Customer Reviews

Makeup Makeovers: Expert Secrets for Stunning Transformations

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've been reading fashion magazines and frequenting make-up aisles since age 12, about a decade now. I read the Kevin Aucoin and Bobbie Brown books. Until last week I thought I knew make-up pretty well. Nope, nuh-uh, wrong.

This book should be required reading for anyone who buys so much as a tube of tinted lip gloss. It covers the fundamental principles of make-up as an art. You come away knowing not only how to apply mascara, but *why* to apply mascara... which features it accentuates, how it fits into an overall make-up regimen, how different mascara formulas work and how they should therefore be applied, and so on. He does this for foundation (can you explain the difference between liquid, creme, powder, liquid-to-powder, tint, and stick?), concealer, blush, lip, and eye make-up. He goes over applications for different skin types, tones, ages, complexions, bone structures, etc. And he does it all in an extremely clear way that's quick, easy, and very fun to read.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It'll completely change the way you think about make-up, take you from dabbling amateur to sophisticated artist. And of course the before-and-after makeover pics are lots of fun to look at!

This is the best book I have ever read on makeup, and I own them all even the vintage Way Bandy books!!!! This is the first book I have ever read that actually teaches you how to apply makeup!! Kevyn's books only show you pretty pictures, Bobbi's and Trish's are trying to sell you makeup!! Makeup Makeovers is actually showing me how to look my best and to love my own features not try to look like someone else!! I have never look so good as I do after using the techniques in this book, and at 40 I can use all the help I can get!!! BUY THIS BOOK (we all need it)!!!!

This is an inspirational primer on makeup technique. Most helpful are the diagrams which demonstrate the recomended placement of the different types of makeup. While much of the information is basic, the author assumes that the reader has mastered basic makeup skills, ie, brush technique and blending. The focus is on contouring the face and eyes; little detail is given on addressing major problems.

The makeover photos are fun. Women of all ages and races are included and the author includes notes about his objectives and application with each photo.

I applaud the approach that everyone can be beautiful. This book is part inspiration and part how to. Bottom line, practice makes perfect and don't be too serious about stuff that washes off. Buy the book and have some fun!

I just bought this book today, having looked at most of the pages at the bookstore. I love his suggestion about the basic color palette needed to create depths and midtones and highlights for the eye area - given on page 63. There are 13 shades all in the ranges of beige-brown-pink-orange group so it is all about playing with gradual tones working with your skin; no blues, purples, greens etc. which always come and go with trends and seasons basically!

I do love the contouring techniques that are consistent throughout the book - on all the various face shapes, hair colors, eye colors and shapes. I do believe that these subtle shading and contouring techniques are what separates normal everyday faces from the Hollywood divas!

I have two problems though however with the presentation of the book.
1. The images look like they have been digitally enhanced here and there with something like Photoshop SmartBlur. It MAY be that Mr.Jones's technique of contouring is so subtle and perfect that the skin looks like cheese(flawless, smoothed out), or maybe it's the specific lighting they've used - but something about the skin just looks so fake!

It's even more apparent since the before pictures look like they have been taken under a colder lighting with white backgrounds, and the enhanced pictures look like they have at least 3 different lighting sources to give that professional glow with a gradually varying tonal background that makes the faces pop out from the page, and also the hair is done to perfection also. So although the makeup he uses in the book DO enhance the faces, it's all these other little sneaky things that make the Before/After pictures look all the more disparate.

2. A lot of the contouring done seems to have that orange glow - and although they look good on flat paper with all the correct studio lighting and background that flatter the faces, I'm not so sure how these faces will ACTUALLY look in an average life setting. Will they look overly done, too orange, too barbie like, air-brushed like some 80s painting???

Anyway, those are my two complaints or doubts if you like. But I do appreciate a lot of the things shared in this book - the photos ARE quite amazing and beautiful. The colors do inspire me, I love the sensitivity of the subtle changes and variations and gradations Mr. Jones applied to the faces. They are quite picture perfect...

The explanations he gives are really sound visual advices I'd say. I've bought many books regarding makeup, I've taken some professional one-on-one classes with a Korean makeup artist who does a lot of top Korean actresses/models here, and yet, there are things I'd love to try out following the advice given here. I'd like to see how much all of these seductive illustrative images will do for my own face!!!

I just checked out his website too - and realized he had a DVD. I wish I had known that he had these before I bought this book though. It seems like the images in this book may have been recycled though; I saw that there was another book featuring the same photos with MORE detailed color chart with numbered steps on shading, which I'm a little disheartened about. So check out ALL his books before you settle on one!!!

OK. Just my two cents.

This is a great book! I believe makeup should be fun, and enhance your natural beauty. It should be something nice that you do for yourself, like reading a good book in a candle lit bubble bath, taking care of your skin on a daily basis, or buying yourself fresh flowers. It should be an extension of who you are, not make you into another person; makeup should perk you up, not make you up. Robert Jones has taken the mystery out of makeup, and made it simple and accessible for everyone. This book includes fabulous pictures of REAL women of all ages and ethinic backgrounds (only a few of whom are professional models) in before-and-after makeup transformations. It also includes a glossery of cosmetic terms; an awesome section on product knowledge that covers foudation, concealer, powder, eyebrow, eyeshadow, mascara, eyliner, and lipstick; a great section on cosmetic tools; an absolutely wonderful section on chosing the right foundations and colors for YOU; and detailed instructions on how to apply everything! I'd say this book focuses on preparing the skin, applying foundations, and transforming eyes (including brows). There is lots of useful, detailed information on applying makeup for your face shape, and eye shape. I only gave this book 4 stars (but would have given it more like 4.5 stars if I could) because I was disappointed that it did not go into more detail about the lip colors used on the ladies. Overall I am very pleased. I find this book to be very helpful guide for personal use. As a MK consultant I find this book extremely useful in helpng my clients.

From the back of the book:
"International makeup artist Robert Jones shows you how to be beautiful- without plastic surgery, painful and expensive procedures, or dangerous injections! Look inside to see dozens of amazing before-and-after transformations- using nothing more elaborate than makeup! In minutes anyone can make facial flaws unnoticeable with Robert's insider secrets.
-Make any face shape apear to be a perfect oval
-Make small, deep-set, hooded, or too-close eyes look big and beautiful.
-Conceal skin flaws and uneven skin tone perfectly.
-Choose the perfect makeup colors for your skin, lips and eyes.
-The single most important trick in any woman's arsenal.
-Why women invariably choose the wrong colors to make skin look fresh and young and what you should choose instead.
-And thousands more!

I just recieved this book last night, and I read the whole book through this morning. I almost did not buy this book because of some reviews claiming it was not much more than a 'pretty picture book', however I am so glad I did. I believe this book is a complete must buy for anyone wanting to expand their makeup application knowledge over the basics.

As the book covers many basics, it does not explain them well and expects you to know what foundation, blush, mascara, etc. is used for. The book DOES go into great detail about makeup terms, and clears up the confusion on types of makeup such as frost, sheer, satin, etc. It helps you find the right colors for your face based on skin tone, undertones, and eye color. It also gives you recommendation on what types of products to use; eg. stick foundations shouldn't be used on mature or oily skin. The book goes into detail on many tricks you can use to draw attention to your best features. The book explains contouring methods in general and by face shape. It explains and gives diagrams on how you should apply eye shadow based on what eye type you have.

The book also gives many more advanced techniques such as how to give the apprearance of a straight nose -- for all you people who are left with crooked ones after a broken nose.

This book stresses that everyone is beautiful, and makeup just helps to accentuate that. The book shows REAL PEOPLE's, as well as model's before and after pictures. Jones does not cater to a certain age group or ethnicity with his book --- the book is for every real woman who would like learn more. This book never mentions a certain brand, and is NOT an bought advertisement of any sort.

If you are looking for a book that shows a picture and tells you exactly how to achieve the exact look, this is not a book for you. However, if you are looking to actually take the time to read and learn A LOT, then this book is definately for you.

This book seems to have spent a lot of time on the photographs of the models/women and other images---this is great if you're looking for a good picture book. However, the book is misleading in that the reader is made to think that the simple instructions are written to help achieve the beautifully photographed looks in the book. This is not the case. The models are wearing looks that are more sophisticated than what one would achieve if the book's instructions were followed.

For one, on page 62, the author claims that all the looks in the book are achieved using simple eyeshadow colors which are beautifully displayed on page 63. However, on p. 62 itself, p. 174, p. 35 and maybe other pages, models are wearing colors that are not part of the "basic eyeshadow pallette" on page 63. The book also only dedicates 1/3 of a page on lipstick application. Overall, the book seems to make the images a priority--which is great--but the information has a lot of holes.

As a makeup artist I can simply state that Robert Jones has written the finest, most comprehensive book on makeover/makeup application I have ever read. All others pale in comparison and are somewhat self-serving in nature compared to Robert's book. If you are new to makeup, want to study application techniques or just a FAN of makeup artistry in general... BUY THIS BOOK. You will thank yourself and find that you refer to it more than any other book on the subject.

Lisa Johnson, MUA
Face Artistry

i really enjoyed this book...he does not promote any line over another. there are great pictures of all sorts of women. i appreciated the diversity that was present that you don't get i a lot of makeup books. there's diversity in ethnicity, age, weight (there are some pics of heavier women), etc. i enjoyed learning about why you do or don't do certain things based on your features. the final products are women that are still beautiful but not fake. they don't look like they have a ton of makeup on. i definitely think i could recreate some of the looks in this book. if you want to learn more about applying makeup beautifully then add this to your collection!

I am over the age of 40 and I finally found a makeup book that was easy for me to not only understand, but I was able to replicate the looks in the book with the step by step instructions. The quality of the book is beautiful! I highly recommend this book!! This book speaks to real women as it features amazing before and after photos of real women, not a bunch of supermodels and celebrities.