I was very excited when I saw this book available for pre-order on Amazon. I wasn’t really in the market for a book that covers the basic everyday looks and tips and based on the four little pictures on the Amazon page, it seemed like that wouldn’t be a problem with this book.
I am happy to report that Makeup is Art: Professional Techniques for Creating Original Looks by Jana Ririnui & Lan Nguyen lives up to its name.
While the book does give a few of the basic tips like skin care, face shapes, brow grooming, product types, etc, this is not where the book really shines. That’s not to say the information isn’t good, because it is, but when I read the book, it was obvious that wasn’t what the authors were going for. In my opinion, this isn’t a book for the “beginner” for information. Yes, it does show you how to do a smoky eye….but this was the first time I read about doing a Greasepaint (glossy) smoky eye in a book. There is also a section on eyelashes, but the eyelashes shown aren’t you’re everyday friendly kind. Instead, they have feathers or are rainbow. I also saw one that mildly resembled black paperclips.
It’s really hard for me to not just run through every single section of the book because I enjoyed them all. The Period Looks, Conceptual, Underwater sections were all very nice to go through. Many of the looks done in the book are paired up with step by step instructions on how to do them.
The latter half of the book is really helpful in that it talks more about collaborations, fashion shows, places to find makeup and tools, as well as having a Q&A section.
Even if you’re not trying to read everything the book has to offer, it was worth its price just for the pictures. Actually, I wouldn’t mind if it were just a picture book because this is where the book really shines and lives up to its name. This would be a great book to simply flip through for some inspiration. I would definitely classify it as more of an art book than one for instruction or makeovers.
So..That’s my opinion. If you’re looking for something for everyday, a lot of instruction, makeovers, or anything similar then this book isn’t for you. As I was looking for something a step up from that, I am completely happy with my purchase.
