My Beauty Bible Collection

Today's post is something a little different to my usual posts, but is still very much beauty related. In addition to make-up, I have a deep love for beauty books or bibles as they are more commonly known. I think this has been passed on to me by my Mum who originally owned two out of the five books in my collection and also has these type of bible/coffee table books for home décor and fashion. Another reason as to why I love beauty bibles is they are wonderfully visual. As a creative, particularly with layout and design, I could get lost in the way products and people are shot and laid onto a page. It presents the images as more than just accompaniments to the informative text, they are their own art form within this book. I thought I would do a post about my beauty bible collection because they span over 20 years and show how beauty trends have changed, but tips and techniques are still very similar to today.

The oldest book in my collection is Bobbi Brown Beauty: The Ultimate Beauty Resource by Bobbi Brown and Annemarie Iverson. There are three Bobbi Brown beauty bibles in my collection (clearly my Mum was a fan!) yet they are all different from each other. This book really is what it says on the tin, there are no defined demographics. Everyone and everything is catered for. The book starts off with beauty, skin and body care basics and how to find your own beauty style. It then dedicates chapters to different steps in your make-up routine such as your base, eyebrows, eyes and lips. In the latter half of the book, there is a chapter dedicated to every woman of every ethnicity, for every eventuality such as black-tie, bridal, pregnancy, chemotherapy and mature beauty. I've actually just noticed there is a chapter for men and male grooming! This book really is the ultimate beauty resource. The information in the book is ultimate as well with real advice about real situations. What kind of make-up to wear to an interview or for the camera whether it be a photoshoot, television or video. There is also advice for beauty counters and how not to be a victim to eager sales people, which I feel is something all women of all ages can feel the pressure of. Whilst this book is around 20 years old, the beauty advice is timeless.

The next oldest beauty bible in my collection is Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty: Everything You Need To Look Pretty, Natural, Sexy & Awesome, again by Bobbi Brown and Annemarie Iverson. This was actually a gift from my Mum when I started to take an interest in make-up. I remember we were in a department store and looking at the Bobbi Brown counter, she spotted this book and asked me if I would like it to learn how to do my make-up. I would hazard a guess that I have had this book for around 10-12 years and flicking through it now, I still think it is a great book for a young girl/woman who is figuring out make-up. It's a very sensible guide with sensible advice that makes sure girls are age-appropriate yet still are able to have fun with make-up, as it should be! One thing about the book that I love is the many 'before and after' shots of ordinary teenage girls where you see them made up but not over-done. I think this is very comforting to young girls (it was to me anyway) to see other teenagers their age looking good in minimal make-up.

The third and final Bobbi Brown beauty bible in my collection is called Bobbi Brown Living Beauty from 2007. Flicking through this book, I think this is definitely geared towards the forty-something women (which makes sense as this was originally bought by my Mum). The content of this book is definitely geared towards anti-aging, menopause etc. which isn't necessarily my ideal demographic but one day it will and until then, it is still nice to flick through the pages of this book.

The final two books were both gifts from family members last Christmas. The first is a very popular release from famous celebrity make-up artist, Lisa Eldridge. What is different about her book which I absolutely love (having studied History too at university) is that the content is focused on the history of make-up, rather than advice. It looks at both ancient and modern make-up muses and the traditions of make-up with breathtaking photography to visually illustrate the content. It then progresses into the business of beauty as we know it now. When I re-decorate my room, I'd love to display this book on a shelf because I think it is so visually stunning that it deserves its own space.

Secondly and lastly is The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible by Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley. I must admit, as much as I do love some good acids in my skincare I do enjoy going down the completely natural route for some beauty needs. This book has a ton of DIY face masks, foot sprays, teeth whiteners, tinted lip balms and more if you are feeling particularly fancy. I love the ability to customise products to your needs with DIY beauty and these can also make wonderful gifts for friends and family. The recipes allow you to learn about the properties of natural ingredients as well as understanding what it means when a company says their products are organic. Another part of this book that I love are the quick product reviews within the chapters and as this book was published fairly recently, the products are still available for purchase.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my beauty bible collection! Let me know in the comments about your favourite beauty bibles and any great advice they have given you.

P x

First Impressions | EX1, L'Oréal, Bourjois & More!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! If you have become accustomed to the routine here on my blog and YouTube channel, you may know that is it new video day! Yay! However if you are completely new then, Hello! I'm Paris and I make new videos on Tuesdays and a blog post on Thursday's. Today's video is quite a good watch (if I must say so myself). I recently have bought a few new to me products both online and in my local Superdrug and I thought I would do a first impressions video; showing you the application and how the products wear throughout the day. 

The products that I use in the video for the first time are:

• L'Oréal Infallible Mattifying Primer
• EX1 Invisiwear Foundation in F100
• Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer in Light Ivory
• MaxFactor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Bronze
• Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara in Black

There were several instances during filming that really made me question how I was going to edit this into something remotely smooth or even putting this up at all. Both of my batteries ran out of charge, I had to change memory cards, I put too much eyeshadow on and looked a bit OTT so had to wipe it off and then both of my batteries ran out of charge AGAIN. Nevertheless, I have managed to string it together so I would really appreciate it if you would give it a watch, it's about 10 minutes long so grab a drink, a biscuit and get comfy! Oh and please do subscribe whilst you are there! Thanks! :)

Let me know if you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them!

P x