Things a Woman Should Know About Style Things A Woman Should Know Series
August 6, 2009 by Beauty Tips · Leave a Comment
Things a Woman Should Know About Style Things A Woman Should Know Series
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Waste of your time.
This book is awful. I consider myself pretty undemanding of my light reads - if I’m wasting time reading while I’m cooking or taking a bath, just about anything will do. I’ve spent an hour on a magazine for diabetics, for pete’s sake, and I’m not even close to having diabetes. So I thought I would enjoy this book, since I can be quite girly.
But this book is awful. The author writes in short one-liners obviously intended to be heavy with wit, insight, and knowledge. But she totally and completely bores me. I can’t even bear to resign this book to reading while cooking or bathing - I’m just going to re-sell it. And that’s something I NEVER do. I still have biology textbooks from college because I couldn’t bear to get rid of a book!
I found myself disagreeing with so much of what she said (like the idea that you should almost always wear a little black dress, and that red is the color of sexual predators). She contradicts herself (like when she says that a black shift dress is perfect for a garden party, and then only a couple pages later says that only pastels are appropriate for a garden party - and specifically warns against black). Some of her information is just flat-out wrong (like when she says that going up a cup size on your bra automatically makes your band larger even if you keep the same band number - I am in the lingerie business, and I promise that she is mistaken).
This book also seems horribly dated even though the copyright is from 2003. She warns against buying the latest, trendiest power suit with large shoulder pads (this isn’t the 80s! I wouldn’t even know where to find something like that anymore!) and says that there is no such thing as a heel over 6 inches (recent fashion has absolutely proved otherwise, even totally outside of the “stripper shoe” realm).
If you have zero style knowledge, this book will misguide you. If you know even the slightest bit about style, this book will bore you. If you are a normal woman who has a basic understanding of style, you will laugh out loud at some of the suggestions she makes. Don’t waste your money!
3 Stars Bought on a whim. Only reason to buy it.
I picked this up at a local shop and I have to admit I found the author’s English attitude and dry sense of humour quite whimsical.
However, as other reviewers have pointed out, it’s an explanatory magazine essay in book form, though interspersed with quite wonderful quotes, such as « Une robe n’a de sens que si un homme a envie de vous l’enlever, je dis bien l’enlever pas l’arracher en hurlant d’horreur. » (Trans: A dress makes no sense unless a man wants to take it off — that is, to remove it, not tear it off howling in horror.) And there are a few deliciously dishy tips, such as how to have a signature scent no one else has — go to a cheap chop in France and buy their (invariably cheap) house scent, and then sadly tell those who compliment you on it that “it’s not available in this country”.
In sum, I cannot frankly recommend it to anyone, but not because of a flaw of the book itself per se, it’s because it’s written both at an advanced level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are still looking desperately for style à la Audrey Hepburn at Top Shop) and at an elementary level (making it insuitable for those ladies who are looking for a way to seem a touch more soignée, rather than staying too safe and Sloane-y).
However, this is coming from an American, and for all I know, British women are actually listening to Susannah and Trinny, so perhaps it suits in the home market?
5 Stars Classic style, explained
This terrific little guide should be on every woman’s shelf - especially those who want to transform their ultra trendy wardrobe into one that may be still “on trend” but kicked up a notch, sophisticated and chic. In others words, grown up.
4 Stars A Book Every Woman Should Read
I really enjoyed this book. It contains many quotes from fashion icons as well as helpful hits. You will be able to learn what is appropriate to wear and when it is appropriate to wear it. I read through the whole book and loved every page. Every woman should read this book and they will always be in style.
4 Stars great way to put your priorities in place
This book is full of many things we instinctively know… but it helps to hear them spelled out in plain English.
So if you have a tendancy to splurge on purple bell bottoms on sale and green fluo platform sandals (that spend 3 years in the back of your closet never worn until you chuck them), this book is for you.
I find it a good reference every now and then, to help keep my fashion priorities in place. And when I encounter a fashion victim hottie, it helps me to keep perspective and not go out and buy those pink suede cowboy boots.
The Original Beauty Bible Skin Care Facts for Ageless Beauty
August 4, 2009 by Beauty Tips · Leave a Comment
The Original Beauty Bible Skin Care Facts for Ageless Beauty
No Lye The African American Womans Guide To Natural Hair Care
August 3, 2009 by Beauty Tips · Leave a Comment
No Lye The African American Womans Guide To Natural Hair Care
For years, African-American women have relied on harsh chemicals and relaxers to “manage” their hair–which more often than not did more damage than good. Improper braiding techniques have also contributed no small amount of harm, resulting in frail, damaged hair and even pattern baldness in women.
No Lye! offers a safe and easy alternative. In this hair-care and styling guide Tulani Kinard reveals the secrets to obtaining and maintaining beautiful healthy hair–naturally.
Discover…
The art of making braids, terrific twists and lovely locks
Easy recipes for products that clean, strengthen, and condition the hair
Ways to heal damaged hair
Painless methods of caring for your children’s hair
Fast, easy styles for all lengths and textures of hair
The pros and cons of using hair extensions
Ask me your hair-care questions…I’ll tell you No Lye!
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Very Helpful…
This book really helped me in deciding if I could handle being natural or not… great for coming back to.
3 Stars A How to
Good book on how to do certain things to natural hair, but I think I’m still going to go have someone show me how to do them. The “how to” doesn’t really transfer in this book as well as it does in actual “show how to”
2 Stars Not what i expected
I was displeased with the book, I felt it focused way too much on dreadlocks. I wear my hair natural, but I wil never wear it as dreadlocks. It brushed through the tips pf taking care of hair and the pictures were not that clear. Don’t get me wrong its a decent book, especially if you want to grow dreads.
2 Stars Next? I’ll second that
I bought “NO LYE!” Tuesday and returned it Wednesday. It was not nearly what I expected after all of the rave reviews. The illustrations were limited and the sections on twists was no help at all. I bought “Textured Tresses” today and love it. There is a lot of celebrity name dropping but who cares. It is well written and provides product names, numerous illustrations, detailed how-to’s and a salon directory. Also there is a section on picking the right stylist and salon that I found helpful. Don’t waste your money on “NO LYE!”. No lie.
5 Stars The Real Deal
Excellent book which provided much needed encouragement to go natural. I’ve been “relaxer free” since April 2006 and now in the process of transitioning from extensions. Thanks Tulani !!
Beautiful Black Hair Real Solutions to Real Problems A Step by Step Instructional Guide
August 2, 2009 by Beauty Tips · Leave a Comment
Beautiful Black Hair Real Solutions to Real Problems A Step by Step Instructional Guide
the #1 African-American Hair Care Book in the Nation.
It is the classic guide that has the answers to all your questions about the care of your hair whether it is natural, relaxed or color-treated. Written by Shamboosie, a twenty-year veteran of the hair care industry BEAUTIFUL BLACK HAIR TEACHES you everything you need to know about: growing your hair long and healthy, stopping your hair from breaking overnight, getting rid of dryness and preventing it forever, applying chemical relaxer properly with no burning ever, choosing the best conditioners for your hair and using a daily maintenance program for maximum effectiveness. Chapters include: Hair: What is It? / It’s Growing: Understanding Hair Growth / Beautiful Brown Babies: Children’s Hair Care Solutions / The Care Package: Real Solutions That Really Work / Stop The Breakage: Putting an End to Dry Brittle Hair / It’s A Natural Thing: Natural Hair, Extensions, Weaves and Wigs / Great Looking Hair Anywhere: How to Have Hair That Looks Great All The Time / The Color of Hair / The System #1: The Sodium Hydroxide Conditioning Lye Relaxer / The System #2 - Using Marcel Irons, Pressing, and Curling with a Gentle Touch / Getting it Together: Rethinking the Hair Care Routine
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Good tips, but…
It has some good tips in it, but it needs more information about hair products available to the general public instead of the products manufactured by the author. It helped with general hair care.
5 Stars So glad I learned about this book.
This book is great for any woman of color, especially great for anyone with biracial children.
3 Stars It is good for you if you have a perm/relaxed
I bought this book thinking the book was going to give me tips on how to take care of my hair. Well this book focus more on women with relax her than natural/pressed hair. BEWEAR of this book please if you get your hair pressed. Other wise for the women who have permed hair…this book is great for you.
1 Star Blah!
I’m just going to be upfront and honest.He is mostly trying to promote nexxus products in this book.Nexxus products is not going to work for every women’s hair.No 2 heads of hair are like what works for you won’t necessarily mean it’ll work for me or anyone esle.Anyways,Let’s get back to the book!The information in this book I could go on the internet and get the same advice.I didn’t like this book so I gave it away to the Goodwill.I won’t recommend this book to anyone.
2 Stars Same ol, same ol
This is more of the same old. This book encourages maintaining a dependence on hair dressers and putting more money into their pockets as well as the pockets of the not-so-pretty beauty companies.
The good tips:
Clean your hair frequently
Keeping relaxer to new growth alone
Opposition to no-lye relaxer
Treat your daughters’ hair with kid gloves. Don’t pull on it in an attempt to “manage” or “tame” it as this will result in traction alopecia. Also, be sure to tell her that her hair’s beautiful.
The bad tips:
Focus on using overpriced products. No, you don’t always get what you pay for a
Pushes particular products, specifically the Nexxus line
Over-relaxing - every 6 to 8 weeks.
Very focused on chemicals and in some parts, trivializes the harm they can do as well as the harm that heating products can do
It’s fine to use conditioners made for non-black or otherwise untextured hair. This really isn’t so since the curl pattern generally keeps very curly hair chronically dry and prone to damage. If you relax your hair, you won’t have the curl pattern but your hair needs to be treated as highly damaged hair so it doesn’t break. While hair is hair, your needs are different from women with untextured hair.
From my experience, I believe you will maintain good-looking hair that won’t be too unhealthy, but if you’re trying to achieve growth, especially if you’re one of the many black women who has difficulty growing and keeping long hair (and it’s generally not a problem with growth, but rather with breakage), this isn’t going to tell you anything you don’t know.
The Beauty of Color The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color
August 1, 2009 by Beauty Tips · Leave a Comment
The Beauty of Color The Ultimate Beauty Guide for Skin of Color
From the beloved fashion icon and cosmetics entrepreneur, the first book to embrace global beauty and women of all ethnicities.
Few faces are as instantly recognizable as that of Iman’s. She’s been a groundbreaking supermodel for the world’s top designers and a muse for photographers, and she is the founder of the world’s most popular cosmetic brand for skin of color.
Now, in an era when the face of beauty has changed-and the most celebrated women in Hollywood include such stars as Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, and Lucy Liu-Iman delivers a new approach to makeup and skin care. With The Beauty of Color, she revolutionizes the way women of color can think about the way they look and feel. Iman resists categorizing people according to ethnicity, and instead embraces the whole range of skin color-light to dark. This is the first beauty and makeup book to truly address skin tones across the spectrum-Latina, Black, Asian, Indian, Native American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, as well as women of mixed ethnicities.
Inspired by her two illustrious careers-first as a world-class supermodel and then as founder of two of the world’s top cosmetics lines-Iman is uniquely aware of the difficulties women of color have always had with skin care and makeup. In The Beauty of Color, Iman teaches readers how to work with skin care regimens and palettes targeted to their exact skin tone and type.
With stunning color photographs and images on every page, the book itself is a work of beauty, featuring Salma Hayek, Tyra Banks, Venus and Serena Williams, and other celebrities, as well as ordinary women of all ages. Unique, informative, and creative, The Beauty of Color is not only the first book to show women of every shade how to look their very best, but is also a landmark celebration of global beauty.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars FABULOUS!!!
This book is great for beginners. It shows you how to achieve Hollywood glam and the girl next door look in just a few strokes of the brush. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5 Stars Iman
Love this book. I brought it for my daughter. I wanted her to see women of color in various shades who are beautiful just like her. I don’t want her only definition of beauty to be blond and blue eyes. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors (shades). It also gives great makeup tips.
5 Stars Skin issues addressed!
“Summer fungus”, correct concealer base color, looking gray through U.S. portrait photo filters (never an issue when portraits are taken in Asia or India), sensitive skin, solutions for our oily skin, hyperpigmentation from sun and hair removal, allergic reactions to fruit acids found in most US skin exfoliants. JUST A FEW of the issues I face that this book has helped me to address. Women of color in the US need to be just as glamorous as our sisters in India and Asia. Thank you Iman for helping us US-bound girls get there!
5 Stars Gorgeous Book
I understand some might feel that there is a lack of darker skinned models in this book but its really hard to please everyone in the world. I feel Iman did a good job of picking her models, i haven’t seen this many brown colored girls in anything but an essence magazine and i’m happy she did this. And yes girls from Brazil can be blonde with blue eyes. Just like blacks in america can have red hair and green eyes. All of the photos were gorgeous and everything was explained in a way that can be replicated easily. I recommend this book to any WOC who wants an informative book that caters to them.
5 Stars What I’ve always wanted to know!
I just stumbled on this book while looking for Iman cosmetics. It’s the best beauty book out there for women with darker skin. We search for the right shades to compliment our skin. Sometimes you find it, but mostly you end up with a rainbow of things that are unflattering. Every young girl first trying makeup should read this book and get the basics figured out. I wish I’d read it a long time ago.
