Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45 [Paperback]

Christopher Hopkins (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 3, 2008

Known as The Makeover Guy ® from his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and other national television programs, Christopher Hopkins believes that as they age, women become more beautiful but often feel less attractive. He's out to change that. For more than twenty years he's encouraged women who often feel like they' have taken a backseat to everything and everyone else to come out of the shadows and take center stage. Now it's your turn. Using Christopher's step-by-step strategies and detailed advice,you will learn to: 

• Restore your hair with your ideal cut, color, and style.  
• Revamp your wardrobe to flatter a changing body.
• Refresh your face with 'visible lift' makeup techniques.
• Renew your spirit and maintain your look using Christopher's revival guide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hopkins, known as The Makeover Guy, explains fashion dos, don'ts and oh-no-she-didn'ts for women in the second act of their lives. A quiz helps the reader identify which of six Image Profiles suits her tastes (Casual, Romantic, Innovative, etc.); clothes, hair and makeup tips follow accordingly. Hopkins is encouraging and helpful: he does not simply tell women to clean their closets of any unsuitable clothes. He provides a checklist of what you'll need, a 10-step to-do list and a questionnaire to determine which clothes to keep and which to toss. Benefiting from this book requires a certain amount of dedication—this is no quick-fix beauty mag article. There is even a revival guide journal in the back where readers can mark down outfits that worked or didn't work, collect contact information on their personal beauty team and keep track of daily, weekly and monthly beauty tasks. Hopkins's constant self-marketing can get annoying: irrelevant photos of himself litter the pages, and he wastes space touting his fashion victories over difficult clients. But his appearances on Oprah, the book's attention to detail and some astounding before-and-after photos attest to Hopkins's expertise. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"The book is terrific. It really is." - Kathy Lee Gifford

"You really did a great job!" - Hoda Kotb,  --The Today Show

"Great information, artfully delivered! Listen to Christopher and you'll look smashing right into your nineties--and feel wonderfully confident the whole way.'
--Leah Feldon, Author of Does This Make Me Look Fat?

'Christopher shows women how to reveal that amazing inner beauty with techniques you can actually do yourselves." --Mark Montano, Host of TLC's Ten Years Younger 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: HCI; 1st edition (March 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757306349
• ISBN-13: 978-0757306341
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Beauty, Grooming & Style
  • #20 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Beauty, Grooming, & Style > Style & Clothing

More About the Author

Entrepreneur, author, makeover artist and entertainer, Christopher Hopkins has inspired, educated and entertained audiences around the world. Through his television and radio appearances hundreds of thousands have used his straightforward advice to look their absolute best.

At age 26, he opened Christopher Hopkins Salon in St. Paul, MN where he was responsible for the looks of the on-air talent of the ABC affiliate news station KSTP. There he appeared regularly as makeover artist on "Good Company," a local daytime talk show.

In 1994 he opened the award winning Christopher Hopkins Image Center (CHIC) in downtown Minneapolis where he and company catered to such notables as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner, and Stephanie Powers to name just a few. While operating his company he toured internationally as platform artist for JOICO International educating beauty professionals on advanced hairstyling techniques.

In 2000 he expanded his company renaming it reVamp! salonspa. Named "Best of the Twin Cities" by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, reVamp! salonspa is one of the Twin Cities premiere salons for hair, skin, makeup and personal style development. His unique talents and on-air charisma won him repeat appearances on national talk shows including The Today Show, HGTV and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

He is the author of "Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45," and its accompanying workbook "The Beauty Revival Guide," available at www.stagingyourcomeback.com. His personal website is located at www.themakeoverguy.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 160 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cookie-cutter approach February 24, 2010

By Claudia Arnold

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I liked this book because it has lots of information on some challenges you face when you get older - like changing hair quality or the fact that your usual make-up doesn't seem to work any more (though Charla Krupp's "How not to look old" has more of this type of information). It was especially the honesty of the author that appealed to me, e. g. how everybody was sold a perm in the 80s, or about the mistakes he made. The makeovers are very interesting to watch, really jaw-dropping, but I wish the author had left some of their individuality to the women. Yes, they did dress inappropriately or not to their advantage, but after the makeover, the biker girl, the super-nerd, all of the "types" were gone. What was left was a set of generic-looking woman, all of the same type, interchangeable, and mostly presented in clothes for which there is hardly any occasion throughout the year. Personally I would appreciate suggestions on how to look good in jeans and a sweater, because that's what I realistically wear most of the time, so pictures of evening wear or formal afternoon dresses are not really helpful.

86 of 88 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock full of content and great advice! April 18, 2008

By J.J,

Format:Paperback

I am an Image Consultant that specializes in working with women over 40 and this is hands down the best book I have seen come out in a while!
I love how Christopher has put trends in the background and instead focuses on what these women need...some honesty, and softer lip color!
Some of the best makeover, I've seen.

104 of 109 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Staging Your Comeback April 18, 2008

By Feeling Good

Format:Paperback

In yet another frustrating search for haircuts appropriate for older women, I stumbled across this book. I saw the makeovers of women like myself and thought why not? I love the book! I took the quiz and defined my "style" very quickly. That was one week ago and the compliments I received just today on my new haircut made the book "priceless". I believe my comeback has just begun!

70 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Its About Time March 15, 2008

By Busy Body

Format:Paperback

Its about time that someone wrote a book addressing the beauty and issues of older women. Christopher Hopkins does it with a tremendous amount of artistry, skill, respect and compassion. The makeovers in the book are brilliant. The advice is remarkable in its detail and helpfulness. I strongly recommend this book to any woman but especially to women over 45.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the price! July 16, 2008

By OnyxHeart

Format:Paperback

I have been having so much fun with this book! I especially appreciate the very specific tools he presents here for determining your body type, proportions, and what clothing types are most flattering to you, rather than vague generalities found in many other style/beauty books. Mr. Hopkins' approach is not so much to teach you to hide signs of aging or try to hide your age, but to look your best at your true age, and emphasize your best features, which even those of us who are 45 and over still have, darn it! This is an important distinction, in my opinion, and sets his book apart from others aimed at older women, particularly Ms. Krupp's "How Not To Look Old" , which just comes across as desperate to me. Leg makeup and botox? No thanks!

Since I bought this book, I've purged my cosmetics drawer and my closet, gotten professional advice on a new skin care regimen and makeup application, and am looking for a new hair stylist.

I do agree with another poster who said that tailoring some of the fashion advice to specific body types would be helpful if there are future editions/updates. Overall, there is no other beauty/style book out there like this one, and I heartily recommend it.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An answer to a prayer June 12, 2008

By D. Schweitzer

Format:Paperback

I love this book. It came along at a perfect time for me. I am re-entering the workforce after a 20 year hiatus and at sixty something I was at a total loss as to how to dress. In my twenties and thirties it was simple; read a magazine, buy a little suit, understated makeup and I was good to go. With the uneven skin, wrinkles and SAD state of dress in the workplace today I felt terribly out of my element. This book has helped me put it all together again to be the best 'me' possible.
Christopher writes in an easy, breezy style that is makes for a quick read packed with lots of great information. The best part about it is his continuing emphasis that these tips seem to work for most women but we are all inevitably responsible for our own style. Love it.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're over 45, you MUST buy this book!! June 8, 2008

By Debra Cotterman

Format:Paperback

If you've ever looked at a young woman and said "I remember when I used to take care of myself like that" then you must buy this book! I knew I had let some things go in my appearance but I just kept saying "Hey, I'm comfortable with my age." Then I heard Christopher interviewed on the radio and he was speaking to me. I immediately bought the book and I loved it. I started making some changes slowly. I bought a new jacket, started wearing a little more make-up, accessorized a bit. I found myself going back and back to the book to add another touch of style to my wardrobe, hair, make-up etc. People started noticing, I started to get some nice comments and I started to feel like the person I used to want to grow up to be! On the outside I am a middle aged suburban single mom with 2 teenagers and a full time job, on the inside I'm creative and smart and have so much more to offer. More than anything, this book gave me permission to let my outside reflect my inside. So, buy the book to make some changes to the outer you but I wish you the inner change that follows as you let yourself show.