Toss the Gloss - Beauty Tips, Tricks & Truths for Women 50+ by Andrea Q. Robinson - Book Review
Stop the Presses!
Put Down the Paint, Potions and Anti-Age Miracles!
Instead, accept and celebrate the gorgeous you inside and out!
Of course, with a Little Magic....
Straight from Robinson in a tell all, and helpful book carefully designed to improve the 50 +. For that matter, the younger set will enjoy too!
Harper's Bazaar, highlighted a newly published book, Toss the Gloss: Beauty Tips, Tricks & Truths for Women 50+ by Andrea Q. Robinson, as a top ten pick. A lively and entertaining book dishing on the beauty industry from skin care, makeup to Botox and face lifts. A guide for the beauty seeking obsessed, wishing to learn new tips and tricks plus the inside secrets of the industry. Did you know that most makeup lines in department stores and independent chains are owned by four major companies? Or that the new anti-aging wrinkle buster in the high end line is essential the same ingredient in the low end drugstore brand? The wizardry of Harry Potter with the magic wand to eliminate wrinkles, spots and sagging skin is communicated by marketing wordsmith geniuses. All to encourage fashionistas to purchase and spend the all mighty dollar on the quest for eternal youth, while padding the wallets of corporations. The fact is wrinkles and crow feet's are there for good and can only be softened by artful makeup, inexpensive or expensive moisturizers, certain investment-worthy skincare ingredients and a conservative use of fillers. Just why would a fashion maven want to blink twice and race the hands of time back to ones twenty something where the face was a blank slate? After all, the lines on the face are the results of living life, which created the infamous beauty called YOU. On the other hand, nothing wrong with softening the hard earned life lines. Which reminds me.....
Do You Remember Goldie Hawn & Meryl Streep in the Movie Death Becomes Her (1992)
Thus - "Toss the Gloss" is a Must Read
"Forget about makeup reclaiming youth - Good makeup reclaims you."
Andrea Q. Robinson
Overview - Who is Andrea Q. Robinson
Robinson's career spans 40 years in the beauty industry. The positions held included chief marketing officer of Estée Lauder, president of Tom Ford Beauty, beauty editor of Vogue, a president of Ralph Lauren Fragrances.
From Amazon:
In her first book, beauty industry executive Robinson (who has served as president of Tom Ford Beauty and Ralph Lauren Fragrances, chief marketing officer of Estée Lauder, and beauty editor at Vogue) uses her experience to debunk myths and offer a straightforward, insider’s perspective behind the often indecipherable potions and lotions in our medicine cabinets. Many of her tips, including when to throw out various makeup products like mascara (every three months) and cream blush (every six months), are useful for women of any age. Even though the book is targeted to readers over 50, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for younger women to purchase this book as a guide for how to make better use of their makeup. How many of us wished we understood how to read the claims and lingo on product packaging or decipher ingredients such as antioxidants, retinoids, and alpha hydroxy acids? Robinson clearly and efficiently explains it all, while providing the product advice and application tips (with a nine-step guide for applying lip liner) you would expect of a woman who has devoted her life to beauty. Full-color photos. Agent: Kristyn Keene, ICM. (Apr.)
Robinson lives up to her "ultimate beauty industry insider" billing here. Formerly director of various luxury brands, such as Estée Lauder and Ultima II, as well as beauty magazine editor at Vogue and Mademoiselle, she shares her secrets with readers of a certain age. Among the revelations: the beauty industry doesn't know how to market to fifty somethings, unless it's wrinkle cream; and that fancy foundation you buy in the upscale department store has a much cheaper twin, made in the same lab, available at your corner drugstore. The author tells boomer women how to work with what they've got, what to buy, how to apply it, and what to discard—immediately. Many of the tips are helpful; some will be old news to women who have been reading glamour magazines and beauty blogs all along. Robinson's gossipy tone and "insider stories" come across as brittle and manufactured at times, and she certainly has some axes to grind. Additionally, the big push for surgical fixes is grating. VERDICT This slick, informative guide will lift boomers' sagging…spirits and, at the very least, lead to an educated trip to the cosmetics counter—or plastic surgeon's office.—Liz French, Library Journal
Forever Chic Style Final Thoughts
The book is hilarious, informative and a helpful guide on what to do, what not to do and what to purchase. It is filled with tips, tricks and stories of the famous (without listing the names) slated for photo-shoots who looked awful or were shockingly bald. After carefully, following the guidelines on makeup - this fashionista received over 3 + compliments on my skin. Unbelievable. For those that know me, I am a crazed nut about skincare, makeup and a filler here and there. My skin is fragile, delicate and blows up at the slightest new ingredient. Yes, it does and I have photos to prove it. I have had many dermatologist appointments due to trying the newest and latest skincare line which in turn costs a lot of "show me the money". Only to learn to stick with what I currently use, use more sunscreen and add a few tricks and tips!!! This book caught my eye and solidified my thoughts while building upon what is truly important - the inside - YOU. Or maybe seeing Diane Keaton promote her new book, Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty this week on The Today Show. Keaton looks incredible at 68, exudes charm, self confidence and wit all the while dressed to in her signature style. See video below.
Lastly, if you find a skincare line that works for you - do not change. If you have questions about skin challenges, visit your dermatologist. And, for fillers, always visit your dermatologist and use conservatively. Think a bit before having cheeks filled. This small change can alter ones original features. Do not go to "Botox" parties unless performed by a reputable dermatologist. After all, it is poison being injected into your body. Pick up this book or download today. You will not regret it!! It will become your "go to" beauty book!! Easy to read, enlightening and funny too.
Lastly, if you find a skincare line that works for you - do not change. If you have questions about skin challenges, visit your dermatologist. And, for fillers, always visit your dermatologist and use conservatively. Think a bit before having cheeks filled. This small change can alter ones original features. Do not go to "Botox" parties unless performed by a reputable dermatologist. After all, it is poison being injected into your body. Pick up this book or download today. You will not regret it!! It will become your "go to" beauty book!! Easy to read, enlightening and funny too.
What Did I Learn Instantly - Tinker Bell & Fairy Dust
ONLY Three Keys to Good Skin: Sleep, Exercise & SUNSCREEN Four Major Beauty Companies Own Majority of Lines in department stores and at drugstores: Estée Lauder, L'Oreal Group, Procter & Gamble, Coty New Miracle Anti-Aging Secret: The magical ingredient in the high end line is the same ingredient repackaged in drugstore line! Dermatologist Name: Doesn't always mean he or she created it. "The Sample Size": 95% tried the product - might actually only mean 30 out of 35 people tried it. Great Looking Skin Includes: Primer, foundation and barely there makeup with a focus on the eyes. Forever Chic Style Opinion: Do not be hoodwinked into NOT wearing makeup/foundation. Only the youthful can truly get away with the no makeup rule. Of course, when working out, walking or playing sports no makeup base is expected. You want the skin to breath! Makeup: Cream blush only, gold base foundation for over 50. Skincare: Choose wisely - Recommends Cetaphil, CerVa Highlights Best Bets on Products to Purchase: skin, makeup and hair. Beware of products containing HYDRAQUINONE: From the book, page 56 - This ingredient is banned in many countries. It can irritate and damage the surface of the skin, some evidence suggest is can cause damage at the DNA level. Just be wary if you use.
Now for an excerpt from "Toss the Gloss" -
Mrs. X
The Eyes Have It
eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara
A FEW YEARS AGO, I OBSERVED A “WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE” SURROUNDED BY THE MOST ATTRACTIVE MEN IN THE ROOM, ALL OF WHOM SEEMED OBVIOUSLY CHARMED BY HER.
It was at a cocktail party given by my boss and his wife, whom I was staying with for the weekend. There were plenty of “pretty young things” at the party (emphasis on the “young”), so I wondered what made her so alluring. I later found out from the hostess that she’d already had five husbands! (I wish I could tell you who this very social Mrs. X was, but revealing her name would put me in the witness protection program.) Having recently come out of a divorce myself, from a husband of many years, you can imagine my curiosity. As it turned out, she was staying the weekend as well, and, being fresh on the dating scene, I took the occasion to ask her for some advice. Here’s what she told me: “It’s all about the eyes. When I see someone attractive across the room, I stare until they notice me. When they do, I smile, and most often they follow." And wow oh wow did she work those eyes! She said, "I may not always have the right shoes, but I always have the right mascara."
"I may not always have the right shoes, but I always have the right mascara."
Excerpt From: Andrea Q. Robinson. “Toss the Gloss.” Seal Press.
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