Friday 19 February 2016

Books | Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge


This is Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge. If you haven't heard of Lisa (why not?) she is an amazing professional make up artist who works with the likes of Kate Winslet, Emma Watson and other major celebrities and magazines. She also works with Lancome and produces the most incredible and informative make up tutorials on YouTube. If you love your make up tutorials, I promise you that you will love Lisa Eldridge. 


Aside from doing make up, one of Lisa's other passions is the history of make up. She has so many classic pieces and knows so much about the history of make up that she decided to turn it into a book! As soon as I knew she was releasing this I wanted it and finally I got it from my boyfriend at Christmas.


The book is a beautiful hardback with such a vibrant cover, illustrating the colours of make up. The first page and back of the book show various antique pieces from brands such as Max Factor and Chanel. The contents is split up into 2 sections: 1) 'The Ancient Palette' which covers the colours red, white and black, their history and how they've been produced. 2) 'The Business of Beauty' shows us how media has influenced make up and advertisements, the beauty pioneers of the years and how folk remedies have turned into global brands. Lisa also gives us an insight into the future of make up and certain ingredients. 


What I love about the book is that you learn so much that you never knew before about make up. It's one thing knowing how to apply foundation or how to blend eyeshadow, but to actually see how over the centuries how make up has been viewed and made is incredible. It is so interesting to read how make up has changed from being frowned upon to loved, to be applied discreetly all the way to being applied in its masses. 


Another thing I love about the book is that Lisa has included pages in between different paragraphs which names someone in history, shows a photo of them and how they somehow influenced make up in their time. There are some real names of the past such as Marie Antoinette, all the way to Marilyn Monroe and Amy Winehouse. We also see women from different cultures so it isn't just a singular Western view on make up. 


My favourite part in the book was reading about the history of well-known make up brands, particularly Max Factor. I never knew that Max Factor was a man and influenced the make up industry so much! I also really enjoyed seeing how the first ladies of beauty Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden fought each other within the industry to be on top. As well as being super interested in the brands, I also really liked seeing what kind of ingredients were in make up in various centuries. Some of the recipes sound like a witch's spell for her cauldron!


If you watch Lisa Eldridge's videos then you will see how her personality shines through the book. The way she writes actually sounds like her and you can hear the words being read in her voice as if she's reading it to you herself. I enjoy this as it gives the book her personality and you can really hear her passion for make up throughout. Furthermore I love seeing the photos of what she has in her collection or what others have in their collection so we can see how make up packaging has evolved.


With vibrant photography and intriguing facts one right after another, this is a book to read. If you have a passion for make up I cannot recommend this book enough. Lisa is such an expert in her field that she is certainly one to listen to and she really has chosen the most gripping and thought-provoking topics to talk about. Her expertise really shines through and I can certainly assure you that you will come away knowing way more about make up than you did before and you will see it in a completely different light. I constantly had facts to tell the people around me! Additionally I really think this makes a good gift to give someone you know is enthusiastic about make up and it looks beautiful in the bookcase. I do hope Lisa Eldridge writes another book because I will buy that without a single doubt!


I would love to know if you have read this book and what you think about it. 

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a really good read.... May have to buy at some point!

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