Only one of the best beauty books ever, Lisa Eldridge...!
Lisa Eldridge is one of our make-up heroines: creator of some of the easiest-to-follow beauty videos on the planet (which explains why her YouTube channel has 1.3 million subscribers, and counting), stunning catwalk and red carpet make-up looks (she is now the Global Creative Director of Lancôme, NB) – and an all-round lovely person, with it. When we learned Lisa was writing a beauty book, though, we wondered: is there really room for another one...? Leaving aside our own books, there are so many from the likes of Bobbi Brown, Kevyn Aucoin, Laura Mercier etc. that the gap on the shelf seemed pretty slim...
But when Facepaint: The Story of Makeup landed on our desk, we were blown away. Because instead of a make-up how-to (which of course her videos do brilliantly), this is a really authoritative look at the history of make-up - going back thousands of years.
It's a subject that has fascinated Lisa her whole career, and in the early 1990s she began collecting vintage make-up - much of which is photographed for the pages here: covetable compacts, beautiful blusher pots, snaps of Mary Quant products which take us right back. (Lisa, you're too young to remember, but the daring slogan for Mary Quant's Eye Tint was: 'Make-up to make love in...')
Lisa looks at 'Makeup Muses' from Elizabeth Siddall - the Pre-Raphaelite artists' model - right through to Twiggy, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Jones. There are glorious vintage ads, Egyptian wall paintings and a nod to kabuki. And so, so very much more.
In all, this is a completely riveting read - dip in and out or keep your nose glued to the pages from start to finish (no eyelash glue required).
Miss Eldridge, we salute you!
Facepaint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge/£18.99 at www.amazon.co.uk
