Books reviews

These are some of the books I have read recently

1- Get Positively beautiful by Carmindy

This is the new book of Carmindy, the popular makeup artist of the TV program What Not To Wear on TLC. This is Carmindy's second makeup book. I liked her first book, but I like this one even more. The book has some interesting makeup looks and clever tips.

I like the first part of the book where Carmindy discusses the importance of self-esteem and loving oneself. She tells her own story as an insecure child and teenager. She is so beautiful that I never would have thought that she may have had insecurity issues at any point of her life.

It is a nice book, specially the first chapter. I suggest you first take a look in the bookstore before buying it.


2- Domino the book of decorating

I like the Domino magazine because it is current, it has real decorating advice for people with reasonable budgets. The book is as the magazine, beautiful, modern and practical. I found the first chapter especially useful, which advises how to start the process of decorating. It has a lot of pictures and examples.


3- The green beauty guide

This is a book by Julie Gabriel. There are a lot of books on this hot topic, I am disappointed by many, but not by this one. It has a lot of research and practical advice. It does not recommend "go buy expensive products" or even worse "buy my product line."

This is a book to read for eco-beauties.

4- The One Hundred
A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own
By Nina Garcia

The author is the well-known judge on Project Runway and fashion editor. I liked this book, it has a lot of fun and useful advise. It is a very girly book that discusses the one hundred items of clothes that Nina thinks every woman should own. I like the fact that Nina encourages every woman to develop her own unique style.

Some of the pieces that Nina recommends are expected or classics, but others are surprising such as:

A charms bracelet.
A concert tee shirt
A little white dress
Converse sinkers

Of course the book gives ideas, not every woman can wear or wish to wear all the pieces Nina recommends.

The book has a lot of beautiful illustrations by Ruben Toledo. I love illustration so I will buy the book just to have the illustrations (I read it from the library). I recommend this book; it is a nice, relaxing book.


5- Organic Housekeeping

Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck.

Long name for a very useful book. I read this book a few years ago, but I reread recently to get some recipes for cleaning products. It has a lot of useful advice; I will not try everything but in general, this is a book with tons of useful information.

It has recipes and advice on how to use common products to clean the house and do laundry. I have saved money reading this book, because green cleaning can be expensive if you buy some products that you can easily make at home.

Hello Kitty and Mac Cosmetics

I am happy that two of my favorite brands are teaming up: Hello Kitty and Mac Cosmetics. WWD reported today that next February the Hello Kitty Mac Cosmetics makeup will hit the market in the US and in March the rest of the markets. I hope my husband buys me a Mac Kitty product for Valentines.

The girly, kawaii part of me loves makeup packaging with characters.

Aveda Men Pure Performance Shampoo review

Like most other men I must confess that I let Lorena make most of the personal care products choices for me. Not only is she an expert on these issues, she has generally purchased the right products for me.

That is why when I received a sample of Aveda Men Pure Performance Shampoo to review, I was delighted to try it. I must say that the previous product that I reviewed from the company Aveda Men shave cream (which I got as a gift) was also a pleasant surprise, and so was this one.

What I like about this shampoo is that it does not have that "chemically" feeling that you get from most other shampoos. It works smoothly in your hair and you get plenty of lather. I left it on for just a minute or so and then rinsed it off. I could feel the effect right away.

I am told that it contains kunzea, citrus and certified organic essential oils of spearmint, vetiver, and lavender.

If you are one of those men that simply don't have the time or the patience to research shampoos, this is a product that you can buy with your eyes closed. A 300 ml bottle is somewhat expensive at $18 and will run out fast for people like me who workout every day and use plenty of shampoo to get the sweat out, but I think it is worth it.

Barbie as a fashion brand

Barbie is working to become a fashion designer and a cosmetic marketer. WWD reported that next year Barbie will present in New York fashion week and it will have a makeup line (or two).

Barbie is beloved toy for many women and it may be successful selling makeup I am not sure if I want to wear Barbie clothes.

Smashbox holiday collection: Rapture

I love the Smashbox collection for this season, it is so feminine and playful. Smashbox defines it as, sensual and ethereal beauty look with sparkly eyes and peachy cheeks. I think young girls will look so pretty with this type of makeup.

Stila smoky eye

I love this Stila eye makeup kit for smoky eyes. It has instructions and all the colors you need. It is bit pricey, but it is very practical for traveling or bringing it to the office.

If you want to learn how to create the smoky eye, try youtube.com, there are a lot of good videos to teach you. The smoky eye makeup is easy and it can be done with any colors.
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Fit to Zumba

Zumba has been in the market for a while, but I did not try it until recently and I love it. I love dancing and zumba is just that. I was afraid that since I am not very coordinated I would have problems following the routines, but that is not the case, although I do get confused sometimes.

I bought the advance video of the original series. The DVD is good, I think some of the reviewers on Amazon have been a bit unfair (just my opinion). Of course, a live class is better. I found a couple of good videos on YouTube, if you have not done Zumba you can try it with these short videos to get a taste of it.

"Get off your feet" and try some Zumba. Try this video