Customer Reviews

Make Up

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Be very clear when you decide to pick up a copy of Alain Rustenholz's Make Up: this book is patriotically dedicated to Christian Dior, above all other beauty-pertinent companies and histories. The bias is often conspicuous: "Dior had 501 different shades among all its various products. And, if we are to believe Dany Sanz...Make Up For Ever had 1500 products in mid-October 1998." This fact would be forgivable if the editors had been more lucid toward it, perhaps by entitling the book Christian Dior and the History of Makeup. Otherwise, Make Up is a fun read, entertaining and informative. If you're looking for photographs from which to reference genuinely antique makeup (such as that of Clara Bow and beauty pioneer Marlene Dietrich), Rustenholz's book will unquestionably appease you; the full-page spreads of mascaraed men and women from the 1920's to 40's are finely detailed and glorious to behold. On page 27: eyeshadow techniques of the 1930's; page 31: cupid's bow lips from 1929; page 70: the great Dietrich uses highlighter to conceal her snub nose. But a question that several people have asked in vain is this: why is Marilyn Monroe not pictured nor mentioned? Included are paintings depicting young men with kohl-rimmed eyes; artwork (often beauty-irrelevant wastes of space) is ubiquitous throughout the book's 192 pages; even Kabuki, ancient Egyptian, and South American ritualistic makeup are featured; but while 1950's glamour is briefly cited, nowhere to be found are Monroe's heavy eyelids, over-drawn red lips, or ever-changing moles.
Another, especially unforgivable flaw in Make Up is the mention of not one makeup artist, except the founders of self-titled companies such as Helena Rubenstein, Max Factor, and Estée Lauder. For example despite being regarded as the best makeup artist in history, the late Kevyn Aucoin receives not one allusion (although he did start a company shortly before his death). If I'm paying JD 22 for a book that claims to be a history of makeup, I will want to know these things.
The writing is wonderful, the research is meticulous (though not remarkably so), and most of the paintings and photographs are marvelous. If beauty concerns you, a good idea would be to have this book as part of your collection. However, there are more important beauty books to be bought, so if you must have Make Up, try to find a bargain copy. It's a good book, sufficiently if not substantially important; but save your money for Kevyn Aucoin's The Art of Makeup or Metamorphosis by . They may cover less ground (the latter being a book of hairstyles); but at least you know what you're getting.

If you love cosmetics, you'll probably enjoy this book, which was written by a French journalist. There are wonderful photos illustrating historical and cultural information (mostly Western European and Asian). It's not a "how-to" book, but for makeup artists, the photos are invaluable for reference and inspiration.