Beauty and Cosmetics 1550–1950 (Shire Library)

I was a bit underwhelmed when I saw the size of the book. Very thin and doesn’t have a lot of pages. I still enjoyed reading it... I only wished there was more information. At times the content seemed rushed and some quotes, pictures and stories lacked deeper context. In other words I WANTED MORE, which means it was very entertaining and fun. Definitely worth it if you love make-up, beauty and history.

An excellent book on the history of cosmetics. It is very well written, informative and entertaining. It is a short book, I would have loved to read more, but so engaging I read it all in one sitting. There are also so many great pictures, paintings and cosmetic ads of old.

Pleasant little book which includes illustrations from ancient times to 1950. Discovering the odd things women (and sometimes men) did for beauty, in the 1500s especially, is worth the read alone! It is also interesting to learn how the public's attitude towards the use of artifice evolved through time. Very enjoyable. Nicely done, thank you Sarah Jane Downing!

Great book if one is interested in beauty history, the history of what women have done throughout the ages to make themselves 'pretty'. Interesting read, and worth your time. Not dry and boring, but well written historical perspective.

I loved reading the history of cosmetics and beauty styles I had no idea about until now! What made this book even better where the examples through paintings and pictures of how the author described each era.

This is a VERY concise text. I read it cover-to-cover in about two hours and was hoping it would be a bit more extensive. However, the information presented is interesting and sparked a desire for more reading. It's a good, simple read but is still informative and engaging.

Haven't finished it yet, but so far I am loving (since I am a professional make up artist) reading the history of how women and men made themselves beautiful for the "times".

Fun little book and a good read. Love the pictures and illustrations in it. Great content!

Good information and pretty graphics but it’s literally only ~60 pages. Veryyyy skinny

Great

“Beauty and Cosmetics from 1550 to 1950” is a fantastic book for beginners who want to delve into the world of historical beauty. Filled with pictures, facts and descriptions.

An interesting and brief introduction to the history of beauty and cosmetics. I found it useful for research.

For what looks like a small library book which I would normally it is packed with clear useful information! Every single page has beautiful historically correct images and a heaps of detailed descriptions and references to texts from the era the author is describing. I was very pleased with this book as a makeup artist and teacher.Only downside I had was that I bought it from a separate seller, not directly from amazon and the book itself was not in great condition. The pages were all stuck together where it looks like some fluid has got to it.