Not sure if that bronzer is good for your combination skin?  Overwhelmed when you walk into Sephora and don’t even know where to begin when it comes to brands and products?  Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me 8th Edition, just might be your saving grace.  ’Cosmetic Cop’ Paula Begoun scours makeup and skin care counters around the world and puts almost every product that comes on the market under rigorous testing.  She’s a myth busting, false promises exposing makeup vigilante that for once has the consumer in mind.

Here’s an excerpt from her book where she explains the importance of a ‘Cosmetic Cop’.

“If a moisturizer claims it can hydrate the skin, it should contain ingredients that can do just that.  If an anitwrinkle product claims it contains a special ingredient that can eliminate wrinkles, we searched the medical and biomedical journals to find support, or lack there of, for those claims.  In addition, I make a point of challenging the inflated claims made about myriad ingredients.  I also explain why seemingly impressive-sounding ingredients might indeed benefit the skin or might hurt the skin, and I often elaborate on the validity or usefulness of a specific ingredient or combination of ingredients.  In short, the skin-care reviews separate the state-of-the-art products from the so-so and the ‘Oh, no!’ products found in line after line after line, often citing the published research used to make the assessment.”

Because I truly believe you’re only properly equipped when you have the facts, why not know what you’re putting on (and subsequently in) your body before you do it.  I was pleased to discover that my favorite foundation (Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation) got full marks which makes me more comfortable with the price.  I was also interested to see that Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips (an absolute must have for Lowe and me) got a less than stellar review.  Will we stop using it as a result?  Probably not, but because Begoun gives an alternative product to try, it lets us know that there are other options out there available to try if and when we’re ready to let go…..

This book really helps alleviate the pressure I always feel when makeup shopping at department stores.  Now you can know all you need to know about a product before you’re bullied into buying it.  The latest edition -8th- is available now for purchase online HERE or at your local bookstore.  If you don’t want the entire book, you can sign up online (for a fee) and search your products online.

xoxo,

coco

Can’t wait!

xoxo,

coco

p.s. Ishiguro also wrote Remains Of The Day, another excellent book and film

If you follow this blog you know I love to read.  I will read just about anything.  Case and point, L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad…..  I refused to blog about it when I first read it and in fact when I bought it I told the cashier that I was buying it for my niece – I don’t have a niece…  I would really like to write a book one day and after I heard that LC was able to whip one up on her blackberry I couldn’t resist the temptation- I can barely respond to an email via my berry, never mind focus on proper sentence structure…  When I came out to my book club and admitted my secret, they laughed at me and said that they too had caved, bought, read and enjoyed the book!  I was not alone.  This fact should have been far more obvious to me as L.A. Candy was #1 New York Time Bestseller…

Anna Karenina it is not, but a quick summer read that you can flip through on the beach and still be able to totally understand 3 mojitos later it is!  In fact it basically reads like an season of the Hills or Laguna.  Loads of drama, plenty of fashion references, a some what relatable main character and a villain or two that you love to hate.  The book itself seems to be loosely based on Lauren’s actual experiences of going from obscurity to reality stardom within what seemed minutes.

Nineteen year old Jane -a recent transplant to L.A. – gets asked to be in a reality type show that is pegged to be the real life ‘Sex And The City’ almost as soon as she arrives.  Instantly she gets a promotion in her job, moves into a swanky new pad and gets VIP access to all of the hottest clubs.  But just like the age old saying says “everything that glitters isn’t gold’.  The cameras follow her everywhere and people who seem to be friends are all angling for their share of the spotlight.

Though this isn’t the deepest, best written, most complex book I’ve ever read, it’s definitely just sweet enough to keep me coming back for more.

Lauren’s first book L.A. Candy and it’s sequel Sweet Little Lies are available online HERE or at any major bookstore.

Read something. Read anything.  Just READ!

xoxo,

coco

One of the only reasons that I remained an avid watcher of The Hills and The City was to catch a glimpse of Kelly Cutrone.  There was something so magical about a woman in charge that knew what she wanted, how she wanted it done and made no excuses for her vision.  It was exciting to see a woman -surrounded by all of these P.Y.T.’s- running the show and captivating the audience without an ounce of makeup and dressed in ‘all black everything’.

I had no idea that Kelly Cutrone had written a book until I read a review in the Globe and Mail (bad blogger).  I immediately ran out to Chapters and grabbed a copy of it (along with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and just as quickly forgot about it as I flew through the pages of the crime drama.  It some how came up again early this week and once I cracked it open I couldn’t put it down.

The reason why I loved this book so much was not only Cutrone’s candid telling of her life story, but through that telling her explanations of how many times she tripped and fell yet used those bumps in the road as amunition to get her exactly where she is today. Cutrone avoids seeming preachy by writing in a tone that is approachable and from the heart while maintaining a ‘make no excuses’ attitude.  The book was absolutely inspiring to me and I could literally fill months and months worth of ‘daily dose’ posts with the genius that she spews.  Here are just a few:

“We don’t have to stab each other in the back, we don’t have to take things personally and break down when we’re criticized, and we don’t have to advance at each other’s expense.”

“Once you have set out on this intuitive journey of dream-inspired self-discovery, you must eventually focus.  When you find something that feels right, concentrate on refining your skills and educate yourself about your chosen field.  Commit to it.  You don’t have to do it forever-some people are meant to pursue several dreams in a lifetime- but doing one thing well will open doors for you”

“The more successful you become the more people will write lies about you on the Internet, both your own employees and anonymous commenters on websites.  Your success is an invitation to others to use you as a blank slate onto which they can project fears, aspirations and prejudices.  This has been a harsh pill for me to swallow at times, but ultimately I’d rather be the one living the life than observing and making catty comments about it.”

“Being spiritual and being nice have absolutely nothing to do with eachother”

Cutrone inspires the reader to be strong, push forward, be focused and get out there and grab your dream by the scruff of the neck if you have too.  She explains that we have been too coddled and that hard work doesn’t mean putting time in at work but rather being actively present every minute your there – there’s a huge difference.  She also suggests something that my bf suggested I do a long time ago – Find Your Tribe.  A tribe is a group of like-minded individuals who will inspire, guide and help lead you to where you want to be.  I have a good group of people around me but Cutrone has motivated me to utilize them to help me reach higher, rather than pretend that I can do it all own my own with out help or guidance from anyone else.

Kelly Cutrone is not only a brilliant business woman who is spiritually aware, she’s a mother and a mentor to the hundreds of women who walk through her door with high hopes and a dream of a life in fashion.

“If this book inspires you to do one thing, I hope it’s to take the years when you’re young- say, between the ages of fifteen and thirty five, before you have a mortgage or kids or anything else the needs to be fed – and go balls out on intuition and follow your dreams.”

You need this book!

Buy it online HERE

xoxo,

coco

I finally got around to reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo after I heard a number of people (including Mummy Coco) rave about it.  On first glance the book looks dauntingly dense.  The paperback version is over 400 pages and in the beginning, mining through the unfamiliar Swedish names made me want to return it to my Mother just as swiftly as I snatched it from her hands.  I gave myself time to adjust and became utterly addicted.  It is a crime thriller that weaves together two stories with cunning expertise.

Mikael Blomkvist  a financial journalist has just been convicted of libel  a crime he has not only not committed, but one he is convinced he has been framed for.  Months away from being sent to prison Henrik Vanger of the Vanger Corporation hires him to write an autobiography of his life for a large sum of money.  What Henrik doesn’t want the rest of the Vanger clan to know is that Mikal is really there to solve the mystery of the disapearance of his niece some 40 years ago.  The twists and turns of this crime drama are intense and interestingly highlight violent crime against women in Sweden.

Stieg Larsson

The book initially titled ‘Men Who Hate Women’ was written by Stieg Larsson a journalist who was an active crusader against racism.  Sadly, Larsson died from a massive heart attack before any of the three books that would become The Millennium Trilogy were published.  It is said that there are outlines for book 6 and 7 and that Larsson had planned on writing a total of 10.  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has sold 27 million copies in over 40 countries.

Almost as soon as I finished the book I headed over to The Varsity to check out the film version.  Presented in Swedish with English subtitles the movie deviated from the novel in many areas and was unable to get across the intense thrill that the book provided.   I had a hunch when I left the movie that there soon would be an American version of the film because the story is just too good, too twisty for a huge movie house to ignore.  As I was searching the internet for the preview I discovered that my hunch was right!  Although I love Carey Mulligan (who is slated to play Lisbeth) I don’t think she could hold a candle to Noomi Rapace’s interpretation of the excruciatingly troubled yet totally kick ass accidental heroin of the novel.

xoxo,

coco

This book is packed with beauty tips from pros like Paula Dorf and Carol Shaw of LORAC.  The best thing about it is that it’s not pushing products.  The book gives you guidelines of what ingredients to look out for in products but doesn’t advertise one brand over the other.  It even  gives you a department store and a drugstore option in some categories.

If you’re looking for a general ‘how to’ book on all things beauty pick up a copy of Cosmo’s Sexiest Beauty Secrets at your local bookstore or online HERE