Bobbi Brown

I had never tried Bobbi Brown’s beauty products and didn’t know anything about her other than recognizing her name as having to do with makeup. But after reading a few recommendations I decided to give it a try. I found that I couldn’t put it down and read it in just few days.

Honest and personable, Bobbi candidly writes about her life – the story of her childhood and early influences, her growth from college dropout to developer of a million-dollar makeup brand, and her mid-life show more reinvention.

With peppy, short chapters accented by photos, Bobbi shares “a lifetime of intimate stories, practical wisdom, and business savvy.” I admired how she never gave up when faced with obstacles, how she pivoted from roadblocks, and no matter what, she “figured it out.” She stayed true to her values, learned from her mistakes, put her family first, and always maintained her philosophy of “real is better than fake.”

I enjoyed this upbeat, feel-good book that told Bobbi’s personal story of having confidence and positivity, along with talent and personality, and the courage to be herself. An inspirational must-read for anyone with dreams of making a difference. show less

The first thing I noticed, and that continued to surprise me, was how visually appealing this book is. The photographs are vibrant and just lovely!
A little bit of information: I never expected to get this book. I almost never wear makeup... some eyeshadow every three months or so. But I was intrigued by whether Bobbi Brown REALLY meant from beginner to professional or not... could I really understand how to fix my makeup effectively through this book. The answer is... YES!
I was elated to show more find that, for the first time ever, I could effectively cover the purple marks under my eyes, and they looked great! The directions for tips are very clear and accompanied by pictures of most of the stages of completion, so it truly was possible for this beginner to end up looking glam with a little time. Bobbi's tips about lip and skin care have literally transformed my poor winter-wrought face into something I don't want to hide behind a scarf. The format of the book builds naturally on what you have already learned, literally working from the ground up, so it makes sense to someone who knows nothing.
I haven't had a chance to attempt every tip in this book, or even close to it. However, the things that I have tried (or even implemented) really have made a difference in how I see myself, at the very least. I love the sections on makeup for various occasions and think that once I have worked on the basics for a little while I may actually be able to pull them off.
The down side is that I cannot, however, speak to the effectiveness of whether the book is actually useful to a professional. It does offer some educational and planning tips for those who are interested and spends some time discussing the path that Bobbi used to reach where she is, so I would assume it would be.
I don't know anyone to whom I would personally recommend this as most of my peers don't have use for it, either, but I can tell you this: my copy is not leaving these hot little hands! show less

2.75

A cautionary tale that follows a cast of self-involved and drug addicted rock stars and rock enthusiast girls/models passing around the same Dicks and Vajeans and neglecting any sense of responsibility. As someone not terribly far from the author's age (she is about 7 years my senior) I grew up loving the same bands she loved, probably hanging up the same posters, but I only dreamed of being with Jani Lane, Sebastian Bach or Matthew Nelson. In middle school, I wrote what would be show more considered fanfiction today, about what it would be like to be someone like Bobbie Brown. Now that I know what that was like I am not as jealous anymore. It sounded like it once was a heartbreaking existence in which she surfed from rocker's beds to sofas with a child often in tow, only to end up (at one point) where I was in life (a witty administrative assistant. LOL) and happy for its normalcy. It just goes to show ya. I do admire the tenderness she showed towards her ex-husband at the end, and how she turned herself around for herself and ultimately for her daughter (who it appears previously took a back seat to the drugs and men drifting in and out of her life).

Overall, I am not sure what way the author meant to go with this book. At certain points the reader may think this book is supposed to be about her life of leaving a small sleepy town full of ambition, just to find a little fame and plummet down to the depths of which she had to crawl (and there is a bit of that here), but at most points it reads more like a titillating tell-all that highlights how many drugs she did and dicks she got to play with. In my opinion that is perfectly fine if you do it with the style and flare of Pamela Des Barres. That style was not present, unfortunately. Mostly this book felt disjointed. A lot of surfaces were left barely scratched, leaving this all about surfaces. Kudos to her for telling her story, though.

PS. WTF Dave Navarro? LOL show less

Perfect for : Personal Use, Great gift for a girl getting into makeup (promotes positive self image), Professionals in beauty/makeup field

In a nutshell: I was amazed at the amount of information and detail contained in this book! I was never really taught about makeup, so this has provided me with a lot of practical and technical information that I wasn't previously aware of. From basic beauty equipment and the basics of skin care to the business of makeup and professional artistry, this show more book has it all! The photographs are beautiful and help to show what the author is talking about, and the explanations are easy to understand. This is a beautiful book that would be great for someone wanting to learn more about makeup for themselves, or as a profession. It would also be a great book to have on-hand at a salon or spa.

Extended Review:
The information contained in the book covers just about everything I could ever think of pertaining to skin-care and makeup and then some. The colorful photographs serve to enhance the book by providing brilliant examples of what the author is talking about as well as how-to's with people actually showing how to apply what the author is explaining.

Content: The book progresses nicely through the following chapters: Makeup Artistry, Equipment, Skin, Face, Lips, Eyes, Ten-Step Guide to Perfect Makeup, Special Makeup Applications, Artistry, Essential Equipment for the Professional, Advanced Makeup Applications, Memorable Makeup Moments and Legends. It also contains a very helpful resource guide that provides Theatrical Makeup Stores, Makeup Artist Agencies, Creative Directories and Suggested Reading. As you can see, there is plenty of information designed both for the end-user (like me) as well as professionals!

Format: The chapters progress through the makeup application very nicely, with plenty of wonderful full-color photographs depicting both finished looks, and the steps to accomplish those finished looks (as well as products and colors).

Readability: Amazingly enough, with so much technical information throughout the book, it was written in a manner that was easy to read - even the harder artistry pages were easy to understand, if not easy to create for the novice!

Overall: A very complete book that is sure to teach everyone from the novice to the professional something about makeup in a way that is easy to understand and duplicate (hopefully! - I haven't tried ALL the examples). show less