The 21st Century Beauty Bible - Josephine Fairley, Sarah Stacey

In the words of the authors (Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley) The 21st Century Beauty Bible is "the tricks, the tips, the wisdom that help you take a short cut to looking - and feeling - better." It's so much more than just makeup and hair: it's about bringing beauty from within through diet, exercise and healthy living, and THEN keeping it all ticking over nicely with the best quality (no, I didn't say expensive) products.

...fully updated paperback version of the 2002 edition. There has been a lot of time and effort invested in arranging this book in the best way possible; and it shows. Apart from all the fantastic advice given throughout the book there is a large splattering of products that have been Tried and Tested next to each relevant section. The testing panels consist of ten women, so each product gets a chance to work its magic on ten entirely different people. ... more

In the words of the authors (Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley) The 21st Century Beauty Bible is "the tricks, the tips, the wisdom that help you take a short cut to looking - and feeling - better." It's so much more than just makeup and hair: it's about bringing beauty from within through diet, exercise and healthy living, and THEN keeping it all ticking over nicely with the best quality (no, I didn't say expensive) products.

The 21st Century Beauty Bible is a large pink book comprising 256 pages - a fully updated paperback version of the 2002 edition. There has been a lot of time and effort invested in arranging this book in the best way possible; and it shows. Apart from all the fantastic advice given throughout the book there is a large splattering of products that have been Tried and Tested next to each relevant section. The testing panels consist of ten women, so each product gets a chance to work its magic on ten entirely different people. In addition to this each Tried and Tested category will include a Best Budget Buy if it is deemed have entered the high scoring chart yet still been considerably more affordable than the others. And if that wasn't enough, Jo and Sarah have trawled through a mountain of ingredients to award 'Daisy' ratings for the claims manufacturers make about so called 'natural' products, which is not essential to me but something I might take into consideration.

(This is going to be a long review because I'm writing a nice detailed review for people considering buying the book, not just for the people reading on this site).

The book consists of seven sections which I'll summarise:

1) MAKEUP

Although I said it was well organised I'd probably have put skin first, as good skin makes the perfect base for good makeup. This section contains expert tips from world famous makeup artist Bobbi Brown. I wasn't overly thrilled by this as I'm not a huge fan of her neutral colours approach to makeup as I like my bright eye shadows, bold black eyeliner and pink lip glosses too much! However, it's all good as we get to nose through Sarah and Jo's makeup essentials; and it's nice to see a Body Shop lip balm in there even though they've probably both used every lip product under the sun. The rest of the chapter is mainly dedicated to tracking down your ideal makeup collection: foundation, shine minimisers, lip colour, eye colour and blusher. There are tips on lip plumping and application of all the above mentioned products: tips that I definitely couldn't have invented myself. As well as all this there is a quick guide to makeup brush essentials, transforming day makeup into night and possibly the most useful to many, a page purely for Morning After makeup.

Tried and Tested: Compact foundation, concealer, tinted moisturiser, oil blotting sheets, lip liners, lip plumpers, long-lasting lipstick, mascara, waterproof mascara and skin brighteners.

2) SKIN

No skin care section would be complete without telling us to drink gallons of water a day, and this one is no exception. However, there is plenty of helpful advice to complement this; and if you thought you knew how to wash your face - think again! This chapter dispels the myth that we all need to follow the Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise routine: some of us can totally skip toner (myself included) as it's really an optional extra (no matter what the orange Clinique lady tells you). It gives us the low down on how and when to exfoliate, followed by advice on choosing and using moisturiser plus how to care for your specific skin type. There are great tips on how to de-puff your peepers and de-crinkle your neck, not to mention an extensive test on so-called 'Miracle Creams.'

Tried and Tested: Cleanser, cleansing wipes, miracle creams, SPF15 moisturisers, neck creams, spot zappers, treats for tired and puffy eyes, and eye makeup remover.

3) FAST FIXES

Botox facts and details about other minor cosmetic procedures…and less drastic - salon facial treatments and makeup fillers (aka facial polyfiller). This chapter includes two pages of advice on covering up, minimising, or even removing thread veins, and three pages on how to keep your teeth in tip top condition (with explanations of dental cosmetic procedures - argh!!)

Tried and Tested: Instant face savers and face masks.

4) BODY

You might think we'd covered exfoliation in the Skin section, but Jo and Sarah (and me for that matter) take a totally different approach to the body's skin. There's advice on body moisturising, keeping youthful firm breasts, and fighting the fur (be it waxing, epilating, electrolysis etc.). Three entire pages are jam-packed with information about The Big C (no, not Cancer; Cellulite!) It gives the possible causes, and more importantly, preventions/solutions. One part of this chapter I found particularly interesting was the sunscreen savvy - did you know that to obtain the SPF factor on the bottle you'd need to apply a layer of lotion so thick that the skin beneath was barely visible? Wearing a sensible layer of an SPF15 is more likely to give you between SPF5 to SPF8 protection. So with this in mind we delve into the tanfastic world of fake tans with lots of great tips for body and facial application at home. There are two pedicures and three manicures to choose from in this chapter, depending on your time frame.

Tried and Tested: Body moisturiser, cellulite creams, hair removers, bust boosters, self tanners, facial self tanners, hand creams, long lasting nail polish, nail strengtheners and foot revivers.

5) HAIR

Did you know that shampoo takes approximately four minutes to be thoroughly rinsed out? No, neither did I; and apparently dull hair can be the result of insufficient rinsing. I'm rather into my hair care at the moment and thought that as it was a sub-section of a beauty/makeup book that there wouldn't be much I didn't already know in this section, but surprisingly there is still a lot to learn! There are some great illustrations to help you determine your face shape and in turn, which styles will suit that shape. After you've found your perfect cut you can again consult this book to find a flattering colour: be it salon glossing, highlights/lowlights or plain old home colouring - it's all here (including some slightly worrying information about the safety of hair dye). Put an end to the frizzies with tips from Michael Gordon of Bumble & Bumble and a comprehensive guide to blow drying.

Tried and Tested: Hair masks and hair defrizzers.

6) FRAGRANCE

I'm such an amateur when it comes to perfume shopping as I've only ever owned about five (mostly chosen by other people). When I shop for a new scent it's literally a case of spraying every bottle in sight on any available inch of flesh until I can no longer detect scent; only alcohol. This section provides a detailed guide on fragrance shopping which I know will be invaluable to me with Christmas fast approaching. It also advises you on how you can 'train' your nose to detect smells more effectively - something I'll have to learn some time! Although there are no fragrances actually Tried and Tested (possibly because perfume is totally down to individual taste?) I was thrilled to see YSL's In Love Again in Jo's favourite scent list as it's also my current favourite.

Tried and Tested: Relaxing bath treats.

7) WELLBEING

If you don't feel even slightly good after reading this section, you're beyond help! Okay, so it's a little over optimistic but it makes you feel happy and gives you advice on how to maintain that feeling once you've achieved it. Advice includes DIY massages, fruit juice recipes and how to beat the dreaded insomnia. Jo and Sarah share their herbal remedies for minor ailments and a 60-second relaxation for the super-busy, which will swiftly but effectively de-clutter your mind…and if you're still as tightly strung at the end of the book, take advantage of the excellent 10-step yoga routine (composed by Barbara Currie). Despite taking up a mere three illustrated pages it really is enough to provide a decent portion of stretching.

***

Although there is a lot of reference to beauty and makeup, this book is so much more than just a one-stop-vanity-shop. It provides food for thought with articles from Aveda's Horst Rechelbacher about whether or not we should try and use more 'natural' lip products (did you know that in a lifetime a woman swallows the equivalent of about four tubes of lipstick? Ergh!) Jo and Sarah provide us with specific names of ingredients that are considered to be natural, and also those that aren't - and give us the truth on SPF15; should we really be overloading our skin with chemicals every day regardless of whether it's sunny or not? I also loved the inclusion of a 'glossary' to explain scientific terms such as 'non comedogenic' (aka 'dunt clog yer pores').

However, the main difference between this and other beauty/makeup books is that it includes an abundance of home made beauty recipes for facial oils, natural masks, body scrubs, body oil, hair rescue remedies, fragrances made from essential oils, bath oils and fruit juices. If that wasn't enough there are methods on how to use some of these with facial massage techniques, two minute face de-stressers and a scalp massage (I have yet to experiment with all of these!)

There are little 'tip' boxes dotted around the pages for quick reference and the vast majority of advice is given by professionals in the field they're discussing (like Stila's Jeanine Lobell on makeup!) I loved all of the pictures included as they were well chosen and not as in-your-face with the makeup and beauty aspect, not like other books which just show boring model after model being made up just to fill extra pages. The directory of cosmetic suppliers at the back of the book is also a welcome addition as it is convenient having them all listed in one place. The 'bookshelf' at the back with suggested reading titles might be something I will consult in the future, and it only takes up half a page anyway so I'm not complaining. And the full page of advice on 'Spa Etiquette' would no doubt be greatly appreciated by anyone attending one for the first time.

Although there wasn't an exhaustive amount of information I did appreciate the inclusion of advice on makeup for coloured women (by Iman) as it's a subject not many books even attempt to include. There were also a few pages on solutions for ethnic hair given by leading London stylist Errol Douglas which I think was great because I guess it would provide ideas on what to do or where to go for more advice.

There are only three possible things I could criticise: the first thing is that I really would have appreciated an entire list for each Tried and Tested section saying every brand that was tested, because otherwise you don't know whether something you want to buy is just plain crap or was not actually included in the trial (I guess perhaps the manufacturers might have only agreed to the tests if only the best ones were listed though?)

The second thing is that there were not any mentions of a few of my favourite brands (BeneFit, Urban Decay, NARS…) and I guess perhaps they just weren't included in the trials because they're brands marketed at the youthful consumer and some of the products included were at the more expensive/mature end of the market (although I'm not saying everything was expensive). Or perhaps they're just horribly unnatural?!

And finally - I love Origins and Aveda for their pro-natural stance on manufacturing but as a rule I don't actively search for natural brands, I just use what I like and what works. I found the constant references to the brand Dr Hauschka (who?) a bit much, as it was obviously just the personal preference of Jo and Sarah. However, in saying that, I can't really hold that against them as everyone would be slightly biased if writing a heavily Tried and Tested style book - and I did prefer the style of this book with its healthy natural approach to other ones I've read which are purely just in the name of vanity. Anyway I can't really criticise because it's opened my mind to trying brands I'd never have even considered using before…I'm even going to hunt down good old Dr H because on mentioning it to my sister she said it's actually supposed to be great!

(oh and one other niggle…there were lots of typos and mistakes, the worst of which is a completely duplicated paragraph on pages 106 & 107)

Overall I'd give this book about an 8.5 out of 10 for the reasons mentioned above, but a definite 5/5 for Ciao because as beauty books go you'd be hard pushed to find a better one! It's even got me reading the ingredients labels of my cosmetics with genuine interest and scanning products in the aisles of Boots before buying (which has also enabled me to determine which things aggravate my skin, something I'd never have thought of doing - so thanks!)

The website is www.beautybible.com and it gives you lots of brilliant advice, much of which actually expands on the book (so it's a whole other review in itself!)

Publisher: Kyle Cathie
ISBN: 1-85626-524-2

£10.49 from Amazon.co.uk

* carly_pussycat - Ciao UK ©
 

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