a skin regimen and what ingredients to look for, but then you have to go to the store and hunt down a decent product and as I've learned from all my reading, sometimes just knowing the ingredients isn't enough. Some anti aging active ingredients for example break down in the light or air so if the product is stored in a clear jar it'll be worthless in a week. Other times the active ingredients aren't the problem. It's the other things that can irritate your skin. Anyway, my point is... even with the best advice finding the right product for the job can be expensive and time consuming. Very few books actually name brands unless the author has their own product line. This is a huge help in saving you time, money and frustration. The best part is, she names brands at a variety of price points: designer splurges, moderately priced products, and drug store finds. She also tells you which things are worth the extra expense like makeup foundation, and which things aren't like mascara. The naming names is also useful for colors. It's all well and good to know that a red lipstick with some blue in it will make your teeth look whiter, but sometimes it's hard to tell a red that has blue in it. The author gives you a handful of specific lipsticks that fit the bill so you can check them out and know what you're looking for in the future.

There are lots of tips and tricks from specific professionals that work on the stars, most of them easy things to do that have you saying "why didn't I think of that!" Some of the experts also gave recipes for scrubs and things you can make at home. One of my favorites that I got from the author's work in Glamour was a DIY pore strip. It doesn't smell so great but it really works.

The number of topics covered is pretty impressive. There are details for how to style your hair, how to cut it, how to color it and how to maintain it. Advice on how to have beautiful skin, how to put on makeup, how to take care of your teeth, shape your eyebrows, have great nails, hair removal, self tanning (including how to take it off if you make a mistake), perfume, and even a little bit on fashion.

There were a few sections I found somewhat lacking. More information on how DIY manicures and pedicures would have been nice, but I didn't find this disappointing enough to knock off a star. There's so much information on so many different things there are bound to be some sections that are a little light on content.

It's rare to find a good book on just one of these topics, but to find great advice on all of them is an amazing feat. I've been reading beauty books and articles for so long I don't often find good beauty tips that I wasn't already aware of but this book had tons. I'll likely be buying it in bulk at Christmas time to give to all my female friends and family because I think almost any woman will find something useful in here.

77 of 89 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Aimed more for the beauty novice September 1, 2012

By lesleylue2

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'd give this a 3.5 if I could. As a true connoisseur of all things beauty for 31 of my 44 years, I was excited about this book. Certainly Andrea was going to let me in on some invaluable advice that I had not already gleaned from countless articles, blogs, websites, books, etc. I wish I would have had the book in my early years as I felt the advice was more for someone who either hasn't been around long or just hasn't been paying attention during the last couple of decades. It's not that her advice, tips or tricks weren't helpful, but I had already heard of most of them. I read the book in two evenings and did make some notes on products I would like to try. I think the section on hairstyles is great for someone who needs a new look, but I really don't know many women not wearing one of those styles already. The section on beauty resources and references is quite good, but for some reason, she did not include beautypedia.com which I have found to be one of the best sites for comparing beauty products. I would recommend this book for those starting to experiment with their looks, makeup, etc.