Customer Reviews

Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This breezy and attractive book is for beginners only. The tips and suggestions contributed by beauty industry luminaries could have just as easily been culled from the beauty sections of major women's magazines. Actual instruction, which includes basic hair, skin, brow and makeup application including the ubiquitous "smoky eye", is minimal and very basic. The book appears designed for young Caucasian females with very little for persons of other races or ages.

The bulk of the book is devoted to products that are, not surprisingly, available at Sephora outlets. Lists of the contributors' favorite products scarcely justify the cost of the book. What works for them may not work for you, although you might be tempted to check out a Sephora store.

If you are thirteen and a makeup newbie, you will most likely enjoy this book. It is beautifully photographed and written in a light, easy style. However, if you wish to take your makeup to the next level or are seeking to address a cosmetic challenge, you will be disappointed.

I ordered this book to help my teenaged stepdaugther see how make-up should be applied. Instead, this was just a big advertisement for Sephora make-up. Granted, I should have expected this based on the title, but I figured there would be more pictures included. But I don't think Sephora should charge any money for a book that is basically advertising for their products. This book should be a hand-out they give in their stores or charge a minimal fee for, but should not be marketed outside their stores. I returned the book for a refund.

This book does have an author, but really, it's the company's name on the front, which I suppose should have been the first red flag.

Whoever did the final proofing on this book should be taken out back and beaten. Multiple images that should have been transparent weren't, resulting in entire pages where lines ended mid-word.

A large section (dare I say, most?) of the book is devoted to specific products with big, honking, full-color pictures and page-filler descriptions. That's right, this "book" is an overpriced hard-bound color catalogue of Sephora products.

There are pages upon pages of vapid quotes on the nature of beauty and individual beauty tips from the creators of various lines of beauty products. One person recommends yoga, pilates, and cardio. Another swears by "wholesome food". If you don't get it, there's a full-page (and full-color) spread of the man's refrigerator.

Oddly, the quotes deliver this idea that, if you're not beautiful before you reach for the Mega-Zit Concealer (TM), you just shouldn't bother. But the arbitrary bits don't stop there:

One part of the book says, "Try red on your lips!" You, my discerning would-be reader, should ask, "Why?"

Your book: "We can't even be bothered to give historical precedent. One of the rich and not particularly famous people we interviewed just thinks it's a good idea; he sees red lips so often now that red might as well be neutral."

You: "But I don't want neutral; I want beauty! Could you at least give me an aesthetic reason for this highly opinionated recommendation?"

Your book: "...Have you considered trying the Holy Cow Bazungas Lip Exfoliator?"

You: "Is it really made with holy cow?"

Your book: "Focus on the bazungas, sweetheart."

I'm giving two stars for very pretty pictures. Coffee table reading is this book's only means of redemption. My advice: skip the book and pick up a free catalogue next time you're at the mall. Save your book money for one of the non-corporate-affiliated beauty books out there.

It's an okay book. Great for beginners. Perfect if if you want to know the BRANDS, as this book is loaded with it. Personally, I didn't really learn anything new. I would actually recommend visiting their website and view the how-to videos there instead of buying this book.

If you want to have a makeup book that's focused on how-to's and which-color's, order Makeup: The Ultimate Guide by Rae Morris.

I am a makeup junky and Sephora is my favorite store. The techniques they discussed were pretty basic such as, "concealer is great for covering under eye circles!" But some of them weren't like using a brush to apply concealer in order to get more even coverage and to conserve product. (I was in college before I figured that one out.) There were also some interesting tips that I'd never heard before, like contouring with tanner to make your ankles look smaller. There is a certain amount of fluff (I don't really care what the founder of Urban Decay does all day) but all and all it's not a bad book.

Most of the negative reviews I saw were people unhappy with the amount of products featured. For me, that's why I bought the book. All makeup is not created equal. You will get a better result from a jar of Bare Minerals foundation than you will from a jar of Cover Girl. I'm not saying something has to be expensive to be good, because there are some really great drug store products out there, but sometimes expensive does mean better. It's hard to figure out what stuff works well, and when it comes to the more expensive brands, I want to make sure it works before I buy it. That's why I loved all of the products featured. It saves me time. Sephora lets you try out just about every product for yourself but testing out every brand of lipstick can be time consuming and with some things like acne treatment, trying in the store doesn't help much. It's nice to have recommendations.

I bought this book knowing that it was going to be one huge ad. But i thought it would have would a tome of enlightenment. Well it wasn't. Basically if you want to go from blah to pretty get you eye brows plucked put on some eye shadow, mascara lip gloss. In order to become a glamazon put on some lip color, make eyes look smokey get your hair blow dried. The give you a few ways to fake a few issues, and say what to try(red lipstick, blowdrying your hair). This book is far from ultimate.

This book should be on every woman's bookshelf. The tips are great and easy to follow. Plus, Sephora is an amazing store and everything in the book can be found at Sephora incase you would like to use exactly what they use in the book.

I was excited when I saw this book in my Sephora catalog. As a makeup junkie, I have always been a fan of Sephora and drove three hours to the nearest store until one went in a mall near me a couple of years ago.
It is true, the book is much like a much-expanded version of the store's catalog. The tips there are sound, there just isn't any information in the book that will be new to someone who is not a complete beginner to the world of makeup.
On a positive note, I was glad to see model Maggie Rizer on the book's cover.
Bottom line: if I had the opportunity to look at the book before I bought it, I would not have bought it. As it is, I expect it will languish in my bookcase. If I had a friend or young relative who was new to the world of makeup, I would be glad to pass it on to her.

I bought this book because I am such a fan of the stores and website and was SO disappointed and really feel cheated. This is nothing more than a hardcover book for the products they sell with some make-up tips thrown in and you probably know most of them. The one mention of applying eyeshadow doesn't even have close-up pictures so you can really see what they are doing. And for the kicker, there is a big section just on the founders of the all the make-up companies who sell their products at Sephora-what a waste!! Don't spend your money on this-you can surf their web site for free.

This book contains general make up tips and plenty of product recommendations. The book is visually appealing with plenty of large pictures and product photos. I am a cosmetics addict who can spend plenty of time in Sephora so I found this book interesting but not full of any new make up tips or ideas.