The first time I saw this book was about 5 years ago at Popular Bookstore. I remembered leafing through it loosely, and very quickly putting it away, putting it to another very thick, textbook-like book on product reviews. When I was at Borders over the weekend, I picked the 7th edition up and slowly read the book again. Within a minute, I was hooked. With the 30% discount voucher I had with me, I snapped it up.

The author, Paula Begoun, debunked all the marketing ploys the cosmetic industry has been feeding us beauty junkies for years. All those words that we gladly lapped up when we were told that the items are “all-natural”, “organic”, “gets rid of wrinkles”, etc. It sure was interesting and eye-opening reading what cosmetic companies don’t want us to know.

Paula exposed the ingredients in each skincare and makeup product which declared wonders but could potentially harm our skin. The book is, essentially, on hundreds of product reviews on what she thinks are good and bad for the skin based on the ingredients in the products and product testing. At the back of the book is a dictionary of cosmetic ingredients. I think it’s something we should all need to have knowledge on, especially for those of us who have sensitive skin and need products without all those irritants. I was amazed at how many products there are out there meant for sensitive skin, and yet having ingredients that irritate the skin.

A lot of people might not agree with what she says (in fact, she was bashed on Makeup Alley), but so far, I’ve been agreeing with a lot of her reviews on products that did not work for me. You can check out the background information on cosmetic companies on her website, Beautypedia. Unfortunately, you’d have to pay to subscribe to access the database of reviews, which is bigger than what is written in the book. However you can still read up on the background of the cosmetic companies for free. You can also learn up on cosmetic ingredients (for free!) on her other website, Cosmetic Cop (I highly recommend that you check out the section on Skin Care Facts). You might be surprised at the information you discover. I certainly was.

Still, I would not call this my beauty bible. I’d still read the reviews with a pinch of salt and recommend you do the same. I don’t like that she’s biased towards her own products, Paula’s Choice, though. ALL of her products are top picks. I find that unethical. As for the rest, I admit that they make an entertaining and informative read.

A word of warning though. Don’t read it in front of your partner. When I casually read aloud about the stuff the cosmetic industry had been feeding us, Tim was quick to say, in a very hopeful tone,”There you go. Does that mean you’ll stop buying makeup then?”

Dammit.