Top Beauty Reads!

Don't be shocked - I like to put the makeup away once in a while and indulge in some good reading! I love a good book especially for those sometimes long subway rides. Here are my recent top beauty reads!

1. Cosmo's Sexiest Beauty Secrets: The Ultimate Guide To Looking Gorgeous ($21.95 CAD): This compact "beauty bible" is full of Cosmo beauty insider beauty tips covering everything from a good skin care regime, how to achieve a smokey eye, to eating healthy. The front cover features an interactive dial with a few beauty tips and the corresponding page.

I own a few beauty books and this one is a good basic beauty guide. It is full of pretty images with quick how-to's. I recommend this book if you're a beauty novice or a fan of Cosmopolitan. It makes a great coffee book for a girl's night in! Spin the dial and practice on each other!

2. Lessons of A Lipstick Queen: Finding and Developing the Great Idea that Can Change Your Life, by Poppy King ($29.99 CAD): If you aren't familiar with Poppy King, she is the founder of the cult classic lipstick line, Lipstick Queen. Already being a huge fan of her lipsticks (you can read my reviews here), I knew her book would not disappoint. I went to 3 Indigo's before I finally got my hands on it!

Poppy takes you through her inspirational journey of starting her lipstick line at the young age of 18 and the lessons she learned along the way from the highs to the lows. It started with one idea: to create an ideal matte lipstick, something that was not widely available in the '80's. Who knew an idea about matte lipstick would turn into a multi-million dollar company! The book also includes helpful exercises and tips for budding entrepreneurs or anyone that wants to become better at their career. Her tips help you realize what is a good idea and make it work for you. I refer back to this book often for inspiration when goals just seem out of reach. It's one of my go-to books that puts me back on track. 

3. If You Have To Cry, Go Outside, by Kelly Cutrone ($29.50 CAD): How awesome is the title of the book? I say that to my son now as a joke! I think like most people, my introduction to Kelly Cutrone was on the MTV reality show The Hills. She was a refreshing contrast to the bubbly, tanned, drama filled crew. We obviously saw only one side of Kelly - the edited parts where she was berating someone in front of everyone and anyone. If someone was being cut down by Kelly Cutrone then he/she must have seriously f-ed up.

After reading this book, Kelly to me is Mama Wolf, rock god of fashion PR. She protects her own and is a power to be reckoned with. Kelly's book is a personal tale of how she built her company from the ground up, never once selling out who she was. She inspires others to wake up and stop pretending and truly live the life that was meant for you. I loved her personal and professional stories because it reminds you that everyone struggles and nothing is just given to you on a platter (ok, maybe for some). At least with Kelly, you know what to expect - she's honest, will get in your face if she doesn't like something, and tell you to get out. It's the ones that creep the bitch-factor on you that you have to look out for (at least in my experience)! My admiration for her as a successful woman entrepreneur and single mother goes deep. I only wish I had the chance to meet her when she came to Toronto!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Beauty Feature: The Lipstick Queen Poppy King

When it comes to lipstick, there can only be one queen and that's Poppy King of her ultra chic, ultra feminine lipstick line, Lipstick Queen. Last month I wrote a rave review of her collection which you can read about here. Makeup Junkie had the opportunity to ask Poppy a few questions about Lipstick Queen and what every young entrepreneur should know. Check it out!

Makeup Junkie: I am a makeup junkie but lip products are my main obsessions. What is about the lips that made you create a line solely for the lips?

Poppy: The lips are the most important feature on our body as through them we eat and breathe...it is also the gateway to our speech. I love the ultra female ritual of painting them and all the history and symbolism inherent in that practice.

MJ: I am in love with the whole concept of Lipstick Queen, the textures and formulations and gorgeous packaging. What were your inspirations when you created Lipstick Queen?

Poppy: Thank you. My inspirations for the packaging are Aubrey Beardsley, Frank Lloyd Wright, 70’s album covers, Erte and Grimms Fairy Tales.

MJ: I read that you started your first lipstick line, Poppy, when you were just out of high school. What do you wish you had known then that you know now and would you have done things differently?

Poppy: I try not to wish things had happened differently because I believe you learn from everything, especially mistakes. What I have learned since first starting in the lipstick business is that like any business, even lipsticks need a balance between keeping some rules and breaking others.

MJ: What lipsticks are always in rotation in your makeup bag?

Poppy: Red Sinner, Rose Sinner, Saint Pink, Oxymoron Minor Crisis and Silver Saint Shine.

MJ: What must-haves should every woman have from Lipstick Queen?

Poppy: Saint Natural, Red Sinner, Minor Crisis and Clear Sinner Shine is the perfect lip wardrobe.

MJ: Your book, Lessons of a Lipstick Queen, is about your journey through the business world as an entrepreneur. What is the most important tip you can give young women everywhere looking to start their own business?

Poppy: That nothing is insurmountable if you break it down into tiny little pieces. My book does just that!

Thank you Poppy! Looking to dress up the lips in some of Fall's hottest trends? Why not try Saint Wine (sheer wine), Saint Red (sheer red), Wine Sinner (deep opaque wine), Red Sinner (opaque red).

www.lipstickqueen.com