It's tres jolie

I am not particularly a girly girl when it comes to hair, makeup, and all things beauty. While it's true that I can't bear to leave the house without a bit of makeup, the operative words are "a bit" (concealer, eye pencil, mascara, done). I have my hair highlighted every four or five months, but I don't wear perfume ever. I own both daytime and nighttime moisturizers, but both of them came from Walgreens, not Sephora.

So why did I want to read Beauty Confidential when Parent Bloggers Network offered it for review? I have never been a "beauty girl" like Nadine Haobsh (aka Jolie in NYC, a once-anonymous blogger), but I have been a magazine editor and worked in the orbit of these unusual creatures. The book promised an inside look at this very insider job, and it didn't disappoint. Haobsh's "Day in the Life of a Beauty Editor" was spot on:

9:46 A.M.: Arrives at work. Catches up on emails, phone messages, and
office gossip. Opens first batch of publicist-sent beauty products and gifts.
Moves to side of desk perfumes, body lotions, lip glosses, and makeup palettes
she plans on taking home to "test."
...
11:30 A.M.: Receives an orchid, live goldfish, or box of chocolates from a
publicist thanking her for last month's article.
...
4:30 P.M.: Interviews world-famous makeup artist over the phone
about the best ways to create a smoky-eye.

5:05 P.M.: Spends twenty minutes going through products on desk, looking
for new beauty trends for next week's memo.

I can personally vouch for all of the above, including the goldfish thing. That really happened at a magazine where I worked (and the beauty editor was quite annoyed at the presumption that she'd be willing to care for little Goldie).

Beyond these little peeks into the rarefied, overflowing-with-free-swag world of beauty magazines, Beauty Confidential does have tons of helpful advice on skin care (including a chapter devoted to sensitive skin), fragrance, hair, nails, and more. Haobsh names names, listing her top products picks liberally and explaining why they're worth the money (or aren't). She's especially good at walking newbies through potentially nervewracking experiences: your first visit to a fancy spa or hair salon or your first bikini wax.

What I liked: Besides the nostalgia of revisiting my magazine days, the product recommendations are instantly useful (an eyelash curler and Lancome Definicils mascara are now both on my Christmas wish list). Haobsh has a convivial, friendly voice that's perfectly suited to this topic.

What I didn't: The product guides at the end of each chapter, and the mega-guide at the end of the book, didn't work for me. Each product is merely listed in the order it was mentioned in the chapter, with a price range and web address. Nothing is categorized or described, so you either have to deduce what the product is from its name (JF Lazartigue Stimulactine 21? Any guesses?) or flip back to a previous page to remind yourself. (I did, however, enjoy the way this method juxtaposed "Creme de la Mer" and "Crisco.")

I also didn't think the (few, random) excerpts from Haobsh's blog added anything to the book. They felt like a cop-out way to squeeze in a few Q&As that didn't really fit anywhere else; and despite all the hoo-ha over her doocing, her blog isn't what gives her credibility as an author or beauty expert.

Who it's for: Anyone who's at least marginally interested in beauty or wants to upgrade her look. I will caution that it's heavily skewed toward young, white women with disposable income. The fact that one might have a toddler, or a mortgage, or non-Caucasian hair or skin tone, is blithely overlooked throughout. And that's fine; there's no reason the book has to be all things to all people. I just want you to have the fabulously fragranced, shiny-haired heads' up.

WIN IT! I've made my shopping list so now I'm ready to give this baby away. Leave a comment and I'll pick a winner at random on Sunday, Nov. 4 after 10 p.m. Eastern time. Plus, you can also participate in the PBN Blog Blast for this book (Friday, 11/2) and win every product on Haobsh's list of "beauty editor must-haves."