Paula Begoun

(For Reference rather than straight reading)

This is a great book with useful info. The author is a credentialed and well-reputed consumer advocate for beauty products. She has a lot of info on her website, cosmeticscop.com. She looks at a ton of products and says whether or not there are irritating ingredients in them, if the products live up to their claim.

The nice thing is, she does give favorable reviews for products. She's not just someone criticizing other people's products. She is show more recognized in the field and some companies, including Dove for instance, changed their formulations based on her recommendations/reviews. She finally went on to create her own product line b/c people said "Since you know what healthy skin needs, why don't you create a good, basic line." So she did.

Based on her recommendations, I realized the reason I had "super-sensitive skin" was because I was using products that had irritants in them. When I switched to things she recommended, it was like my skin totally changed and was no longer irritated at all. She doesn't believe in hype.

The book has very easy ratings that include smiley faces, neutral faces, and sad faces. If something has a smiley face and a check mark as well, it's a Paula's Pick --- the highest recommendation she can give. There are also dollar signs thrown in along with smiley faces for products that are pricey --- so you could have a smiley face with three dollar signs to mean it's good but very expensive, or even a sad face with dollar signs which means it contains bad things for your skin and it's a rip-off too. show less

Ugh. I'm all for consumer protection and everything, but I can't believe that she calls this an unbiased book when it's clearly biased to her very own skin care and makeup line!

Makeup and skin care is pretty subjective, since everyone's skin and personal style is so different. I don't mind fragrances, but she immediately marks anything fragranced an entire grade lower. Lame. It's really just a book about products appropriate for her skin. I guess if I had been living in a cave and had never show more washed my face or been to a drugstore before, I would find this a useful tool. But I have so it's not the end.

Also, why does this book have to be 80 pounds? I tried to flip through it in bed last night and my arms and hands were so tired that I finally just had to chuck it to the floor. show less

Disclaimer: I haven't read all of this 1191 page tome, something I doubt many people will bring to a cosmetics counter. What I did was look at some of the things I use regularly and see what she has to say. Sorry, she doesn't impress.
While some of what she says is true (yes peppermint can be an irritant and alcohol can be too drying) some of the effects she's lambasting are for larger amounts than are present in many of the items. While, yes, it would be a good idea to use a moisturiser show more containing SPF sometimes you might want one without, because you plan to use stronger. Also, according to their publicity (which she acknowledges) they don't have an SPF on many of their items because to get that rating often demands animal testing. I would also like a coded rating system for the allergens, or potential allergens so that I could use it in a more informed way.

She makes a great deal about how natural isn't always better and that many of the chemicals used in the cosmetics industry are listed under the USFDA "Generally regarded as safe" listings, a listing that is being regularly revised due to greater knowledge of some of the compounds.

She makes some valid points but much of my experience was coloured by noticing that she has a web site, subscription only, that will tell you more and about more brands. She also has her own range, most of which are listed as some of the best brands and it's amero-centric, you would need to double check the ingredients in your local version (there are some differences sometimes between European and US formulations due to varying regulations.)

One of the reasons I would have liked a listing of varying allergens is because I'm trying to avoid gluten in all it's forms due to a gluten allergy, gluten is indeed Generally Regarded as Safe but for me it's a pervasive nightmare. I'm sure I'm quite like many others, she's too generic to be totally useful and in some instances too specific (she pans cosmetic collections for the colour ranges not always just for quality) show less

This is a helpful resource for anyone who has ever looked askance at the claims made by cosmetic companies. Can this product really reduce wrinkles by 53%? Should I really buy a separate eye cream to wear at night? What's the truth about the SPF claims on the front of that bottle?

In this book, Begoun reviews every major makeup and skincare line out there. She and her team have tested and rated each product according to quality, price, and overall value. I love how Begoun punches through all show more the marketing hype in the beauty industry and gives consumers the knowledge they need to make informed choices. Her practical beauty tips are good too. Highly recommended. show less