There’s a new beauty book on the block and it’s by the very beautiful and talented Carmindy, makeup artist extraordinaire from TLC’s What Not To Wear. Get Positively Beautiful, The Ultimate Guide To Looking and Feeling Gorgeous
“According to a recent study, only 2% of women describe themselves as ‘beautiful’. The media instructs women how to ‘look ten years younger, ‘cover up wrinkles’, or ‘get fuller, plumper lips’. The beauty industry and so-called beauty experts play off womens’ insecurities, promising to conceal perceived flaws, contour noses, or make eyes look bigger. The underlying message? That there’s something inherently wrong with the way women look and that they have to spend time, money, and energy keeping up with all the ways they should ‘fix’ themselves. “
With “Carmindy Vision”, you’ll read mirror mantras and enjoy her make-over photos that inspire you to find your favorite feature and play it up. With the way this hardcover book is laid out, it’s a very quick read. I finished it in a few hours and found it very pleasant and cheerful. It is not as focused on elaborate step-by-step how-to’s like many other beauty publications. She’s really driving home the point that we need to stop focusing on the negative– everything is a positive, even the facial quirks we may find unattractive, and features we perceive as a flaws. In some chapters, I did feel some of the information was becoming a tiny bit redundant. There is a shopping guide at the end of the book with some of her favorite products as recommendations. Some of them are from her own line with Sally Hansen, Natural Beauty. I didn’t feel the book was overly preachy about her own brand– I thought it was more of like a showcase versus a plug for the line. This book isn’t as advanced as some others in how-to content. I wish there was a little more to it.
This book will make a great holiday gift for your favorite girlfriend and it’s currently my coffee table book as I just like it’s message so much. Some of the before/after photos are inspiring. I look forward to trying some of her basic tips and checking out the Sally Hansen line in the future.
(photo: carmindy.com)
