Customer Reviews

Make Up Your Mind

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As a professional makeup artist and Instructor, I found this book non-beneficial, although it was beautifully laid out. (The art director did a fabulous job.) All but a few eye techniques were a basic color wash of one color. This book does not challenge the professional with different techniques or looks. What I and the other instructors found horrifying was the lack of brow grooming. Any print artist knows that everything needs to be flawless before they go on film. One models brows were growing in all directions. The other con to this book was the light grey type that was tightly spaced. While creatively appealing, it was very hard to read.
What I did like was the acetate overlays with the description of the basic color and then the color in his line. What I thought would have helped the book out even more was to provide pictures of the products he was using or to tell a little more about them because if you aren't familiar with his line, you had no idea what he was using.

The idea of the overlays is great - it allows you to see the makeup completely finished without the distraction of the writing and then able to add that information of where to place the colors. I like the honesty in using the same light/background/hairstyle in the before and after pictures without any retouching - it is more truthful than many other books (believe me, I have many).

I didn't give it 5 stars for the following reason (some I will admit are personal preference):
1. Not enough variations in skin tone color - as in not enough olive toned and bronzed toned women. It was concentrated on either extremely pale or very dark with the majority being very pale.
2. A large section of the makeup is more suitable for runway - I don't see them being realistic for real life.

The book definitely has great looks and ideas. As an African American though, only 2 faces look similar to mine. It would have been nice if there were models with all shades of skin, not just mostly caucasian people. The book is very creative and fun to read, it gives you good detail of how to create each look as well. A fun read if you are a makeup fiend.

First of all, the introduction rubbed me the wrong way and I found it full of contradictions and a way to knock other makeup artists. He mentioned that makeup articles in "these books" are blatently unrealistic because of the retouching, yet I didn't see one blood vessle in the eyes in any of the pictures in this book. He also says you should "notice the woman, not her makeup", but isn't that hard to do when you look at a face with acid green, orange and gold eyeshadow topped off with bushy eyebrows? All of the models seem to be in the same age range and are obviously professional models. How does this benefit the reader who really needs and wants advise? Why didn't he pick people off the street to really get his point across? The pictures are large and self explanitory, but he was better off choosing a wide variety of women based on age, race etc. so everyone benefits.

I really looked forward to seeing this book after hearing about it. It seemed like the format, with before and after pictures and plastic overlays, would be terrific for showing exactly what to do to create the looks. Unfortunately, I hadn't at all counted on the fact that I would have no interest in the looks themselves. There is a lot that is bizzare here, much that is fairly plain, and nothing that I could or would do for myself. The models are all young and gorgeous; they've no need for makeup. Certainly there are no techinques shown for improving weak features. I couldn't have been more disappointed with the book--but I have to give it three stars because it does what it does well. It's just nothing I need or can use.

I can't imagine what I was doing before getting my hands on this book...the Nars technique has cut about 20 minutes off my makeup time in the morning; not because he takes a simplified approach, but because he discounts all those old adages, like "Wear this color if your eyes are blue", or "Don't arch your eyebrows if your face is round", etc. Nars seems to have 3 main ideas for choosing and applying makeup:wear what YOU want to wear,use your intuition about what looks right for you,and don't take the process too seriously. And to my particular delight, his advice for eyebrows is to stick to your natural shape and don't make them up too much (I describe myself as being in "eyebrow rehab" now that I've studied the less-is-more approach that Nars takes with eyebrows). The book is beautifully put together, although I'm not a big fan of the spiral binding. There's a transparent cover sheet over each photograph, showing the Nars Cosmetics colors & products that were used on the models, the area of the face on which it was applied, & the shape of the shading (so the reader can achieve the exact same effect). Some of the looks are outrageous or exotic, but most of them are absolutely lovely and highly realistic for the average woman. I keep the book propped up & open to my favorite page in the bathroom, so I can glance at it while I do my own makeup. I can't recommend this book enough!! I finally feel satified that I've found the best makeup style for myself, thanks to Nars. Go for it!

I had high hopes for this book since it was said to use models of all colorings. I am asian and find it to be pretty useless; the total number of models was small, so even though the models did have differing colorings, they a) can't cover too many looks anyway b)are mostly caucasians c)are mostly pale and freckled and blondeish.

But in addition to being useless, it is hard to read with tiny light prints on white pages, and most of all, the photos are visually...ugly. Every picture looks like an autopsy photo. I'm not kidding. They look like they are lying motionless on a metal gurney. Maybe it's how giant the faces were and how devoid of any human context, maybe it's that the models have the usual snobbish unexpressiveness that models are supposed to convey, but the pictures are horrifyingly distrubing. With very few exceptions, they mostly look (marginally) better before the makeup, and in any case awake in me only fear and repulsion.

I purchased the book expecting a pleasant and mindless piece of eyecandy, since I really like Nars makeup. Instead I am thrusted into a philosophical vision that seems to expose or symbolize the ridiculous horror show that is our quest for beauty. Maybe I should, instead of giving it a low rating, five stars instead, because it is more profound than I ever imagined.

But Goddammit, I just want to learn how to look better!

I knew nothing about applying makeup outside of what I had learned about applying the basics. I stumbled up this book and althought the price is a little high, I was sure this was the make-up book I had been waiting for. There are before and after pictures of all the girls and then a clear sheet to lay over the picture to tell you where/what color to apply to achieve the desired look in the image. Then he explains later at the end of each chapter what techniques to use.

The most helpful book I have ever bought about applying make up.
Good for the beginner and the advanced.

If you are looking for a book that shows you how to do makeup to go to work at your office, this probably isn't the book for you.
If you are a beginning makeup professional like myself I find this book helpful. It has two full face size pictures, before makeup on the left and after on the right, with an overlay showing where and what product was used.
It is all Nars makeup but the variety out there these days isn't bad and I think you can probably find the same colors in other product lines. (You might have to search a bit.)
The graphic design of the book is great. It's a spiral bound hard cover so you can use it without it flopping around while you're working. I would say the detailed pages with light grey text on white is a bit annoying but other than that the desing is practical and useful.

The book is vastly different from what I expected. I most appreciated the before and after shots with overlays showing detailed outlines of the work done in the after photos. These women didn't need much enhancement though and many of the makeup ideas were more practical for the catwalk than for "real" women. The difficulty came in trying to read the pages of text with light gray lettering on white. Uh-oh. Perhaps my age is showing.