Beauty Rules!

Yesterday, I received the book Beauty Rules, by Bobbi Brown, (which I hadn't originally planned on getting, I only wanted the book A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking, but I wanted the free shipping from Amazon :D) and I have not been able to put it down!!

This specific book is directed at teens, and people in their 20s with all sorts of helpful tips and tricks on makeup, and just letting your inner beauty shine. The best part? Her models are *real* people, not uber tall, super skinny, perfect models (also, unlike many model photos, and ads, these pictures haven't been photoshopped). Bobbi shows us how to conceal blemishes and under eye circles, which lip/blush colors are best for your skin type, and so on and so forth. The way that she explains every single tip is anything but boring, and I love how her makeup looks are all very fresh, and natural.

I think that this is a great read (a fantabulous gift for teens, as well!), because it has amazing tips for anybody beginning with makeup, and even information that people who have used makeup for years may not know. The focus is mainly on looking your best, while also being very natural and not having crazy, or cake-y makeup. I've definitely seen my share of bad makeup, from heavy raccoon-eyeliner, to pancake foundation, to bright blue eyeshadow, to over-plucked eyebrows, to the dreaded lipliner-lipgloss combination (what's worse is, most of these were on the same lady! :P).

But this isn't just a makeup book. Bobbi talks a lot about having confidence, and being the best you can be. Beauty comes from within, sometimes literally (you are what you eat!). She's admitted to going to crazy tactics just to be the media's standard of "perfect" in her youth, such as tanning in the sun with tin foil, or ironing her hair with a clothes iron (she doesn't do any of this anymore, which I think is great, because she's a beautiful lady). Which brings me to another topic.

What is perfect? Those images that surround us everyday and are published by the media aren't real. They show standards of perfection that even models (who make up 2% of the world's population) themselves can't live up to. Everything, and I mean *everything* is photoshopped. Now, I understand using photoshop to get rid of red eye, or to crop something out, or even to cover up a pimple  that just happened to plant itself straight on your forehead and was determined not to be covered by makeup.

But the photoshopping techniques used by advertisers go way further than that. Skin is not only perfect, but brightened to give a nice glow. Waistlines are cinched to give a feminine figure. Busts are perhaps fixed to be fuller. Hair is shinier, and more vibrant. Cellulite is removed from legs. Faces are contoured to be slimmer. Even eyes are photoshopped to be clearer. Just go on Youtube, and search for tutorials on how to do this, or look up before and after pictures of celebrities and you'll be amazed.

This is probably one of the reasons why I love this book so much. Nothing is photoshopped. Nothing is edited. These are real girls and women, using the only magic of makeup to feel more confident and beautiful, which is difficult to find nowadays. And I think that this book really deserves some praise.

Until next time,
<3 Lucero