Making Up is Hard To Do

To help the cosmetics consumer even more, in the appendices of her book Begoun includes a Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary that seems thorough and understandable, as well as a section called Animal Testing and Cosmetics, with lists of companies that don't use animal testing and those companies that do. (Example: Maybelline doesn't, and Cover Girl does, p. 1080.) In Research Sources, Begoun supplies the contact information for a list of books, journals, magazines and websites related to cosmetics and the cosmetics industry.

One potential source of conflict of interest is Begoun's review of her own skin care and makeup lines, Paula's Choice and Paula's Select, but Begoun manages to navigate even that minefield with a lot of class. She makes no secret of her favorable reviews for her own products but, as she points out several times in her book, she also recommends many, many products from competing product lines. And her own products are not given any preeminence in either the Reviews section, or in the Best Products Summary.

For thrifty cosmetic consumers, DON'T GO TO THE COSMETICS COUNTER WITHOUT ME is a must-read. Your wallet, and your skin, will probably thank you.

DON'T GO TO THE COSMETICS COUNTER WITHOUT ME (5th Edition) by Paula Begoun, 2001; 1083pp.; Beginning Press, 13075 Gateway Drive, Suite 160, Seattle, Washington 98169; Softcover, $24.95 US; ISBN 1-877988-28-6

(Paula Begoun's other books include THE BEAUTY BIBLE, DON'T GO SHOPPING FOR HAIR CARE PRODUCTS WITHOUT ME, and BLUE EYESHADOW SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. She is a best-selling author and a syndicated journalist. Online, her website The Cosmetics Cop has numerous helpful reference articles, information about her paid-subscription online and print newsletter, as well as a free email Beauty Bulletin.)

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