Whenever I am interested in or want to know more about something, I head for the library and read all I can about that subject. Whether it’s on cooking, fashion, crafts, self-help, history, God, gardening, homemaking, or the Bible, I can learn a lot just through reading and some books have literally changed my life. I guess that’s why I chose to call this blog ‘Booklearned’. I plan on periodically sharing some of my favorites that I’ve discovered with you. They won’t be full-blown reviews, just a short description of how I liked the book of interest.
This summer I have some favorites that are on the girlie side… I guess fashion has been my most recent interest, as I’m always trying to improve myself in some way!
Jemma Kidd Make-Up Secrets, by Jemma Kidd– If makeup is something you’re just starting to get the hang of, of it’s something you want to learn how to do correctly, or if you need an expert to help you troubleshoot, this book is for you. I’ve looked at many makeup books my library has to offer, but most of them are outdated from the ’90’s. This recent publication (2012) has beautiful, clear photographs. I’ll admit, makeup is something I feel like a klutz at, but the step-by-step cando intstructions made me feel like I could achieve the same as the beautiful pictures I was looking at. The first half of the book is a good reference guide, walking you through all the different makeup tools, products and options, showing you what each is for, how to use it, and how to determine the right products for your age and skintype. The second half of the book focuses on how to achieve different makeup looks– from nude/neutral to classy to updated bold and trendy. The only thing I disagreed with was the author’s advice on choosing color for specific eye and skin color. But the troubleshooting section is great, and there were loads of good advice on the do’s and don’ts of makeup. This isn’t the type of book you pick up and snort over the bizarre trendy fashion. There really are nice, doable instructions for achieving normal, pretty, no-makeup along with a few evening/party looks. This book is set up in “magazine-style,” which makes it much nicer to read, instead of huge blocks of text people usually skip over. The biggest thing I learned was how to take better care of my skin. I learned so much that I think I might end up purchasing it for myself!
The Science of Sexy, by Bradley Bayou– OK, I’m not the biggest fan of the title (I believe this world is too sex-crazed), but stay with me here. The subtitle is: Dress to Fit Your Unique Figure with the Style System that Works for Every Shape and Size. Somehow its ended up that my family relies on me to advise them on what clothing looks good for them, but it’s so hard to when everyone is built differently! I love how the author broke discovering your body type into a simple equation: shape + weight. After determining that, you simply flip to the book section dedicated to you, and are advised (using illustrations) as to what looks the most flattering or the most balanced on you, and what doesn’t. Now, I’ve read books that were advice on dressing for body shape, and books that were for body weight, but never were the two put together. There are 48 body types specifically analyzed, so this is isn’t going to be where you’re generally lumped into one of 4 categories. I wouldn’t exactly take every word as though it were the Ten Commandments (through reading other sources I find that sometimes experts can disagree, so use your judgment). Bayou works easily with all shapes and sizes. I appreciated that he makes sure to spell out the pros/”blessings” of each body type (no matter the shape or weight). Not that I particularly care about celebrities, but for each body type there is also a “celebrity match” who has a similar build—proof that celebrities are not blessed with perfect looks and that they are just human with body flaws like the rest of us! No matter what your body type, you can look like a movie star! I went to the library and photocopied the pages for my particular build to have on hand as reference. The fashion looks are not outdated, as the book was published in 2007.
Look your best this summer!!
booklearned 