Saturday 30 May 2015

Fleur De Force - The Glam Guide Book Review

Hello Lovelies, 
I have wanted to do a review on this Fleur de Force – The Glam Guide since I read it a couple of weeks ago. When I saw this in WHSMITH’S. I didn’t know whether to buy it so I decided to ask my local library to see if they could reserve me a copy.
 Not quite realising how long it would actually take for them to get hold of a copy of this book. it took them 3 months. I could have read it twice over in that time :-).
They do say the best things in life are waiting for though don’t they …. 
I just thought rather then buying it, it would be better to reserve a copy and if I don’t like the book I can just take it back to my local library and it would have only cost me 60 pence as that is what it costs to reserve a book from the library.  
At WHSMITH’S at the time I saw this book it was £10.99 RRP is £14.99. 
So my thoughts on this book are ….
I really loved it from reading the very first page the illustrations and the photography is AMAZING but most of all this book is not just about Beauty like you would think it would be It’s been broken down into sections. 
Here are the sections that are in the book….
As in all books you have your ….
Introduction –  where Fleur talks about when she was younger and how she has always loved Make-Up and Beauty from a young age like most girls me included. 
Beauty – The first section in the book Beauty I think is a really good section and is ideal for people that are new to make-up, If you don’t know what colours best suit your skin type their is a colour wheel which Fleur talks about in great detail and tells you what are the best colours to use. I personally know what colours suit me because I studied the Colour Wheel both when I was at college last year studying Beauty Therapy and before that I did a fashion Styling and Image Consultancy Course where I had to know how the colour wheel worked but it was nice that It was put in this book it felt like a little refresher course. 
The colour wheel goes into detail of what the best colours are for your eyes to make them pop so if you have blue eyes like I do you should wear gold, orange, peach, coral or copper tones. I personally wear a lot of gold and copper tones and they really do make your eyes pop. Green eyes you can wear olive, sage, green-brown shades for the evening a nice purple or burgundy would look really nice. Brown eyes can pretty much wear any colour they suit all colours Fleur says that metallics look good for the evening and for a more subtle look go for a simple neutral matte eyeshadow with a classic liquid liner and I agree with this statement.  I think this look, looks great. Grey eyes metallic silver looks gorgeous on grey eyes and for a neutral look taupe or grey colours like that. 
In the Beauty section there is also a section on the best make-up brushes to buy, How to choose your foundation, The different types of concealer you can buy and what there uses are. There is a really good part in the Beauty section about the brows. choosing your mascara and deciding what type of mascara you want whether that be a mascara that gives you definition length or volume. 
I was happy that Fleur decided to put in a section on How To Get That Smokey Eye Look…. I think so many people struggle with this so many of my friends say to me I’d really like to do a smokey eye but I don’t want to wear Black I just don’t suit it not realising that you can create a smokey eye with Browns, Olive Green, Khaki Green and Purple colours. The most important thing to remember when you are doing a smokey eye look is to start of gradually if your not used to having a smokey eye and you want a change from say a neutral eye look you might find it a bit much so Always apply gradually. Another IMPORTANT  thing to REMEMBER  is blend the colour out and if it’s not the effect you want you can always add more shadow. Then once yo have the desired Smokey Eye  Put a neutral lipstick/lipgloss on. 
Another section I was happy that Fleur decided to add was the Dreaded  liquid liner if your not used to putting it on yourself like myself it can be a make-up chore to get right but there are a few tips there that even someone that has been using make-up for over 15 years I will try. 
I love wearing red lipstick it’s only recently maybe the last year or so I have started to wear red lipstick it can be quite a hard colour to wear. I used to wear a lot of neutral colours until I started experimenting with the different shades of red for me though Red is definitely a colour that I wear in the evening or as a little pick me up sometimes it just makes me feel a little bit better about myself once I have put a red lipstick on there are some tips on how to get the perfect bold lip. 
Fleur has also put a few pages together in the beauty section on how to create The Perfect Manicure.
There is a Skincare section which I was pleased to see as a lot of these beauty books now just focus on the make-up/cosmetics side of beauty. 
Fleur has also added how to do DIY Hair and Face Masks I think I might try and create a hair mask as my hair is in such TERRIBLE Condition 
Everyone is ALWAYS In a rush these days aren’t they so Fleur added a really great section of how to do your make-up in five minutes I love this section it's just minimal make up but with maximum results and i've been trying it out these last couple of weeks and I love it. Who doesn't want more time to themselves?
Hair – I love this section Fleur’s hair always looks so nice to me and she has added a few hairstyles with photos and it shows you how to get the hairstyle. I love them all….
There is also a colouring section of how to choose the correct colour if you want to dye your hair which is convenient as I have just dyed my hair. When I choose my hair colour I just go a few shades darker then my natural colour and hope for the best.
Fashion – As you would expect there is a section of fashion but it’s not about Fleur’s Fashion it’s like a guide on how to find your own sense of style. It reminds me of some of the books I have read by Gok Wan. Fleur talks about Accessories and finding those must have staple pieces to build your capsule wardrobe like Gok Wan does in all his books.
How to look good in a photo…. I loved reading this section in the book simply because I think Fleur ALWAYS looks good on camera so it was interesting to see what tips she had to give. 
Travel – There is another section as you would expect on Travelling if you watch Fleur de Force’s You Tube channel you will know that she travels quite a bit for work so she has become a pro at packing for her travels so if you are going on holiday any time soon this might be a good section to read where she offers some great advice and tips. 
Health and Fitness –  Another section you would expect to find in a beauty book is a section on Health and Fitness. I didn’t think I would be that interested in this section. I really don’t take as much care of myself as I should but it was very interesting to see what foods do to your body and your skin for example Avocado can help to minimise fine lines and wrinkles and at my age I need all the help I can get. Fleur also goes onto list the bad foods what they are actually doing to your body. There are also recipes for smoothies here that she recommennds
Life, Love. Dreams and Everything In Between – This is another good chapter I liked reading it starts off with self- confidence and body image then goes onto positive thinking. There are also some tips on first date etiquette here. it’s been over 10 years since I personally had a date myself so it was nice to read that. Fleur has also added a section on Making Relationships Last. Life goals, Interpreting your dreams. 
You tube and Blogging – This is a section that I was just dying to read Tanya Burr did the exact same thing put it right at the end of her book. I suppose it makes perfect sense but all through the book I was thinking I want to read about you tube and how you started out and read about your blog but I’m quite a stubborn person and wanted to read it in the way it’s written that's also slightly OCD of me isn't it?. 
Summary – I absolutely loved reading this book and I will probably buy this book in the future to read again which is a big deal for me as if anyone that knows me personally  knows that I don’t read the same book more than once.
This book like the Tanya burr book that I bought you can just have it on your bookshelf and read sections rather then all the book. I really like that in a book. you could decide that you want to do a smokey eye for example and go back to the pages and see what Fleur recommends. 
 I really did like this book and if your thinking of buying it and your not sure and there is a library nearby go and reserve it there (if you don’t mind waiting) that is. I would definitely read it again.
Apologies for how long this book review was I wanted to give you a little insight to what the book was about and what fleur talks about in this book.
***Disclaimer all opinions are my own***…


Have you read this book yet? 

What are your thoughts? 

Andrea

xoxo