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Bobbi Brown Beauty: The Ultimate Beauty Resource
In this manual, Bobbi Brown strikes conventional thinking about beauty. To her way of thinking , there is no one "perfect" beauty standard but countless expressions of personalized beauty. Bobbi helps readers recognize their own remarkable beauty traits and develop their own natural beauty styles. She also analyzes the styles of some of the most celebrated beauties of the past--Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Onassis, Grace Kelly--and of our time--Christy Turlington, Demi Moore, and Kate Moss.
- GenresNonfictionReference
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 1997
About the author
Bobbi Brown
39 books167 followersIn addition to running her company, Bobbi continues to pursue her craft by creating the runway looks for New York Fashion Week. A permanent fixture backstage, she works with the industry’s best designers including Rachel Roy, J. Mendel, Erin Fetherston, Tory Burch and Cynthia Rowley.
Bobbi often does how-to segments on The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her advice can be found in syndicated columns and advice features for magazines and websites around the globe.
Of course, you can always find Bobbi where she began—on the set. Bobbi is still the world's most celebrated makeup artists for personalities and fashion magazines.
A New York Times bestselling author, Bobbi has written five instructional and engaging beauty and lifestyle books: Bobbi Brown Beauty, Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty, Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution, Bobbi Brown Living Beauty and Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual.
For Bobbi, making other people's lives better simply makes sense. "I love helping others because it feels good," she says. On a year-round basis, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics donates generous financial and in-kind support to organizations including Dress for Success and the Jane Addams Vocational High School.
Bobbi often does how-to segments on The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and her advice can be found in syndicated columns and advice features for magazines and websites around the globe.
Of course, you can always find Bobbi where she began—on the set. Bobbi is still the world's most celebrated makeup artists for personalities and fashion magazines.
A New York Times bestselling author, Bobbi has written five instructional and engaging beauty and lifestyle books: Bobbi Brown Beauty, Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty, Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution, Bobbi Brown Living Beauty and Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual.
For Bobbi, making other people's lives better simply makes sense. "I love helping others because it feels good," she says. On a year-round basis, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics donates generous financial and in-kind support to organizations including Dress for Success and the Jane Addams Vocational High School.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 8, 2008
Almost every topic related to beauty is mentioned. She does have small sections for ethnic beauty, diet/exercise, men's beauty/makeup & special occassion makeup. BB is all about neutral/natural looks so everything she suggests is timeless. Has several chapters devoted to working with your natural beauty & playing up your flaws instead of trying to camoflauge them. Book isn't as visually appealing as many others but makes up for it in the amount of information given. While instructions don't come with visual guides, they are still explained extremely well so that visual aids are really necessary. She has a lot more "don'ts" than I've seen in other books ("Don't wear shimmer blush", etc). In no way does she try to get you to spend a lot of money. She very much advocates a more minimal approach, even to the point of suggesting plastic baggies as makeup bags. She also does not self-promote & even features other makeup lines in her pictures.
I think this is a great reference manual. Excellent book for someone new to makeup or someone who needs to be brought out of a dated look but even the more experienced can pick up a trick or two. One thing I didn't like for me personally was the excessive focus on neutrals.
I think this is a great reference manual. Excellent book for someone new to makeup or someone who needs to be brought out of a dated look but even the more experienced can pick up a trick or two. One thing I didn't like for me personally was the excessive focus on neutrals.
March 18, 2010
Good basics, but I don't agree with her that yellow makeup is the solution for everyone.
May 27, 2017
If you want to read an entire book focused just on the "no makeup makeup" look, this is the book for you. The author is entirely too enamored of "natural" makeup looks, to the point of being downright scornful about bold eye shadow, dark lips, unusual nail colors, and shimmery makeup. She's also kind of judgey and out of touch with reality. Examples:
-She's all about each woman embracing what makes them different -- unless you have crooked teeth, in which case, better get that fixed.
-When discussing how your beauty needs might change after a long illness or other major stressful life event, she suggests recovering with a WEEK at the spa. Not an afternoon, a WEEK. Who can afford that? Especially after the medical expenses associated with a serious illness?
I strongly disliked this book and do not think it offers any information that couldn't be found on YouTube from someone with a better personality.
-She's all about each woman embracing what makes them different -- unless you have crooked teeth, in which case, better get that fixed.
-When discussing how your beauty needs might change after a long illness or other major stressful life event, she suggests recovering with a WEEK at the spa. Not an afternoon, a WEEK. Who can afford that? Especially after the medical expenses associated with a serious illness?
I strongly disliked this book and do not think it offers any information that couldn't be found on YouTube from someone with a better personality.
August 1, 2007
Bought it in a desperate attempt to be more girly haha. Really enjoyed reading it cause it's well written. But until now, never bother to apply the tips. Still stick to ol' soap and water routine, and the most made up me is putting on red lipstick hehe.
January 24, 2008
This is the best book on beauty and makeup that I've read. Bobbi's approach highlights the natural uniqueness in many types of beauty - not fitting all women into a "cookie cutter". Well photographed, and lots of practical advice.
June 10, 2008
Good beginning book on skin care and makeup. If you're like me and don't really have a clue about makeup, this is a nice place to start. I refer back to this every once in awhile when I want to try a new makeup strategy.
May 9, 2017
Got a few good tips but nothing life changing. 99% of the book is basic well known info.
February 19, 2023
This book’s content did not age well. To be fair, I’ve had this book for more than 20 years and just read it all the way through for the first time. In the past I spot-checked based on a specific need or interest. My biggest issue now and 20+ years ago was that there are only 5 pages focused on beauty for Black women. Almost all of the advice about shades, coloring, etc. is based on white women’s skin and hair colors.
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December 31, 2020Excellent book for the professional and non professional makeup artist.
March 30, 2025
Some classic and timeless information about the basics of make up and skin care. But also some very dated information.
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April 8, 2025did not read this 4 beauty tips
it is so interesting to see how beauty trends have evolved. it is insane to see the insane beauty and body standards n "tips" from the 90s
it is so interesting to see how beauty trends have evolved. it is insane to see the insane beauty and body standards n "tips" from the 90s
September 10, 2014
The majority of this book is material that probably does not apply to you. Because the book tries to cover everyone's unique traits, there are pages and pages of material covering skin types, skin shades, eye shapes, eye colors, hair types, brow shapes, and health issues that don't apply to you. When you look at the page count of this book you may think that you will be gaining a lot of new information, but in order to fit that much content in there, the parts that apply to you get compressed down. The result is an awkward read where you must skim and skip sections to get to something that applies to you and then that section is disappointingly short and brief.
Other sections include makeup for photo shoots, makeup for brides, and tips makeup for traveling that either don't apply to you or if they do, are extremely brief and just reiterate the information listed at other points in the book.
I also found several occasions where she contradicted herself. At one point she stated that women should never wear shimmery blush but later described how to create a look which used shimmery blush. Other occasions she showed pictures of models wearing eyeliner in their inner rims which she strongly opposed at other points in the book.
I am by no means a makeup expert but I can honestly say that I did not learn anything from this book. If anything, I disagreed with Brown's advice. Now, she is the expert with years of experience that I come no where near, but some of her advice just confused me. Things like blowing on a makeup brush to remove excess powder instead of simply tapping it on the edge of the container it came from so it falls neatly back into the pot instead of being blown into the air only to land on your workspace and floor. Not to mention how unsanitary it is to blow on something you are about to apply around your eyes.
I think Brown did a good job of covering the needs of everyone and conveying her message of embracing your unique beauty but this was just not for me. Try searching for things that apply to you on the internet (specifically YouTube) before you shell out money on this.
Other sections include makeup for photo shoots, makeup for brides, and tips makeup for traveling that either don't apply to you or if they do, are extremely brief and just reiterate the information listed at other points in the book.
I also found several occasions where she contradicted herself. At one point she stated that women should never wear shimmery blush but later described how to create a look which used shimmery blush. Other occasions she showed pictures of models wearing eyeliner in their inner rims which she strongly opposed at other points in the book.
I am by no means a makeup expert but I can honestly say that I did not learn anything from this book. If anything, I disagreed with Brown's advice. Now, she is the expert with years of experience that I come no where near, but some of her advice just confused me. Things like blowing on a makeup brush to remove excess powder instead of simply tapping it on the edge of the container it came from so it falls neatly back into the pot instead of being blown into the air only to land on your workspace and floor. Not to mention how unsanitary it is to blow on something you are about to apply around your eyes.
I think Brown did a good job of covering the needs of everyone and conveying her message of embracing your unique beauty but this was just not for me. Try searching for things that apply to you on the internet (specifically YouTube) before you shell out money on this.
December 29, 2012
I have read a bunch of make-up manuals and been intimidated out of using a lot of the techniques mentioned. Either there was too much jargon to wade through or the books were geared towards creating a certain look or style. Not so with Bobbi. This book is great for young women who haven't had the time or inclination to experiment with make-up. A great bare bones list of general make-up necessities.
Personally, I need a toned down look for everyday wear, and this book has great tips on how to find "your" colors to create that look, while still encouraging you to just have fun. She does have recommended color palates for certain skin tones and the like, but I tended to read it much more like a guideline and personally don't stick too hard and fast to any of these "rules" (Except that bit about never lining the inner part of your lid. Keeping gunk from touching your eyeballs is just good optical care). Also, a lot of these tips weren't very good advice. It either was the opposite for what you should do with a certain product, or they were geared more for photo shoots. Heavy applications that didn't fit well with my face and lifestyle. Not good for light everyday wear.
The best thing about this book is that it really is just all about encouragement. Just find what looks good on your face- what makes you feel comfortable.
Personally, I need a toned down look for everyday wear, and this book has great tips on how to find "your" colors to create that look, while still encouraging you to just have fun. She does have recommended color palates for certain skin tones and the like, but I tended to read it much more like a guideline and personally don't stick too hard and fast to any of these "rules" (Except that bit about never lining the inner part of your lid. Keeping gunk from touching your eyeballs is just good optical care). Also, a lot of these tips weren't very good advice. It either was the opposite for what you should do with a certain product, or they were geared more for photo shoots. Heavy applications that didn't fit well with my face and lifestyle. Not good for light everyday wear.
The best thing about this book is that it really is just all about encouragement. Just find what looks good on your face- what makes you feel comfortable.
November 5, 2012
If you're looking for some average everyday faces to feel like you fit in......don't look here.....
I had high hopes I'd learn alot from Bobbi.....unfortunately she really did not succeed at passing on her proficient make up application skills. I hadn't seen the book at all before ordering so I had no idea what to expect. I had hoped she was going to take the typical modern woman like myself (average 35 yr old)and step us through some make up application. Instead ...the book is filled with pictures of Magazine cover models ..mostly under 25 who've never known fine lines and the struggles of applying foundation on wrinkled skin. Not to mention that Bobbi has lots of photos of women bearing the kinds of make up application techniques.....she says she doesn't advocate..such as eyeliner on the inner rims..
Overall....I didn't come away feeling like I got my money's worth....I did however learn some perspective on Bobbi personally..and although I found that interesting...it won't help me look any better tomorrow... sorry Bobbi!
I had high hopes I'd learn alot from Bobbi.....unfortunately she really did not succeed at passing on her proficient make up application skills. I hadn't seen the book at all before ordering so I had no idea what to expect. I had hoped she was going to take the typical modern woman like myself (average 35 yr old)and step us through some make up application. Instead ...the book is filled with pictures of Magazine cover models ..mostly under 25 who've never known fine lines and the struggles of applying foundation on wrinkled skin. Not to mention that Bobbi has lots of photos of women bearing the kinds of make up application techniques.....she says she doesn't advocate..such as eyeliner on the inner rims..
Overall....I didn't come away feeling like I got my money's worth....I did however learn some perspective on Bobbi personally..and although I found that interesting...it won't help me look any better tomorrow... sorry Bobbi!
June 26, 2016
So, so refreshing!! Bobbi Brown is an expert Hollywood makeup artist, however, contrary to what you might expect she cares more about "who you are, rather than how you look." Stressing natural beauty which comes from appreciating your individuality, rather than destroying it trying to be a stereotype beauty. This has some great tips, but I definitely want to buy her make-up manual for more specific help.
April 3, 2014
Great resource! I've never experimented much with makeup, and if I've gotten anything on correctly it was by sheer accident! Although more than 15 years old when I read it, this book gave so much timeless advice and easy instruction. I highly recommend it for anyone without much makeup savvy.
July 12, 2007
My sister (who is makeup artist) recommended this to me and I'm glad she did! It's been a great introduction to makeup techniques. I'm still working with it - but it's been fun.
September 19, 2007
Good overview of makeup tips and general hygeine. This is NOT a step by step how to makeup book. Rather, gives general tips on how to take care of yourself. A few nice images.
January 16, 2009
Ultimate beauty resource indeed.
February 12, 2009
This book changed the way i apply my daily makeup.
If you are a makeup beginner this is a fabulous book for you as well.
If you are a makeup beginner this is a fabulous book for you as well.
May 4, 2010
Amazing, amazing, amazing. A mini makeup bible
May 17, 2010
Not much. I found this quite a chore to finish reading.
November 14, 2010
One of my favorite make-up guides. Bobbi explains her unique approach to make-up and beauty with step-by-step instructions and guidelines for all sorts of different occasions.
April 11, 2011
While certainly not as exciting as the Kevyn Aucoin books, this is a nice basic beauty book.
February 17, 2012
Got this book years ago and I still follow some of the tips I learned from this book
February 19, 2012
Concise, timeless advice.
April 2, 2014
I love Bobbi Brown but would have love more how to pictures and examples in this book.
June 10, 2014
Definitely a classic. Highly recommended.
April 8, 2009
Yes, I actually bought this book because I like BB products. What was I thinking?
Currently Reading
September 9, 2016Ongoing.Good tips and reference for classic beauty.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews