Total Beauty [Paperback]

Sarah Stacey (Author), Josephine Fairley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

For women everywhere of any age, here is the biggest, most thorough, tried-and-true survey of consumer-tested cosmetic products ever carried out, anywhere in the world.

More than 600 women have spoken: they’ve tested literally thousands of products—over 100 brands, across 32 categories—and have delivered a bona fide shortlist of the most effective and best-value buys. These are the secrets every busy female needs to know, the definitive illustrated guide to fast-track beauty. Which are the real miracle creams, the cellulite treatments that aren’t just hype, the nail polishes that won’t chip in 5 minutes, the tanning creams that don’t turn skin orange? Find out how to achieve maximum results in minimum time, and get insider knowledge of hair cut and color, choosing the perfect fragrance, working out an ideal skincare regime, or applying makeup for day or night. Take a look at the latest state-of-the-art, high-tech options: teeth whitening, non-surgical facelifts, Botox, and collagen. Or choose a holistic approach, with recipes for easy treatments to make at home. And from the experts: the products that international beauty editors can’t do without.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This invaluable resource for makeup counter regulars includes the results of what is perhaps the most comprehensive survey of cosmetics available. Stacey and Fairley (The Beauty Bible) arranged for 1,180 women to test thousands of beauty products from 32 categories, including eye shadow, lipstick, makeup remover, acne medication, face masks, teeth whiteners and more. Essentially a product review guide (without pesky advertisements), the book lists the items in each category that received top ratings, as well as the best budget buys. Each product gets a score on a scale of one to 10, averaged from the testers' responses. The authors also include illuminating quotes from the testers about the pros and cons of each item, be it mascara that visibly thickens lashes or cellulite cream that just doesn't work. In between the score sheets is a series of mini articles that, for beauty mavens, will be worth the price of the book alone; they offer tips on coloring hair, making lips look more full, and plucking eyebrows into the perfect arch, among other things. The advice in these pages is more specific than anything readers will find in women's magazines, making this book the ultimate unbiased guide for the woman who's willing to take a few minutes to read up on nail polish if it'll tell her which brand won't chip after a day.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Gives you the entire world of beauty at your fingertips, with the results of the biggest tried and tested trials ever of beauty products and packed with tips from the experts, style gurus and celebrities. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402717768
• ISBN-13: 978-1402717765
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,764,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really impressed, February 9, 2005

By 

Isabeau Chaloult (Montreal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Total Beauty (Paperback)

I always find scary just how many products there are on the market, and how expensive the trial and error method can get.

I bought this because it claimed to have reviewed products from many brands and to give you insights on each.

Not only did I find this especially usefull (they have a panel of women who try the products and comment it) but it had a lot more information then I first thought it would.

It covers a range of different products for the face, body and hair, and includes things you can make at home and tricks on how to relax and feel better (it even includes an exercise section).

I was truly impressed by this book, it really helped me choose my products and although it sounds somewhat corny it also gave me insights on how to be healthier and happier.

I recommend it to anyone who likes pampering, cosmetics and spa-like tricks, or has a difficult skin and needs speciliazed products (like me). Even for someone who doesn't enjoy girly stuff in overdose, this book was fun to read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars outdated and unobtainable products, February 25, 2005

By 

Shirley "cosmetics junkie" (BELLE HAVEN, Vatican City State (Holy See)) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Total Beauty (Paperback)

The three cleansers that are rated the best (Spiezia, Liz Earle, and Eve Lom) are impossible to find in the U.S. I tried web searches and a trip to a great organic products store without success. The Lancome foundation and blush that one of the authors uses herself is not available any more either. This book appears to have products in it which you could buy if you lived in England, and the Lancome products are discontinued.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looks glamourous, but not really., May 27, 2005

By 

°¤¿¤° - See all my reviews

This review is from: Total Beauty (Paperback)

I guess I judged a book by its cover and thought it would have a lot of useful advice on makeup, beauty, etc., but it ended up being somewhat of a disappointment. Sure, the authors do offer some helpful tips and tricks on topics ranging from makeup to diet to skin care and on and on (even though I suspect many of the tips are just common, general knowledge), but they don't offer any price range for the products that were "Tried and Tested" and the rating scale seemed a little bit strange to me (why do the ratings extend to the "second decimal place" when you could just say "8.5" instead of something seemingly random like "8.62"?). And no doubt the products that were tried and tested are rather pricey, but they don't give you the prices.

Also, I think something must have gone wrong when they published this book, because on several pages, the authors just leave you hanging as the last sentence just cuts off. For example, on page 32, the authors talk about using lipstick and lip gloss, and the last line of the page says, "If skin is really pale, teeth look more yellow. Against a..." and it just stops there. Page 33 is a Tried and Tested page, and page 34 deals with eye shadow. I would buy the book just for the tips if you're a "beginner" or just want general information, and if you want to look at the pretty pictures, which there are a few in the book. But that's about all it's worth, in my opinion.