Customer Reviews

Trish McEvoy: The Power of Makeup: Looking Your Level Best at Every Age

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

 

 

Although this book was somewhat helpful deciding what products were really necessary in my makeup bag, I felt that it was more of Trish McEvoy's autobiography than anything. If I want to read a book on makeup, I would like the majority of information to be ON makeup. Granted, it is good to know who the author is and how they know what they do, I do not need to know everything about her experience and her husband's job. In some places, it did have fairly average how-to information. If you want to know more about makeup and what looks good, I would suggest reading any of the Bobbi Brown beauty books.

I have waited for years for this book (and am still waiting for the web-site). I met Trish in London at Harvey Nichols. She is full of life, knows exactly what she's doing, and has a true gift; however, this book does not showcase any of her talent. Where is the instruction? The basic editing that would tell you that it should be Cherry Red Lip Gloss not Sherry Red Lip Gloss on the back cover and page 129 fails. Sherry Red Lip Gloss is not made. It is a tiresome typo. Page 18 is credited with Deep Aubergine Definer when it is clearly Deep Amethyst. She says foundation before concealer in the book but the directions on her concealer say to apply BEFORE foundation. Help? Her own portrait on page 20 is not credited. I had to call three stores, Dallas, Boston and New York, to try and find out what she is wearing in the picture. Needless to say all three Trish experts had differing opinions about what make up she is wearing. All the brushes she mentions are called by a name but you have to order them by a number so you must research and match names and numbers to get the right product. Finally, the aging section is frightfully weak, (I am 37) when you consider that the women who can afford Trish are not twenty etc. I can't help but think that Trish was pushed into this book, and it was a one draft disaster. I own only Trish McEvoy Cosmetics and Brushes. After this disappointing effort, I am going to check out Sonia at Target. Sorry Trish, but her book is better in every way. I only hope her products are as well.

This is a coffee-table book, not a helpful how-to book. I can see how someone who is already very knowledgable might like it, as it is almost a sonnet to makeup.

I had been hoping for something to help me start applying makeup after many years away from it, and I found only about eight pages that were useful to me. I bought this as an investment in my own personal grooming, and as that it fell completely flat. I gave it two stars because it is not totally without merit.

This book tells as much about the author as about the art of applying makeup--and all of it is good. Ms. McEvoy was born to do what she does, and she does it with enormous integrity and dedication. It is revealing that she spends 6 pages graciously thanking the people who have helped her along the way. I am a loyal fan of her line and have had the pleasure of meeting her on a couple of occasions. She is unfailingly kind and attentive. Whether you use her cosmetics or not (and you should--they're top of the heap), and whether you spend 5 minutes or 30 minutes applying your makeup, you'll find something useful in this book. Extremely attractive design as well. I withheld one star only because I would like to have seen a bit more in the way of face-charting to explain the makeup applications.

This book is very attractive, and there's sound basic advice. If you're a Trish McEvoy cosmetics devotee, you might enjoy all the references to her products and her approach to makeup and lifestyle. If you're not and have already read books by Kevyn Aucoin or Bobbi Brown, you might find this book disappointing.

Useless, if you're looking for guidance in how to apply makeup and select colors that flatter your complexion. The primary focus of this book is the sale of additional Trish McEvoy products, such as the makeup bag, cosmetic line, etc.

The book very quickly walks through how to apply eye makeup, using one style (classic eye) with no variations for different eye shapes or complexions. The book also provides guidance on how to convert a standard paintbrush into a makeup brush. Other than that, it contains nothing that is helpful...the content is merely self promotion and platitudes.

This book was a waste of money. There aren't even very many pictures. Try Making Up by Rex, instead. It might be a bit outdated (some of the fanatasy suggestions are 80ish) but it gives you solid technique that can be applied to enhance any face or complexion.

I'm giving it 2 stars because of the class eye discussion, which was nicely illustrated. However, one makeup tip in an entire book is not worth the price.

I consider myself to be somewhat educated in the beauty world which is why I chose to read Trish McEvoy's new book. I was impressed with the way she created different catergories depending partially on the lifestyle of the person. I realized, after examining the different levels, that I have progressed from a level one to a level two in the past few years because of my changed lifestyle. It is amazing to me that these levels were not defined prior to her book. The levels are a tool to enhance our appreciation of beauty.

I wasted my money purchasing this book. I had hoped it would be like Linda Meredith's fantastic "The Complete Beauty Book" (from the mid 1980's, and now sadly out of print - check out Abebooks for second-hand copies) but this is utterly useless.

What few pictures there are in Trish's book, ALL show the models in little, none, or "natural" make-up, with no examples on the use of colour or different styles at all. Even the extremely few "Level-3" make-up styles shown in the few pictures only show very neutral and natural shades/styles. A pointless book in every way.

I was so disappointed that I refused to give it shelf space. It now resides in the trash! It was only not returned because, living in Britain, it would have cost me more than the price of the book to return it to the U.S.

I have to admit that although I love make-up, I have always been a little intimidated by the process. I would definitely classify myself as a novice. I have had make-up lessons, and while they were helpful, the application was always too dramatic for every-day wear. And then I picked up the Power of Beauty, the new book by Trish McEvoy and it all made sense. It is written like your girlfriend is teaching you, only imagine your girlfriend is a make-up guru who REALLY knows what she is talking about. It is easy to understand and offers make-up tips for all kind of wear and expertise. The book is a real god-send whether you need a little or a lot of help!!!

Touches on skincare but the focus is makeup. Very nice pics, the makeup on models is inspiring and fresh looking and the product closeups add a layer of sophistcation. Also, a touch I rather appreciate, is that you can find out what shades were used on the models and show in the pictures in the back of the book listed under credits. She does use several different font sizes and types, often switching for no apparant reason, which makes the book a bit difficult to read. There is a chapter on organizing, which I thought was a nice touch but it ended up just being a product promotion for her line. She had another chapter on brushes which was essentially more product promotion but I was able to overlook that because the pics she gave of the brushes, with the coorsponding names, was rather helpful (especially since almost every company uses the same approximate name to describe a particular kind of brush). She discusses makeup textures at length, which I haven't seen in many other books. I like how she addresses different makeup levels, so that if you're a minimalist you can easily skip over the topics that would overwhelm you. Unfortunately, she doesn't give you many tips/ideas at all for more advanced techniques. Makeup application directions are clear but only eye makeup instructions come with visual aids.
Overall, a good book. Very visually appealing. But not very useful if you are looking for more advanced tips/looks.