Makeup Books: Lauren Luke
Lauren Luke is described in the press as a "self-made makeup maven" - her life story is amazing. She's also gorgeous and down-to earth, with a charming Geordie accent. I bought her book before I knew about her on YouTube and am so glad I did, because IMHO, her videos are much better than the book itself.
Her eponymous book is great for eye candy and makeup inspiration; I think it was written in a spirit of good fun and it does that very well. The tone throughout is friendly and reassuring (on applying mascara: "It doesn't matter how many silly faces you pull while you do this - I pull lots!") and the book comes with its fair share of useful tips (before I read this, I had no idea what a tight line was).
However - I am finding that many of the looks don't translate all that well to everyday life (but would be great for parties - which as a rule I don't go to). Lauren also seems to have a fondness for frost finishes, which is not quite to my personal taste.
I also wish that some of the celebrity-inspired looks were more true to the pictures, although it is nice to see them interpreted through Lauren's special brand of whimsy.
In addition, a number of small editorial errors mar the book, e.g. the products listed at the beginning the "Cute Springtime Beauty" look on p125 are wrong (although they are mentioned in the instructions, thankfully making the look workable). I am also not convinced that the Hayden Panattiere and Taylor Swift looks haven't been accidentally swapped.
Most importantly, perhaps, I have to state that I am a creature of precision. Therefore, I find information like "antique rust frosted eyeshadow" extremely frustrating - I do not know what antique rust looks like. (Admittedly, if I had my way, there would be Pantone shade numbers on product information.)
Overall, though, the book is charming and has a number of looks I'm looking to try out now that I am temporarily released from the rules of propriety (summer holidays! yay). Bravo to Lauren :)
