Editorial Review:Product Description:This well-organized, authoritative book helps women find products that make them look great without spending a fortune. From drugstores and home shopping to department stores and catalogs, Paula Begoun reviews all the major cosmetic and skin-care lines, product by product, with more than 30,000 total. Regardless of cost, there are good and bad products in almost every line, and with the turn of a page, readers can get concise reviews and fast answers. A user-friendly rating system makes it easy to find items worth trying.
Amazon.com: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.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Supremely Helpful Book!
A no-muss no-fuss review of the cosmetic world -- be brave about the somewhat intimidating thickness as most of the pages or specific to product reviews. The actual information is a quick and useful read both front and back, then use the material in the middle to fill in answers to your questions. Highly recommend -- glad I purchased.
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I'm impressed!
Wow! This book really stands out with its scientific references. How often do you find complete references including even the page numbers of the scientific journal, in a popular book? I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though cosmetics are not really my thing (I'm too lazy or "busy" to bother). Now I actually find myself using face creams and sunscreens. I used to think all cosmetic products were a waste of money but now I'm convinced that some products actually do help the skin.
Some of the critical reviewers here have clearly not read the book very well. I don't know where they get the idea that Begoun is against natural ingredients or plant oils. Quite the contrary, her own products are full of these and nowhere in the book did she say that she is against them. What she is against is using natural ingredients (or any ingredients) that have not been proven effective by scientific studies. In other words, she only wants to use those natural ingredients that actually work.
The same goes for essential oils. She is not againts using them if they have proven to be effective. Some essential oils have been and you can find those in her own products. What she does not like is for essential oils to be added to products solely because of the scent. And I agree: why would you want to put ANYTHING on your skin that does not have any purpose? If you want to enjoy the scent of essential oils you can use them in candles or spray them onto your clothes. You don't have to expose your skin to something that nobody really knows very much about.
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Another valuable purchase
I've bought the last 3 editions of this book, and each one has saved me tons of money. Paula's reviews are fair and accurate - even though we disagree on a few key items. Any time I make a new beauty purchase I first check it out in her book. It's astonishing how much better quality product is offered in drug stores these days. I highly recommend this book.
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Extremely useful reference
I got Paula's 2003 edition in 2006, but was sorry that it was rather outdated and in that edition she said she wouldn't be doing another one. So I was happily surprised to find a brand new edition in Barnes & Noble, and after perusing it I plan to order it from Amazon. A few comments: Some reviewers claim Paula gives negative reviews to most product so she can push her own line. I don't agree with that. In fact, in the 2003 edition which I have, she includes descriptions of her products but decided not to even rate them. I think in the new edition she DOES rate them finally. As someone who has really been a makeup junkie, particularly with trying out skin care products, I found her descriptions and evaluations extremely useful. I have tried cheap products and very expensive ones, and have found things I loved in both categories. One thing I DO believe is that the highly expensive products cannot really justify the high price tags. My own experience has shown that more expensive is not necessarily better. And cheap isn't necessarily bad. My own favorite cleanser, discovered by accident many years ago, is Cetaphil, and Paula rates that one highly. I just ordered a bunch of Paula's own product samples, and from what I can tell from small samples, I like them a lot, particularly her concealers. None of them irritated my skin. I've had a lot of trouble with sensitivity and skin scrubs, so I'm anxious to try her AHA gels instead of using granular type scrubs. By the way, the information on her website is useful and her lectures are interesting. Paula knows a lot and she has been studying and evaluating skin care for a long time. This book represents an enormous compilation of work, and there is nothing else like it out there. You may not agree with all of her opinions (for example, although I had hoped I wouldn't like it, I really do like Creme de la Mer despite its outrageous price, and I've found it soothing to my skin when it is in a reddish, upset state. I'd like to find a cheap clone of it, but thus far have not found one). The point is, you can use her reviews as a starting place for your cosmetics purchases. The fact is, cosmetics companies really do take advantage of us all and our desire to look good. I think we'd all admit that there are some truly outrageous prices out there, and after years of trying things, I have to admit I haven't found any miracles yet. It's a full circle, and I'm back to the point of trying to find products to cleanse and moisturize without irritating my skin. Nothing fancy is really needed. One interesting thing Paula provides is information where there is huge product overlap (example: all Olay's lines, with older ones now being cheaper and the newest ones costing quite a bit more. Yet, considering their ingredients, there is no real difference between them....you just pay more for the newer ones!!). All the beauty magazines feature various products (obviously "paid" by cosmetic companies to do so), and it's nice to find out more details about what these "really" are. In short, this is a great and very useful book if you approach it with the right attitude. For products I like, it's nice to learn exactly what component of the products creates the effect I like, too.
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My wife loves it.
My wife has sensitive skin. She has bad reactions to lots of products. This book has helped her find products that help, rather than hurt, her skin.