This past weekend, I stopped by my local library….yes, library…to check out a couple books to borrow. Ever since college, sadly I’ve stopped reading actual books so I’m trying to get into the habit of reading books again. One of the books I checked out was “Passport to Beauty - Secrets and Tips from Around the World for Becoming a Global Goddess” by a celebrity makeup artist - Shalin Vadhera. I actually heard about this book awhile back as a “must-read” from a magazine, but never got around to reading it.

That night that I got the book, I actually started reading it….So far, I really do like the book - I’ve read about half of it already. The book is filled with tips about beauty - skin, makeup and diet from all over the world. The book is divided into sections by region of the world and within each region, Shalin gives a brief overview of the country region itself before delving into their beauty tips.

Here’s my take on it so far:

Pros - Honestly, I did not know what to expect from this book. The beauty tips the author mentions are inexpensive, homemade remedies that can easily be found in your grocery store or kitchen cabinet - something I did not expect! I found this really great, because I’m incredibly cheap when it comes to beauty products. She does push or even talk about certain brands or products. As a plus, there are tons of homemade skin recipes that seem very easy to do and require very little ingredients.

Cons - Unfortunately, there aren’t any pictures in the book. The books is basically a list of tips, so don’t expect makeup tutorials. And because it’s basically a list, it’s hard to read it for a long time - maybe because I have a short attention span. I find it easier to read a little bit at a time. Also, once you get into the book, some of the stuff gets a little repetitive.

Over the next week, I will list a couple beauty tips that I found useful for myself by region. I won’t list them all at once, because it could be too much information at once. However, I did notice that the author places more emphasis on skin care, than makeup tips, but that didn’t bother me. Most people get their beauty tips from their own country’s magazines, celebrities or friends - so actually getting a global view on beauty was really refreshing. Anyways, I recommend this book for any product/beauty junkie as a great Spring/Summer read.