Beauty Library: Fall Beauty Book Preview

It's difficult to pull yourself away from the computer (trust us!), but sometimes it's nice to let your eyes take a breather from the screen and onto paper. The good news is, you don't have to leave the beauty world if you logout! We've rounded up three new and fascinating beauty books you've got to read come fall!

FACING BEAUTY: PAINTED WOMEN AND COSMETIC ART

by Aileen Ribeiro, Launches October 25, 2011

For you serious artists out there, we've got a weekend read for you! Facing Beauty attempts to catalog the evolving historical relationship between beauty and art. Author Aileen Ribeiro, art history professor at the Courtauld Instituteu of Art in London, analyzes the concept of female beauty through its treatment in art and literature. By examining how the use of cosmetics and hairstyles changes and evolves throughout time, she comes to understand the underlying patterns of beauty. If anything, we're excited about the absolutely gorgeous imagery, spanning from the Renaissance to the 21st century!

Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup

by Gabriela Hernandez, Launches September 28, 2011

The ultimate reference book for historical beauty, Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup, chronicles the evolution of beauty rituals and cosmetics from ancient to modern times. Each era gets an in-depth analysis from author, historian, and Bésame Cosmetics founder Gabriela Hernandez. She looks at vintage advertisements, packaging, and makeup icons to decipher global patterns in beauty—a must read for any beauty aficionado! 

Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent

by Jean-Claude Ellena, Launches November 1, 2011

Master perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena reveals the secrets of a private multi-billion dollar industry. He's also created coveted scents for jewelry houses Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Bulgari, and is the current in-house expert for Hermés, based in Grasse, France.

In this beautiful work, Jean-Claude explains how perfumery works, his inspiration and process, and the psychology of scent—how fragrance seduce and evoke memory and desire.