I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack from Hong Kong!!  Did ya miss me?  *Crickets* Anyway, I’ll be teasing you a bit with something that’s NOT from Hong Kong for now because this book I got off Ebay for about $US 16 (Php650+) is the first book I’ve ever bought online for myself (and obviously not the last) and it got me super duper excited when I saw it arrived for me in the mail before I got back.  It’s only proper that this is the first actual book to be featured on the blog.  Two lovely journalists based in New York decided that they had had enough of “ignorance is bliss” when it came to beauty.  Siobhan O’ Connor and Alexandra Spunt decided to research and test the most common, within reach, frequently used beauty products on the market and put them under a simply worded microscope for us to really know the truth behind what we put on ourselves…almost everyday.  The No More Dirty Looks book gives us a 1000x zoom in on the chemical “DNA” of our most favored beauty products.  It’s a pretty paperback that’s about an inch thick and the conversation within (that’s how it feels, like a well-informed friend came over) is engaging as well as super informative.  I’ve only skimmed over the first few chapters but I’m already excited to read it all the way to the end.

“You probably bathe daily.  Every other day, sometimes?  Fair enough; us, too.  But every time we decide we want to wash, plump, moisturize, nourish, shine, buff, soften, bronze, and otherwise play around with how we look and feel, we are reaching for a bottle whose contents are largely a mystery.  That’s not because we’re all idiots; that’s the way the cosmetics industry has set it up.  They will boast about one or two ingredients in their ads –usually the natural ones– while obscuring the bulk of the ingredients in four-point font in a barely contrasting color on the edge of the bottle.  And yet ingredients lists are the most transparent thing these companies provide us.” p. 4,  No More Dirty Looks.

I know right?  They sooooo understand beauty enthusiasts like you and me because they love beauty as well.  You needn’t go and give yourself a ban on several beauty products afterwards, that’s everyone’s own personal choice to make but for make-up professionals like me it’s good to be informed.  I’m so excited to read the entire book.  I learned about the No More Dirty Looks book from an online video conversation I had last September with Soapwalla brand founder, Rachel Winard who likes calling herself a “chef” in a kitchen of organic beauty.  She was in Manhattan and I was up late to join in the class conversation.  I was issued an online VIP invitation for the  fashion week project spun together by PowHow, Colette beauty boutique in Paris, and French VOGUE .

“My name is Rachel and I’m a Brooklyn girl who is the creator and chef of Soapwalla. I started making luxury organic face and body products in my apartment kitchen to alleviate my painful sensitive skin rashes caused by lupus, a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune illness.  Soapwalla products are comprised of the highest quality products available, made with organic, vegan, food-grade ingredients, and never harmful or synthetic additives such as petrochemicals, parabens, pthalates, or sodium lauryl sulfate.”

Rachel Winard’s skincare brand, Soapwalla, has reached European shores and is currently being “curated” in Paris by Colette and in the UK as well.  I was invited to participate in a complimentary online class  by PowHow and I met some indie beauty brand owners who were being streamed live from Manhattan New York.  Rachel was one of the people I met, her organic skincare brand, SoapWalla has been recognized as one of the most admirable quality luxury organic brands in the indie beauty market.  She recommended that I have a look at the No More Dirty Looks book and I’m so glad I took her advice and made the purchase on Ebay.  If you’re in the States you can try Amazon.  I haven’t tried Fully Booked locally so I’m not sure if this is available in retail.