Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

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.

Let me begin by stating that I usually hate beauty books. They seem to capitalize on the fact that 99.9% of the women in the world do not look like the coat-hangers who appear on fashion runways -- and hate themselves for it. Readers frequently come away more depressed than energized.

I don't want to be a coat-hanger, I'll never be 16 years old again, and I don't believe Vogue will be calling me any time soon to be immortalized on its vacuous pages.

However, I am over 40 and I'm a real woman who doesn't always want to look like I'm fresh from a trip to the laundromat.

There is light at the end of this tunnel, and his name is Christopher Hopkins! If you want to look like a fresher, more vibrant you, I highly recommend that you get Staging Your Comeback -- and let the miracles begin.

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.

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.

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.

I am 42 and have several beauty books that I've tried over the years. When I'm feeling drab, I try something out of these books, but it never helps. HELLO - they were written decades ago for twenty-somethings! I am throwing out all the old and sticking to this one! Just got it yesterday and tried some of the makeup tips and already received a compliment today.

I especially like the measurement section to find my body type. Just 20 minutes and now I know exactly which sections apply specifically to me and which pictures show women just like my body type. I can't clean out my closet just yet (or I'd be naked), but as I shop to swap out my wardrobe, I know I'll be buying for MY body type not the manequins!

The only addition I'd make to the book would be to clearly mark body type (verticle and/or horizontal) next to each tip. Granted, I can figure it out (I now know I need to visually widen my shoulders so I read that part more closely), but this system almost seems like I could make a binder just out of the pages that apply to me if they were marked at the top like a recipe card. "4A, this page is for you!", etc.

Love the upbeat delivery! Love the reality! Love the pictures! Love my future! Love it! Love it! Love it!

ORDER THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!! It's excellent! Around 55 I couldn't figure out how to dress my changing body, much less what to do with my thinning hair and forget the makeup...everything at the cosmetic counter was geared for a dewy 20 something. Now I know how to dress for my shape and what kind of makeup to use so I don't look like a circus clown. I'm starting to feel better about myself. Aging gracefully is just a matter of changing our outdated ways and this book outlines in detail new techniques for us old broads.