Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro Paperback – September 30, 2011

The media could not be loaded. This book is like having a girlfriend who knows everything there is to know about makeup, cleansing, skin care, and hands it to you in a book form. I’d repurchase quickly. It’s a great reference for someone who wants to learn more about applying makeup, skin care, product information and how application technique makes such an impact.

Having grown up with little instruction in the skincare area, and in the middle of a dryness breakout (which I've never had before), I purchased this book with the hope of some insight because I already use Bobbi's makeup and it has not failed me yet. There are a lot of books about skincare and makeup out there, many with conflicting opinions. But I put my trust in Bobbi's straightforward and mostly practical approach to natural beauty.Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual is a beautiful, glossy, info packed book for anyone who needs to know or reference the basics. It's not gonna turn you into an esthetician or a makeup artist. But in it Bobbi explains how to find the best products for you - without pushing any skincare line (including her own) - by learning how to analyze your own skin and reading the ingredients on packaging that can often be confusing and/or misleading. Bobbi also covers how to care for your skin, including different ethnic types such as latin and asian, and even discusses things you should keep in your regular diet to promote healthy, dewy skin. With, best of all, specific reasons why.She also covers all the basic makeup techniques for each product type (you apply a gel eyeliner much differently than a pencil, for example) and colors for each skin tone, with variations for taste and occasion purposes.Overall an extremely helpful book, it was instrumental in the much needed revamping of my beauty routine, but also fun in that I learned some new ways to do my makeup!

Note: Since I am a bit late to the game on this book (it came out a few years ago), I am tempering my review by other reviews here...I think BB sets out to accomplish her mission with this book, including general makeup application. There are critics about her skin care take, but BB knows that good skin care, especially hydration keeps you and your makeup looking best. Ms. Brown has a signature style, and broke trends in her career, so I greatly respect that. This must be kept in mind. I personally have several MUA's (makeup artist) books in my library, with more soon to be added. This way I can develop my own style, 'cherry picking' through the offerings. Realistically most will not desire or have the time to devote so much to this topic, but you will be left less rounded if you only read from one or even two MUAs. (Respectfully, IMHO.)Ms. Brown wrote this book to be for budding MUAs. So keep that in mind. If something about the MUA industry does not appeal to you, skip over it. BB systematically covers makeup from skin care to finishing with powder, etc. What I especailly found wanting was her eye makeup application. To me, this topic is what most people (all ages) need help with. Her eye lining section is abysmal. (Sorry, Bobbi...) The photos show little discernable detail, atleast what you can make out of the heavy black liner on an eye that does not provide enough lid space to showcase what she attempts to teach. (Basically, wrong lighting, wrong eye shape/model, not a generally used eye lining look for most, and extremely dark liner.) (Again, respectfully--IMHO.)In general, this is a great addition to a MUA's library, there is information to be gleaned. Just don't expect any MUA author's book to contain all you need to know, as we all have vastly different takes on what works for us. The more MUA's books, the more I find they have their very own takes on makeup artistry, and this book is BB's.Bottom line: great book, as long as you balance it out by informing yourself with other MUAs. Glean what works for you.

This book really is a great introduction to correctly applying make up, and it's also a great way to learn more advanced techniques! This book addresses everything from nutrition and how it affects your skin, to finding the right foundation as well as applying concealer correctly. I have tried to apply make up over the years, but I have had a hard time getting everything just right. I used to wear just lipstick when I was younger. As I've gotten older though, the little fine lines and some redness on my cheeks have made it necessary to start using foundation. I would try to match my foundation correctly, but I always ended up getting it either too light or too dark. I spent a ton of money over the years trying to find the right foundation!I am SO thankful that I found this book by Bobbie Brown! It has changed everything! Now I know the right way to find a foundation and to apply it correctly. I also learned the importance of finding the right concealer, the tricks to applying it, and how to set it.This book has made a huge difference for me. I will feel a lot more confident knowing that I can finally walk out the door each day looking my best. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs to learn more about make up! It will truly change your life! I also highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to learn more advanced techniques, as well as learning about what it takes to become a make up artist.Definitely FIVE STARS!!!