How Not to Look Old - Charla Krupp

Charla Krupp is a former beauty editor at Glamour magazine. And yes - she does look amazing!

Her take on things is little bit different than Bobbi Brown's. (see Wednesday's review) Brown seems to embrace and celebrate aging whereas to quote Krupp: "Aging sucks. " "We're going to fight aging - and we're going to look great doing it."

We are asked to define our maintenance level at the beginning of the book - how much time, effort and money are we willing to put in? Each subsequent chapter has suggestions for each level. Topics covered include hair - cuts and colour, eyebrows, glasses, teeth and nails. Lots and lots of make up tips and guides. (Who knew there was such a thing as lip exfoliater?) Clothing takes up many chapters, including jeans, undergarments, jewellery and shoes. Each chapter finishes with 'Brilliant Buys' - specific product recommendations that Krupp has tested. (Interestingly Bobbi Brown's line pops up often) We are treated to the 'old way' vs 'new' (Y&H) way of doing things. Y&H is used throughout the book and stands for Young and Hot.

A little more from Krupp's intro:

"We want fast fixes. That's why there's also no mention of the fact that diet and exercise are essential to looking younger and staying healthy over the long haul. There isn't a woman alive who doesn't already know this. Eating salmon and doing yoga are good things to do for sure, but they won't give the instant results the to-do's in this book will."

How Not to Look Old was a New York Times bestseller. It is certainly commericial in nature, with additonal appendices listing the 'best' salons, spas etc. to go to city by city. There are definitely tips and ideas that everyone could take advantage of and if that's what you're looking for, this is a great book. Personally the celebrating of aging rather than fighting it appeals to me more.

Thanks to The Hachette Book Group I had a giveaway for this title as well. If any of the winners would like to send me their thoughts, I would be happy to include them!

Here's what Jodee from AZ thought:

"After the no-nonsense title claimed my attention, the promise of immediate results sealed my interest. I have purchased many magazines that promised to detail how I could “get gorgeous, now!” This book is like such an article that has been pumped and plumped, then presented with a gorgeous, glossy glow. First, I noted that the author established credibility, so I felt confident that her observations are those of a well-trained eye to issues of appearance (she was even a beauty editor). Then, I found the familiar glossy photos, and magazine styling and organization attractive. It is clear that the author is very familiar with magazine writing and layout. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that avoided self-promoting (as I find true in too many self-help books), and was often self-deprecating (there are some endearing stories in there). I especially loved that advice was broken down by budget, or “level of commitment,” because some fixes are affordable to all. All the given advice had value, even though I find myself outside the primary target audience. The only drawback I could find was that this is not a book I could give as a gift, even to someone I know well. Given as a gift, the title would scream, “You’re looking old and you need professional help.”