Customer Reviews

Natural Beauty: Pamper Yourself with Salon Secrets at Home

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book could be good for a model wanna-be. It does have a chapter on shaping your eyebrows and waxing your legs - ouch! However, if you want useful recipes and remedies do not buy this book! The author's idea of a recipe for Foot-Soaking Fizzies is Alka Seltzer and your favorite essential oil. Her recipe for Aromatherapy Bath Salts is epsom salt, your favorite essential oil and food coloring! This book lacks useful information and only has a few recipes other than those listed on the back cover. Most ingredients are not natural and most of her "secrets" would irritate my sensitive skin.

The author, a model turned aesthetician, shares her knowledge about natural body care. She tells how to care for your skin, eyes, and hair and gives recipes for creams, shampoos, conditioners, etc. that have natural and few ingredients, are easy to make at home, and are inexpensive. She also includes a wonderful section about buying cosmetics in stores, how salespeople trick you into buying more than you want and need, and how you can avoid those pitfalls.

Unlike other books that are loaded with recipes and leave you undecided what's best for you, du Priest suggests one or two for each skin and hair type and tells you why they will work for you. For people who may not believe that such simple and inexpensive lotions will work, she points out that her sugar-oil scrub for aging skin, which you can make at home in 1 minute from ingredients in your kitchen, has the same composition as a $15 beautifully packaged mini-tube sold in beauty stores.

Other beauty books require you to buy dozens of basic ingredients before you can start your home cosmetics, duPriest's doesn't. Her ingredients can easily be found in supermarkets.

I liked the author's straightforward way and throughout the book I always felt she was honest

I just recently bought this book and I am very impressed! Laura Dupriest offers clear advice on skincare, fashion, make-up, hairstyle, etc. I haven't read the whole book through yet; I've just skimmed through certain parts (like the chapter on facials; the sugar and oil exfoliant leaves your skin baby soft!). She is also honest about things that skincare people try to put over on you (like if you don't buy a moisturizer and toner with a cleanser from the same company, it won't work). I also realize that I was slowly fading into the term she coined as "frumpitis" (as the mother of newborn twins, it's hard not to look frumpy!) The only thing I didn't agree with is that you should throw out anything in your closet that looks remotely masculine. Someone just bought me an Oscar De la Renta lounge outfit that fits into that category, but there is no way I'm throwing it out! Sorry Laura!

Laura DuPriest does an excellent job of giving you honest beauty advice. Her approach to natural beauty inside and out is refreshing. Women of all ages would benefit from reading this book. The beauty recipes are simple to follow and really do work.

Laura DuPriest states in simple and refreshingly honest terms
how to look and feel your best without spending a fortune in salons.

I just rec'd this book and it's outstanding!! Very straightforward tips with easy "recipes" for beauty. I'm putting it in my 12 year old daughter's stocking...shhh... I want her to begin her journey for natural beauty without the needs for mega expenditures in cosmetics. DuPriest's book will surely get her on the path to taking care of her skin and hair without a lot of expense. Highly recommend. Look forward to her next book!

I've had this book for only three days, and already I've put avocado and mayonnaise in my hair (with good results), doctored up some shampoo (with good results), put milk of magnesia on my husband's face, as well as paste made from aspirin and water (for blemishes!) and scrubbed my skin with olive oil and sugar (with good results).

My *only* concern is about hair removal. DuPriest advocates waxing, and I'm going to try it on my legs. But for hair on a woman's chin, I understand it should only be removed by electrolysis in order to stop regrowth, and that waxing or tweezing will stimulate the folicle, affect the hormones that cause chin-hair growth, and cause the hair to grow in thicker. This information came from an electrologist, so it could be a case of she said, she said. Waxing is certainly cheaper than electrolysis, and for many areas of the body, I think it's ideal. I would like to see a future edition of this book address the chin issue.

Apart from that one concern, I am really enjoying the many, many ideas in the book. My wish list has grown considerably to include strawberries for my face, rollers (not hot rollers) for my hair, cornstarch for the waxing process, moisturizer containing glycolic acid for nighttime, another moisturizer containing sun block for daytime and more avocados for my hair. This book has the kind of information that can put a reader in a definite girly phase, which is very handy for enduring a brutal winter.

I would consider giving the book five stars if the editors had caught all the grammatical errors, but several, from basic to obscure, made it through the editing process.

Great ideas, at any rate.

This is a terrific book!!! If you ever feel "frumpitis" coming on, pick this book up & take a read. It reminds me to keep myself in check.

I borrowed this from my library to see if it was something worth reading. The things she talks about in here is very basic, real and down to Earth. I love that I can go into my kitchen and make just about anything "spa" with the ingredients in there! I don't have to go to the health food store and buy things I wouldn't normally use like glycerin.

She also talks about -waxing-how to do it at home and make your own wax; -clothing, what works and doesn't
-shopping for things, especially cosmetics
-different tricks played on you by salons
-how a positive attitude makes you shine on the outside
-is expensive make-up better than cheap?
-how to properly shape lips and eyebrows
-hair care
-how to massage
-etc.

A basic cleanser for your face (all skin types): 1t yogurt, 1/2t honey. Mix and massage onto face. Rinse with warm water.

I liked the book so much that I decided to buy my own book so I can highlight in it the different things I want to use.

I happen to know the author and she is the greatest inspiration. I can't wait for her new book coming out probably in December 2004. I took my mom to Laura's salon today and she was delighted when I gave her a copy of the book. I just finished taking Laura's class through the Learning Exchange and she's inspired me to change my life. Just reading her book improved my look. Laura is an incredible down to earth person hardly aware of her celebrity status. This book can save you hundreds of dollars in cosmetic purchases while helping you learn to pamper your friends and family. Using the instructions in this book I gave my best friend a pedicure while she nursed her newborn baby. The baby was early and she missed her pedicure appointment. Even if you live in Sacramento and go to Laura's salon and day spa you will still love this book. You can buy lots of products at her website. I haven't found a product yet that disappointed me and I am a confessed product junkie.