Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself [Tapa dura]

Nars has surpassed his former book with this sequal. Express yourself shows real women from a full range of ethnicities (finally including south asian and middle eastern women as well) as well as a wide range of ages. As opposed to the models he used in the last book, this book uses normal people: teachers, artists, students, etc. These different "palates" make for unique looks that are inspirational to all makeup lovers. The looks are also less dramatic and more applicable to everyday makeup users and the play-by-play descriptions of what products were used and exactly how they were places allows us to peek into the makeup genius's process and recreate the looks at home. He retained the excellent idea of before and after photos - done in equivalent lighting as well as the transparent page between that demonstrates the application. Thank you Nars - well done!

Finally, I have been waiting for this book to come out! It is a huge step up from the last NARS makeup book, which unfortunately left me feeling very disappointed. The book itself is a hardback binder with wire spirals, this makes it really easy to turn pages and keep them open, just in case you want to copy along. The book is set up in sections: Introduction, How this book works (which is important to read), Tips before you begin working, Skin, "Play" looks", "Perfect" looks, and "Polish" looks.

In the beginning of the book, there are just quick little tips on eyes, face, and skin which I found to be really helpful. And it isn't just those typical basics, I mean for example: beginning with a light color on the lid, blending is key, eyeliner pencil can be used for more than just lining, explaining the density of brushes and which textures of products work best with them. Of course he elaborates, but just briefly enough to give you information. I appreciated that. Now on to the fun part, the makeup! Just like before, both pages are a before and after with a little clear sheet to go on top of the after page. What is written on this clear sheet, is the placement and name of the product used. Very simple and easy to follow.

The one thing that separated this book from his last, was the use of a wider variety of models. More african, middle eastern, latino, and asian women were included. I truly appreciated this because, all skin color should be celebrated and Nars realizes that. In addition to adding more skin color diversity, the entire polish section is dedicated to older women. Basically I love the book, I am a NARS fanatic and I'm pleased to see a whole new set of looks I can create using the makeup! The book is definitely worth more than what amazon is charging which makes it a great deal :)

On the positive side, there's a nice variety of ethnicities and a wide age range among the models. It was really nice to see sections featuring women over 35 (woo-hoo!) There are both written instructions at the end of the sections and diagrams on transparent overlays over the faces of the models, so you can see what goes where. But the lighter, more doable looks are outnumbered by heavy, dark, intricate looks. I was expecting more of a balance, I guess. There isn't much here you can wear for daytime...for one thing, it'd take you half an hour to get your makeup on. Some of these looks involve blending 3 shades of eyeshadow, like mixing paint. I'm mystified by the dark, heavy makeup on some of the women nearing forty and above, because if anything ages you fast, it's harsh heavy makeup.

It's still fun to play with the looks, and some are adaptable to something more wearable. I've learned some new techniques. The book is still worth buying...I just wouldn't spend full price for it.