Melissa from Harper Collins send me the proof to the new book Amazon.ca: Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority. It was very exciting because the book wasn’t in print at the time, so I felt extra special to be getting a pre-launch look. The actual hardcover version is like a coffee table book.

Sephora is one of those stores that can suck you in. I’m not a big user of makeup but I find myself getting excited looking at all the colours and packaging. I don’t even look at the skincare section; I’m a Demalogica girl. This book reads like a catalogue. I’m not sure what I was expecting, maybe something more subtle. The book is similar to what net-a-porter is doing; incorporating content that helps to sell the product. I liked the Faking it chatper where it talked about faking long legs and high cheekbones. The try this at home section was interesting too with instructions on how to wear red lipstick, shape your eyebrows, wearing false eyelashes and creating that smokey eye. I was a big fan of the Tools of Attraction chapter. It listed all the different types of brushes and their usage. All the products in the book have been selected by experts at Sephora and within the Beauty industry.

About 30% of the book is dedicated to experts in the Beauty industry with profiles and quotes. Rounding out the book is a list of Sephora’s top 100 must have beauty products. This list comprised of the bestselling products and the Sephora Best of Beauty award winners.

I would recommend this book for Sephora junkies only. There isn’t much content in way of beauty tips and instruction. The heavy product placement, while warranted, turned me off a little.