Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me: An Eye Opening Guide to Brand Name Cosmetics

Begoun, Paula

ISBN 10: 1877988189 / ISBN 13: 9781877988189

Published by Beginning Press, Seattle, WAshington, 1996

About this Item

225 Pages Indexed. June 1991 Edition. About ten line inked lines of notes on the last page which was blank. No other marks or stamps. It's a jungle out there and this book is designed to help you through the most treacherous territory there is --- the cosmetics counter. Ms. Begoun, author of Bllue Eyeshadow Should Still be Illegal, has gained internation attention as the Ralph Nader of Rouge for her outspoken consumer information about the cosmetics industry. This book will save you time and money with innformation that will become your essential guide whever you shop for skin care of makeup products. Contents in Nine Chapters: Introduction, Behind In Front of and Inside the Cosmetics Counters, An Eye on Beauty Shopping For Cosmetics, Facing the Truth About Skin, Makup Update, Evaluating the Makeup Products of the Major Cosmetics Companies, Evaluating the Skin Care Products of the Major Cosmetics Companies, The Products You and I Liked the Most, and Beauty That Repsects Nature.

Seller Inventory # 9832

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me: An Eye Opening Guide to Brand Name Cosmetics
• Publisher: Beginning Press, Seattle, WAshington
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1877988189
• ISBN 13: 9781877988189
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Illustrator: Pawlak, Robert - Cover
• Edition: 5th Printing
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

A product-by-product guide to cosmetics and beauty supplies offers detailed ratings of more than 150 cosmetics lines, with tips on buying and using makeup, miracle ingredients, and what products work, what don't, and what are bad for you. Original. 40,000 first printing. Tour. IP.

Review

Women spend an extraordinary amount of money on cosmetics--$45 billion a year in the U.S. alone. Now in its fourth edition, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me strikes fear in cosmetics-counter consultants everywhere. First off, Begoun has deconstructed ingredient lists. Ever wonder what methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben are doing in your mascara? And what is diazolidinyl urea? All four are potential irritants, and the latter is a preservative that can release formaldehyde, a class A carcinogen. Buyer beware.

Begoun also lists which companies are cruelty-free and which continue to conduct animal testing. The majority of the book--and that's nearly 800 pages--is devoted to reviews of thousands of cosmetics, from cleansers, foundations, alpha-hydroxy acids, and moisturizers to lip liners, eye shadows, and concealers, all of which Begoun has personally tested. (There are no hair care products listed, as that warrants another book entirely: Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me.)

She's perfectly frank and tells it like it is. (On Revlon's ColorStay Makeup: "goes far beyond the claim of 'It won't come off on him.' It won't come off when you want it to.") You'll learn how to tell when you're being boondoggled by a salesperson, what's overpriced and overhyped, as well as what's overlooked. More than 200 brands are included, along with a helpful summary at the end that lists the best products for each cosmetic category. It should be noted that not only is Begoun a fine consumer advocate, she's also a self-esteem advocate: she mentions time and again that even the best cosmetics won't necessarily improve your life, and that's a point well taken.