If you should happen to have a daughter or a goddaughter, a friend in her teens or early tweens, or you look for a nice gift for one in that age range, than get out and buy this book for the girl.
It is a wonderful introduction into the art and doings of Make-up, by the american queen of the natural et pretty look, Bobbi Brown. If the girl in question is a punk, get it all the same, because the sheer number of pretty young girls is convincing.
The subtitle reads "Fabulous looks, beauty essentials, and life lessons for loving your teens and twenties" - and it is exactly that what you get.
All little girls love to play with make-up and many a good Chanel lipstick had its heyday in a bright smile of a happy 4 year old, including smears on the shirt and some fingers on the wall - believe me. I remember myself being that age and with tremendous seriousness, interest and growing fascination looking at all the wonderful pots, brushes and lipsticks on the dressing table of my oldest sister, who then was already in her early twenties. I just could look over the table - not more and I loved it!! It was a sort of holy initiation in the possibilities of beauty.
Coming back to this book, Bobbi tells all one needs to know concerning exactly those possibilities. There is a chapter with the basics, like washing your face (sic!), brushing your teeth and "Feeling good in your skin"; counseling on food - out with the muffins, in come fruit and fish in "Beauty inside out" - on to more practical advice in the direction of haircuts, taking care of those eyebrows and last but not least the inevitable and quite convincing "Makeovers". Needless to say that there is a section of "Moms and daughters" and, oh wonder, "Let´s hear it for the boys". So, something for everybody, nice pictures of fresh young faces and even advice to look gorgeous with braces on your teeth...
I have to admit, that I am an old fan of Bobbi Brown. Her make up is always doing something good to us poor mortals - it makes "us" more "us", prettier and healthier and more glowing. Alone for creating that trend, she should already get some sort of "Order on the pinkish ribbon for the salvation of the tired housewife´s look" . And luckily her products are now widely available in Germany - in Munich in any case at Douglas and Beck am Rathauseck; before it was the trip to Paris ( Bon Marché or Printemps) - so tiresome, this quest for beauty, poor poor us...
And there is more to it: the "Life lessons" are convincing too - even if at times it sounds like the good american cheerleader talking with lovely white teeth and a long blond ponytail: "Be on time! Work hard! Give back! Dream big" etc etc. But as I am not the "Zielpublikum" I cannot object. All those rules about food, style, health and working hard are welcome - they most probable enter a teenage brain if they do come from somebody like Bobbi and not from dreary old mum...
So, if you are not very keen of the teenager girls around you becoming painted war ladies or the next generation of Clowns of the Universe, part 3, do be a clever adult and give them the tools to learn it properly and right from the beginning. Some sort of "controlled nonsense" does do much good, indeed.
Nothing ever ever ever educates more than the early aquisition of that "looking sharp" on beautiful things.
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