Top 5 Makeup Books to Put on Your Spring and Summer Reading Lists

As I mentioned in my post on the Top 5 Curly Hair Care and Styling books, I love reading!  Makeup books are no exception.  I used makeup books to teach myself how to apply makeup like the pros.  Now that I've got my favorite techniques down, I use makeup books for inspiration. When I find that I've been using the same eyeshadow colors or the same blush for a while, I flip open a book to find something that I can replicate or draw inspiration from.

Here are my Top 5 Makeup Books that I would recommend to my friends!

1) Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin

Aucoin started his makeup career off with Revlon. He's launched several makeup lines around his philosophy that there should be makeup for every imaginable skintone that helps bring out natural beauty, rather than limited ranges that seek to cover and hide.  He's worked on celebrities from Julia Roberts to Cher. This book was a TIME bestseller.

This is the book to get if you're looking to learn how to apply makeup like the pros.  The photos are gorgeous and use non-celebrities to achieve a variety of different looks.  The book is from the 90s, but a lot of the looks are classics.  This is my favorite book to recommend to someone who asks me for advice on how to apply makeup.  It's a classic.

2) Jemma Kidd Makeup Master Class by Jemma Kidd

Jemma Kidd is a countess, former model, and makeup pro.  She runs her own cosmetics business and runs a makeup artist school in London.

This book will be a classic in 10 years! I think of this as the essential update to Kevyn Aucoin's book.  Published in 2009, this book has gorgeous photos and easy to follow advice for applying makeup.  This book excels at providing photos to backup what the author is saying.  Techniques are always photographed rather than just explained in text.  She recommends her own products throughout the book, which is a bit of a downside, but since everything is photographed, you can find your own versions of things easily.

3) Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

Bobbi Brown is the beauty editor for the Today show and a self-made business woman.  She has her own makeup line and has written five books on the subject.

I have two of her books and this one is my favorite (the other one I have is Bobbi Brown Beauty).  This is a makeup encyclopedia.  I think this book lives up to its description of being for everyone between beginner and pro skill levels.  The photos and instructions are crystal clear.  This book overflows with tips and tricks that are easy to incorporate into what you're already doing (for example, applying concealer under your foundation for certain types of problem areas).  This is a must-have for makeup lovers.

4) Face to Face by Scott Barnes

Scott Barnes is a professional makeup artist.  His list of celebrity clientele is longer than a red carpet line at the Oscars.

This is the most unique book on the list.  The others are about technique whereas this book focuses more on creating distinct looks.  There are looks from a corporate appropriate look to a dinner date to a red carpet.  Keep in mind that this isn't going to give you the same level of step-by-step how to's, but in conjunction with the knowledge one of the other books can give you, this book can serve as meaningful inspiration and guidance when you're deciding what makeup to wear for a certain occasion. This would make an amazing housewarming gift for a young woman moving into her first apartment! This would look very chic on a coffee table or on a vanity as it's hardcover.

5) Makeup: The Ultimate Guide by Rae Morris

Rae Morris is a former model who has written three books on makeup thus far.  She works as a makeup director for L'oreal and is a four time winner of Australia's Best Makeup Artist.

This book is for those with the basic set of skills already mastered. This would make an amazing coffee table book for a young woman's apartment! The photos are editorial and very high fashion glamorous.  They are a great source of inspiration when you are stuck in a makeup rut.

Top 5 Curly Hair Care and Styling Books to Put on Your Spring and Summer Reading Lists

I love reading! And I don't just mean that I pick up a book from time to time. I mean that my Kindle is overflowing, and I keep a running list of things I want to read.  Admittedly, my pace of getting through books has slowed since I've been in grad school, as those books take up a lot of time.

But when those books aren't taking up my time, I read everything from A Song of Ice and Fire (the books that the HBO series Game of Thrones is based on) to books on hair and beauty.

When I first started browsing for hair books, I was shocked at the selection.  As of this blog post, Amazon.com has 28,000 results for "hair books." Crazy huh?

I've read dozens of them.  I wasn't kidding, I love my reading material.  Without further ado, I present my Top 5 books on hair care and styling that I would recommend to any of my best friends without hesitation.

1) Curly Girl: The Handbook

This is the curly girl book that in large part began the no sulfate/silicone craze that has changed so many curly lives.  In this book, Lorraine Massey, a curly hair stylist, explains why you should stop treating your sweaters better than your treat your hair.  She explains that most shampoos contain a harsh ingredient called sodium lauryl sulfate, the same stuff you find in your dish detergent.  She asks you, why are you using gentle detergents on your favorite cardigan, but using the harshest stripping agent on your own scalp and hair?

This book has everything from general advice on caring for curly hair, a breakdown of the different types of curly hair, and even tips on how to trim your own hair!  It's the best starting point for curlies who are trying to love their curls for the first time.

2) Better than Good Hair: The Curly Girl Guide to Health Gorgeous Natural Hair

This book was written by Nikki Walton, a natural hair blogger.  While some of the book is written with African American hair in mind (specifically, transitioning from relaxed to natural hair), the advice works for women of all hair types.

This book reads sort of like a supportive hug from someone who knows what it's like to hate your hair. This book has advice for caring for children's hair, especially when you aren't a curly yourself but your child is. This book is also funny. It will make you feel like you're sitting around sipping coffee with a friend who understands what you're feeling about your hair.  A great coffeshop read for sure!

3) Coils and Curls: The Hair Product Handbook

Are you confused about what ingredients you should look for and stay away from in your products? Do you feel like every time you pick up a new product it's a complete guessing game about whether it will work for you?

This is your must read book. The author is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, so she knows her stuff.  This is chemistry and science brought to you in an easy to understand and well-organized form. For $5 on Kindle, you can read about everything from what kinds of cleansing you need to do if you are a curly swimmer to what ingredients make products effective at different price points.

4) Hair Care Rehab: The Ultimate Hair Repair and Conditioning Manual

This is like a hair encyclopedia.  The author also wrote another fantastic book called The Science of Black Hair, but since this book applies to a wider audience, I'm recommending it in this list.

This book discusses the basics of hair care and hair science, offers a "detox" program to get your hair into healthier shape, and presents tips for dealing with many common hair and scalp problems, from eczema (that's me!) to dandruff to frizz to grease to heat damage and on and on and on!  The advice is sound and the information applies to such a wide range of problems with hair and scalps. I read it from cover to cover even though some things don't apply to me (I've never had a chemical burn, for instance, but I still read that chapter). The information is easy to understand whether you're a beginner or a seasoned hair care pro. It's also full of gorgeous black and white photos that make it's presentation just as good as the information.

5) Strictly Curls: A Step by Step Guide to Styling Curly Hair

This book is all about curly hair styling.  Most of the styles are up-do's geared specifically toward curly hair.  Each style has a rated difficulty level, so even people like me who aren't good at styling hair can find something to try. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.  The instructions are easy to follow and the pictures are very helpful.