Clearly, I have to conduct some serious time management exercises because, as skilled as I am in the art of multitasking, my juggling act is underwhelming compared to that of someone like the fabulous Carmindy. The seasoned makeup artist shares her beauty insights on TLC's "What Not To Wear," offers one-on-one makeup consultations with clients in her New York City offices, creates looks for editorial fashion spreads in high-profile glossies, and collaborates with Sally Hansen on the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy line. And, as if that's not enough, she also continues to pen helpful makeup and beauty guides for beauty amateurs and pros alike. In fact, she just released her third book, the user-friendly Crazy Busy Beautiful: Beauty Secrets for Getting Gorgeous Fast
The book includes nine chapters that cover the ABCs of skincare and makeup: Start With Skincare, Body Basics, Laying the Foundation: Skin Makeup, Brows That Wow, Eye Essentials, Eyeliner It Up, Luscious Lashes, Get Cheeky, and Lips, Lips, Lips. In each chapter, Carmindy shares her own insights, formatted in a bullet-point fashion so you can easily skim through them, as well as tips from girlfriends and close associates and some "wacky" beauty rituals from everyday women. Plus, each chapter includes "moneysaver" tips (or frugal alternatives to the issue discussed), "timesaver" alternatives, or ways to cut your beauty routine in half, and "glamazon" tips for those women who really want a dramatic look.
If you're a beauty junkie, you might think of these as rudimentary tips that, by now, you consider second nature. For example, she suggests buying eyeliners with built-in smudging tips to avoid spending time unnecessarily on that endeavor, or she suggests staying away from brow stencils when shaping your brows, and she advises against using too much bronzer in winter months. But even if you're possess an encyclopedic knowledge of beauty-related matters, you're still likely to find a few jewels in there. For instance, did you know that if you mix a tad of baking soda with your liquid facial cleanser, it can help to brighten your skin? Or did you know that pumping the mascara wand in and out of the tube before applying breaks down the bristles on the wand and allows air to get into the tube, which makes mascara dry out faster?
Overall, the book has a lot of elementary tips for women who are overwhelmed by the many aspects of makeup application and will best serve that audience but, as I mentioned, there are some great tips in there that even the most seasoned beauty experts will find helpful.
Crazy Busy Beautiful by Carmindy, $12.99 (currently $9.35 at Amazon.com
