Beauty Books

I didn't know what to expect when I bought this book but I was pleasantly surprised! It offers so much great advice for dealing with a variety of life's situations. The advice is simple & easy to read. There are so many topics covered, I liked the section on personal finance the most. Although the parts dealing with family situations are very useful, direct and to the point, like tracing a family tree, dealing with problem neighbors, etc...I recommend this book. It a good home reference book.

What an amazing achievement. Antoniak takes life's most problematic tasks and turns them into easily followed step by step processes. From the monumental -- buying a home -- to the mundane -- shopping for a used car -- Lifemaps offers solutions. Buy this book and you won't need to fill up your shelves with lots of other how-to books. Since I bought it I've used it dozens of times...and I've bought copies for all my kids too.

This is a glorious book in every respect. In a class by itself. Please keep us posted on reprints, if any. Thanks.

If you are looking for a book full of easy to follow instructions on how to make your own bath and beauty products this is it. It is straight forward and easy to follow. The pictures are great, and give you an idea of what your finished product should look like.

It is always difficult to decide which of O'Connor's CDs is the better one, it is all so personal but he has outdone himself this time. All the tracks are so eloquent, touches one's soul but 1, 3 and 8 are truly remarkable.

Having read many romance novels, I usually find them predictable. Not this one. Valerie Sherwood writes a story of romance and adventure. She also includes an author's note which briefly describes the era that this book takes place. Several incidents are based on fact.

Her heroine, Carolina Lightfoot, is a young woman that is reckless, romantic, and fearless. She travels abroad, has a love affair, and follows her heart.

It is a long book (526 pages), but you will not want to put it down. I enjoyed it so much I ordered the 2 books that follow it; Windsong and Nightsong!

Many people see the word "perfumes" and, figuring that they don't need a whole book on perfume, pass this book by. This is unfortunate, as this book is one of the treasures in my library! I cannot recommend this book highly enough, even if you are downright allergic to perfume!

The book does cover perfume, and is a valuable reference on perfumes in all their uses, BUT it is not only about perfume. This book is one of the best primers on Kabbalistic thought, the tree of life, and ritual magic that a beginner (or advanced) student could hope for. The first few chapters are a basic primer on kabbalistic theory that is seldom equalled in clarity and usefullness, including a very clear example of the middle pillar excersize. The next chapters focus on perfume and incense blending, both for pleasing scents and for magical use.

For the herbal students the middle of the book is the most rewarding. Every point or path on the tree of life is associated with a perfume/incense/scent. Each plant or animal source of that scent is discussed in detail. (Including synthetic, cruelty free, alternatives to the traditional musk and other animal scents) The entry on Olibanum, Frankincense, begins on page 59 and takes three pages, covering history, trade, uses, value, botony, and blending scents. Since every card in a Tarot deck corresponds with a sphere or path on the tree of life, it is also a useful addition to Tarot meditations.

Towards the end of the book, as a delightful bonus, all the planetary rulers and influences, and their typical correspondances and God-forms, are discussed.

This book is a MUST HAVE for any ritual magician, any student of incense or perfume,and anyone studying Kabbalah. I consider it a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in magic, aromatherapy, or incense making. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the history and trade of incense and perfume, which makes this a perfect gift for anyone in one of the historical re-enactment groups.

This somewhat obscure volume deserves more recognition, particularly within the occult circles to which it is addressed. This book gives ample treatment to the subject of metaphysical perfumery--that is, the ritual use of scent within a magickal context. Not only that, but the book has brief discussions on Qabala and also contains some basic directions for the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and the Middle Pillar exercise, which should already be familiar to the practicing ceremonial magician. Anybody at any level of occult development could find something of use in this book. The rudiments of perfumery are explained here. Later, various perfume scents are associated with Tarot, Qabala and astrology in a way that will likely prove indispensable to the working magician. Even if you're not interested in the magickal aspects of perfumes and just want a good basic guide to the art of perfumery, this text will likely serve you well. It's a professional and knowledgeable guide to one of the lesser-researched areas of metaphysics--the art of scent and its relation to ritual.

This book was an excellent resource. The sponsor letter that was used for an example was an excellent guide. I am following Jessica's advice.

I have competed in many pageants before finding this book and I wish I had found it sooner!
It takes you step by step through the entire process of preparing for a pageant. It even has areas for you to take notes with a work out and food journal!
I love it.

If you are frustrated by living in a world of "cookie cutter" fashions, that do not offer even a hint of feminity, then Shell Kepler's "MAKE FASHION MAGIC", is the exact book you should purchase. Shell's down to earth and simplistic approach in showing you how to embellish either your current clothing or great second-hand finds, will leave you screaming for more. All women have a deep desire to feel feminine and sexy and unfortunatley many of todays fashions leave that important part out. And many times when you do find clothing with her type of style, the price tag equals the national debt! Purchase Shell's book and see how she turns an ordinary white tuxedo jacket and a daring bustier into the most romantic and sensual set of clothing you will ever own...Be daring, be sexy and find the passion inside you with Shell's clothing ideas. No more boring T-Shirts and plain old jeans after you purchase this book!

We found this book at the library and it so impressed us that we've actually started having Shell competitions at work. The book is so full of inspiring ideas and easy-to-use techniques. And the children's clothing ideas...

Shell is a role model for us here at work and we all strive to incorporate her ideas of clothing conservation and decoration. In fact, we LIVE by Shell's rules of life and have constructed a shrine (recycled, of course!) in her honor.

Having always been intrigued by old-fashioned advice and customs, I found this book to be a wonderful read. It's designed to be a step by step self-improvement program for shy teens with a low self-esteem. The author shares caring advice on everything from defining your goals to defining your style to walking gracefully and acting confident. As well, the book includes chapters on taking care of your skin and hair and doing your make-up properly. By sharing many of her own stories and traumas she went through as a teenager, the author establishes a friendly, personal mood with the reader. Although the book appears old and dated, the advice it features is timeless.

Having always been intrigued by old-fashioned advice and customs, I found this book to be a wonderful read. It's designed to be a step by step self-improvement program for shy teens with a low self-esteem. The author shares caring advice on everything from defining your goals to defining your style to walking gracefully and acting confident. As well, the book includes chapters on taking care of your skin and hair and doing your make-up properly. By sharing many of her own stories and traumas she went through as a teenager, the author establishes a friendly, personal mood with the reader. Although the book appears old and dated, the advice it features is timeless.

Ford and Mitchell sure do know their stuff. This book is as enjoyable as it is insightful. Anyone who is interested in the undeniably huge fad that is the "MAKEOVER" (be it "interested" as in "love it" or "interested" as in "people have lost their minds")will find Ford & Mitchell digging into the past to help explain the current phenomena. Finding the history behind the trend, Ford & Mitchell shine a new light on this obsession we have with trying to make everything "better". The deeper questions they pose are important ones for society. Buy this book, sit back and enjoy their wit and intellect (as they have both in spades). And by the way...glasses really aren't unattractive...so don't believe everything you see on the silver screen.

The Makeover in Movies: Before and After in Hollywood Films, 1941-2002, by Elizabeth A. Ford and Deborah C. Mitchell, is an interesting study of what might be called "eyebrow movies." In several of the films that Ford and Mitchell examine (Now, Voyager, The Princess Diaries, and Miss Congeniality, for instance) thick eyebrows are one of Cinderella's attributes before she gets made over, finds Prince Charming, and finally achieves self-fulfillment (usually in that order). Thick or dark eyebrows = ugly. I don't get it. As Ford and Mitchell ask, don't movie-makers realize how attractive audiences find actresses like Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz?

The book is incisive and witty, but one problem with this film genre is that just by identifying it and outlining its characteristics it's hard to avoid making negative judgments about most examples. Ford and Mitchell do point out movies with positive messages and happy endings (Amy Heckerling's Clueless, writer Nia Vardalos's My Big Fat Greek Wedding), as well as films with unhappy endings but worthwhile warnings (director Brian Forbes's 1975 version of Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives). However most makeover movies give would-be Cinderellas bad messages, especially about beauty, individuality, and women's reliance on each other.

As My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Stepford Wives show, there's a thin line between romance and horror, and in the movies it's usually Prince Charming who crosses it. Either WASP Ian sees the beauty inside Greek-American Toula and they live happily ever after, or Walter murders his feminist, career-absorbed wife Joanna and replaces her with a perky-breasted, servile robot. There isn't much middle ground.

Sometimes books about a particular type of movie make you understand the films in a way you didn't before. This book helps you understand better why you're rooting for Cinderella to change, and makes you think a little more about whether she should.

Mr. Leprince is a proud Frenchman who has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His story about the years under Nazi occupation is a fascinating account and well worth it. A good read especially in these irrational times.

From start to finish, this personal memoir of a young man, coming of age during World War II provides the lucky reader with a first-hand account of what it was like for average person in Nazi-occupied France.

It is the story of Bernard LePrince, his family and friends, first, as they lived before the war, running a small cafe which was the center of social life in their town, and how their spirit, love, family and resilience were tested once France was under Nazi occupation.

It is a story of indomitable spirit and moral victory, as small acts of defiance provided the courage to face another day, and created a patriotic spirit which Mr. LePrince carries with him to this day.

It is simply written, yet full of descriptive detail, making the reader feel part of that time and hopeful that we would have behaved the same way in those circumstances.

I found this book here on Amazon.com and I have to say it is sooooooo wonderfully romantic and makes you want to read the stories over and over again!The author, Kathryn Kaufmann's writing is superb. Her delivery of these romantic real tales of love is done in the most romantic way. She makes you actually feel as if you are there in the story watching something beautiful unfold. The neatest part is that these stories are REAL!! They actually happened to someone and this in turn is inspiring to all of us who crave to meet our lovemate. I personally read the stories over and over and they never fail to bring me joy and hope. If you are interested in love you HAVE to buy this book. It is like a priceless gem!!!You must run out and buy this book!! In fact buy extra copies for all your friends. Single, married, engaged....they will all delight in these lovely romantic real life stories of love.

This is a refreshing look at marriage and renews one's faith in love and how things are actually meant to be in the great scheme of things.