I have Trinny and Susannah's What You Wear Can Change Your Life. It gives a lot more information than Stacy and Clinton's book. Luckily I checked Stacy and Clinton's book out at the library rather than buying it. It gives about a page of information for each body type. Definitely not worth the money. I'll have to check out How to Be a Budget Fashionista.

I checked the library on line, and they have 2 of the 3 books listed. The one they didn't have is Redesigning 50 by Oz Garcia. They did have another one of his books though, Looking Fabulous Forever. I put holds on all of them. I love ordering library books on line!

P.R.
Thats to bad! When I go on line with the library, it checks all of the library's in the system, not just the local branch. When I place a book on hold, it will send the book to the library of my choice. Camano Island Library is a very small branch, so being able to order a book any where in the system is a very big advantage. It's to bad your library system doesn't have the same service.

I just got a new book in the mail. It's The Skin Type Solution by Dermatologist Leslie Baumann. I've been having a terrible time with skin allergies lately, so I'm hoping her recommendations for my skin type will help. She lists 16 skin types. You find yours by answering questionnaires. Mine is Dry, Sensitive, Non pigmented, and Wrinkles (or tendency to get them) She then recommends a skin care program, and lists several product recommendations. She also tells you what to avoid. I sure hope this helps!

Has anyone checked out Sephora's new book? I'm interested in how that is. The amazon reviews don't sound too awesome.

I received my copy of Paula Begoun's "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me" and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.  I know...I know...you can access it online via her BeautyPedia service but I like being able to look something up WITHOUT having t go online.  It is a GREAT reference volume for skincare. The bonus is that with it you also get a 50% coupon for a 1 year subscription to BeautyPedia so you can get the updates.

Update...I did end up buying the annual subscription to BeautyPedia and it too is great.  Downside:  I find that the latest night cream I bought is in unstable packaging...i.e. a jar...oops. 

PR...I am a book person...so I like having something I can read and refer to when I need it quickly instead of going on line.
Beautypedia has LONGER intro entries on many of the brands where the book has short but good BRAND-AT-A GLANCE. I will cut and paste the beginning of the Clinique entry below as an example.  And both the book and beautypedia have more info than Paula's free reviews....more products that is.
To be clear...subscribing to Beautypedia gets you the CURRENT 7th volume "Don't go to the Beauty Counter Without Me" book PLUS updates, additions, and some other beauty business info and access to the company blogs.
 


Clinique

   Clinique was Estee Lauder’s first attempt to expand its market with a completely separate line and image. Shortly after its 1968 debut at U.S. cosmetics counters, Clinique became known as the indispensable line for the woman under 30 concerned with breakouts, oily skin, and fragrance-free products (meaning less likely to cause allergic or sensitizing skin reactions). That’s likely just what Lauder execs had in mind, because their namesake line’s image and positioning was geared more toward the mature woman.
   Clinique’s tremendous success (the company’s products are sold in over 13,000 department stores and in 110 countries) reshaped the way cosmetics lines identified themselves, sending the concept of line loyalty out to pasture. Today, cosmetics companies expand their market either by buying already established companies or by creating new ones, and Lauder has been adept at doing both. Of course, cosmetics companies keep this multiple-personality identity hidden from the consumer. If the general buying public realized that these apparently different companies were so intertwined with each other, how could they flaunt their independence and claim that their unparalleled formulations are secret or the best? It’s hard to think Lauder (or any company) would, eventhe only one with significance is “100% fragrance-free,” which, for the most part, Clinique maintains (although it does have some fragrant extracts in a few products). Regarding allergy testing, unless you can see the results, what difference does it make if a product makes that claim? What if the test showed 20% of the women who used it had a sensitizing reaction, dryness, or irritation? Would Clinique highlight this, or is it just easier to default to the generic allergy-tested claim and leave such details out? The answer as to which option is easier is clear. Moreover, “hypoallergenic” is a term not regulated by the FDA, so any product can use the word without having to substantiate the claim. “Dermatologist tested” is also bogus, because without published test results the term can easily mean nothing more than that a dermatologist picked up the product, looked at the container, and said “This looks good.” And what about the dermatologists on Clinique’s payroll? How do we know they’re not the ones involved in testing, rather than sending the products out for independent, impartial evaluation (though how impartial can any study be that’s paid for by the company making the product)
Clinique declined any participation in this book, which included refusing to send us copies of the allergy studies they maintain have been performed for every product they sell. I find their unwillingness to help odd because, for the most part, I genuinely like most of their products. In fact, more than any other department-store line except Estee Lauder, Clinique is leading the way with cutting-edge, state-of-the-art moisturizers. They have their act together for sunscreens and have expanded their decades-old three-step skin-care routine to include water-soluble cleansers instead of bar soap. They also now have a second “Dramatically Different” moisturizer that’s well-suited for those with normal to oily skin.