Somebody sure needs a make-over, and it isn't the misled, manipulated and misused consumer.
That's the conclusion I came to after reading the latest edition of Paula Begoun's cosmetic classic, DON'T GO TO THE COSMETICS COUNTER WITHOUT ME, because, after reading her book, I had to conclude that if there's any exfoliating to be done, it should be done on the cosmetics industry itself, a $45 billion-per-year business that, ethically speaking, can make snake oil salesmen look good.
In her book, Ms Begoun reviews a whopping 30,000 skin care and makeup products, from nearly 250 popular product lines. As well, sections in her book are devoted to explaining in layman's terms what exactly are in those products, and how they can help (or hurt!) your skin.
Even if your trips to the cosmetic counter seem few and far between, you will likely find Ms Begoun's product reviews and articles to be enlightening and money-saving. In Chapter 2, Face Facts, Begoun reveals that "the average woman uses at least 12 different skin care, makeup and hair-care products a day." I scoffed at first, did the math, and realized I use five or so different products every day, and most days I don't even wear makeup! Shampoo, conditioner, skin cleanser, moisturizer and lip balm - it adds up pretty fast. And according to Begoun's estimates, each of those products can contain 15 to 20 different ingredients.
It's in Chapter 3 that Begoun gets down to the nitty-gritty with product reviews, grouped and listed alphabetically by brand names. Her reviews include cleansers, toners, exfoliants, sunscreens, foundation makeup, concealers, eyes shadow, mascara, lip liners - and more. The use of icons in the margins of the listings - smiles, frowns, dollar signs - helps readers tell a glance what products might be worth investigating. The much smaller Chapters 4 and 5 include reviews for Baby's Skin-Care Products and Men's Skin Care Products, respectively.
Begoun devotes over 800 pages to reviewing products aimed primarily at female consumers, and in Chapter 6 she makes a concerted effort to help those consumers narrow down their options with The Best Products Summary. It's not a perfect system; Begoun herself admits that even her summaries of best bets still contain a bewildering number of products, but at least her recommendations can serve as a starting point for some seriously savvy shopping.
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