Customer Reviews

Makeup: The Art of Beauty

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I would roughly classified the makeup books in the market into 2 types, one features different looks for you to follow (e.g, Kevyn Aucoin & NARS) and one teaches altitude to feel pretty with basic skills (e.g, Bobbi Brown & Sonia Kashuk). This one belongs to none of them. If you are looking for a book which boosts your creativity but yet still teaches a few tricks & technique, this will be the one.

Chap 1: Makeup as Self-discovery - This part is an autobiography of her life as a makeup artist. A fun part to read to know her makeup philosophy. I often find that it is good to understand an artist's philosophy before start reading her book. (e.g, Some people dislike Bobbi's book because they think that the looks are boring. But by reading the introduction, you would know her appreciation for natural beauty and that book is actually for everyday makeup.)

Chap 2: Basics - This part is no basics! There are a few of step-by-step photos but not many. Most important of all it shows the techniques of wearing makeup. E.g, different ways to apply eye shadow, different placement of blush to correct face shapes and some lip color mixing tricks. It doesn't teach you one method as in Bobbi Brown's book. It rather gives you a few ways and let you decide on your own.

Chap 3: Glamourizing Technques: It features some perioud makeup info and some glamourizing techniques. There's a step-by-step guide to smoking eyes, a comprehensive info on contour, putting on false lashes, etc. This part is nice if you want something beyond everyday look. It's quite easy to follow.

Chap 4: Freestyle makeup- Linda Mason is an advocate of freestyle makeup- a style which has no rules at all, you just apply color with your intuition. You may not like every photo in this section, but I think one should always appreciate the creativity in her. This part is truly an art. You must see with your heart but not only your eyes. This chapter is the gallery of her 'art'. At the end of this chapter, she would also tell you what do use in freestyle makeup.

Chap 5 + Chap 6: Professional Makeup & Becoming a Makeup Artist-These 2 parts are particularly for aspiring makeup artists. It tells you some work information, e.g, working on location, how to start out and the makeup kit. Not really everything you need to know, but it is good if you want to see a general picture of the industry.

Generally speaking, I like this book very much. As I have mentioned above, you may not agree with every picture in it. Some pictures are too old fashion in today's eyes, or you just don't like some of the freestyle makeup. However, you can definately see the creativity in Linda Mason towards makeup. She does not conform to any rules, any color spectrum. Her passion for colors matches my makeup philosophy very much, that's also a reason why I like her book so much. Moreover, being an aspiring makeup artist without much basic knowledge, this book gives me some good advices but not premade beauties as in Kevyn Aucoin's or NARS's book. It really encourages creativity. I would recommend people who want to learn about makeup techniques but not looking for premade looks (if you want something to follow, try Kevyn's Making Faces and NARS) and those who really believe in makeup as an art form. However, if you are a professional looking for technical tips, e.g, lighting, or ingredients in makeup, this is not what you are looking for.

What a great make up book by a professional make up artist!!!!
Linda Mason takes us behind the scenes at fashion shows and photo shoots and makes the reader feel like her friend & apprentice.
The stories, the tips, lessons , photographs and hand done illustrations are all superb& informative. Whether you're a pro or just an interested party , when you put this book down, you'll feel like you can tackle makeup with a whole new perspective. I'll refer to this book again and again!!!
a truly beautiful beauty book!!!

This book is absolutely dated. I was dissappointed by it. I realized the best part of it was the section on professional stage and photography makeup. The rest of it I found to show looks that are completely fake and obvious (such as contouring and applying blush in one diagonal stripe below the cheekbone), very eighties!!! If you are looking for a book on makeup which you can use to create everyday and special occassion (but natural) looks, this one is not for you. I much rather reccomend the Bobbi Brown or Sonia Kashuk.

I bought a few books in an attempt to gain a personal perspective as to how to apply my makeup. This book is a complete waste of money. From start to finish it is nothing more than an ego trip through Linda Mason's career as a Make Up Artist in the 80's. I can't stress strongly enough how utterly useless the looks that she presents are to you and I. I mean, when am I going to walk down the street with 4 different lipsticks on?! As a photographer, I can also say that the first review listed above is inacurate. The images are sloppy and lax. The lighting is incorrect, and for good reason.....to hide the bad job she has done with the make up.

If you want to look like an extra from Miami Vice, then go ahead.....this book is for you.

If you want to just live a normal life without people asking you which tribe you are from, then go elsewhere.

I can recommend Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin. Great book, lovely guy and looks you can live with. Oh and he has a much clearer section on Smokey Eyes! lol

My copy of Linda Mason's book will be showing on an Ebay website near you soon.

This is one of my favorite makeup books -
the illustrations in the book were quite impressive -
I agree though, with previous reviewers that a lot of
the photos in the book ARE quite dated... goes way
back to the days when Issey Miyake was the God (80s?).

However interestingly enough, some of the other photos
especially regarding eye make up are very current! I am
thinking that it was the author's intent to share the old
photos to give an account of the history she's had with the
industry?

Anyhow, it was the first time I heard of the concept of
having a "basic four color palette" to create four
new colors - (p.67 a brown shade in cream texture,
a gloss in yellow, a pale shade such as coral-pink,
a bright color such as vibran red) - and also the first
time I realized how much money I had wasted on all my
makeup products I have been amassing!

And this concept totally gave me the insight that it's
not about those blues, greens I need for my eyeshadows -
it's all about the skin tone colors working together!!!
(Although it was Bobbi Brown products and salespeople
that yellow-base was good for the skin... this isn't the
same thing!)

Some of the very fashion-editorial type photos didn't
really help me on a practical level... but it was quite
fun and liberating to view makeup as an extension of
expressing oneself, almost like a fine-art painting using
your face as canvas. For most everyday people looking for
sensible application of makeup probably won't get much out
of the Freestyle makeup chapter though... They look like
clowns or Picasso's women from bathers of Avignon, ie. African
mask-like...

But I decided to buy the book because I was so eager to learn
about the different ways of dressing the eyes; I felt this book
had more to offer than Kevin AuCoin's book on treating the eyes.
I especially love the distinctions made for... The Sultry Eye (p.85),
The Doe Eye, The Cat Eye, The Smoky Eye. The book includes many
versions of the smoky eye (soft&simple, a little more, deep smoky,
strong&sexy, and neutral smoky layers). This was also the first time
I ever saw of a makeup book include a very very clear illustration
of how to do the Marilyn Monroe's eyeliner -- the drawing on p.87
is quite helpful for beginners like me to see how the line is achieved.

Unfortunately, this is not the definitive book on contouring...
Contouring is explained on pages 94-95, but it's mostly text,
and only 3 photographic sources are given using one model. So if you're
a beginner who wants to learn more about contouring, I suggest you
check out Rober Jones's website and books and DVD.

The latter section of the book deals with practical advice for professional
makeup artists - things like working on location, working on
location in the city, in hot climates, in any weeather,
fashion shows, advertising and other commercial work are covered,
including makeup for brides (unfortunately, the photos are not that
up-to-date nor inspiring) and fees and compensation. Chapter 6 is
devoted to newbie makeup artists.

Thanks Linda for sharing your wisdom!
Namaste~
fan in Korea...

This is really a beginner text. Great for people who don't own any Kevin Aucoin books and who have never read an issue of Allure magazine in thier lives.
It does have some interesting information on period makeup from the 1920's-1990's. A couple good techniques.
On the whole I was pretty disappointed. Oh well, it was only $10

I usually enjoy most makeup books and give them 5 stars. I found this one dated, the pictures are old looking, very costumey or imagey, not real. I was oo bored to read it in detail. It has some valid points which is why I still gave 3 stars

This book is great, but I expected a little bit more detail; I wanted more guidance, yet its approach is more do-it-yourself. It is divided into approximately six sections, if I remember correctly, and one of them is about experimental make-up
(free style). I wasn't too interested in that , but other than that, the book is a good source to have, with plenty of illustrations and anecdotes. I like the section on what a basic kit should contain, the section on choosing base color, and the attention given to the strongest trends and styles of the 20th Century in the chapter on "glamourizing" the basics.It also has some info (not a great amount, but something) for aspiring make-up artists, and it contains some info on websites and schools at the end. I liked the personal approach, as well.

I love makeup, Allure magazine (and others) and makeup books, so I decided to get this. I don't think this is in the same league as Kevyn Aucoin, but there is some interesting stuff in here. Some of the looks do seem a bit dated, and there seem to be more photos from the late 1970s and through the 1980s, so you have the colors and intense diagonal blush, etc. There are some interesting tips, such as applying blush in a vertical smudge to create length, etc., and while I'm not going to be applying fake gems to my eyebrows or painting a stripe of bronze down the side of my face any time soon, it's interesting to look into and read the book and see someone painting outside conventional lines. It's fun and worthwhile for that alone. A little bit of the avante garde never hurts.

Linda Mason is a top international makeup artist and here provides an outline of techniques and how-to tips that are used to achieve high glamour and modern results. Mason served as a makeup artist for many Hollywood shoots, so her expertise comes from tested techniques under the most rigorous of conditions, yet translates well to the everyday woman's needs. General-interest libraries with beauty sections will welcome a basic primer packed with color photos, step-by-step application tricks and tips, and a knowledge of bone structure, color, and makeup for different ethnic groups. Very highly recommended.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch