Product Description
This well-organized, authoritative book helps women find products that make them look great without spending a fortune. From drugstores and home shopping to department stores and catalogs, Paula Begoun reviews all the major cosmetic and skin-care lines, product by product, with more than 30,000 total. Regardless of cost, there are good and bad products in almost every line, and with the turn of a page, readers can get concise reviews and fast answers. A user-friendly rating system makes it easy to find items worth trying.

Amazon.com Review
Women spend an extraordinary amount of money on cosmetics--$45 billion a year in the U.S. alone. Now in its fourth edition, Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me strikes fear in cosmetics-counter consultants everywhere. First off, Begoun has deconstructed ingredient lists. Ever wonder what methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben are doing in your mascara? And what is diazolidinyl urea? All four are potential irritants, and the latter is a preservative that can release formaldehyde, a class A carcinogen. Buyer beware. Begoun also lists which companies are cruelty-free and which continue to conduct animal testing. The majority of the book--and that's nearly 800 pages--is devoted to reviews of thousands of cosmetics, from cleansers, foundations, alpha-hydroxy acids, and moisturizers to lip liners, eye shadows, and concealers, all of which Begoun has personally tested. (There are no hair care products listed, as that warrants another book entirely: Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me.) She's perfectly frank and tells it like it is. (On Revlon's ColorStay Makeup: "goes far beyond the claim of 'It won't come off on him.' It won't come off when you want it to.") You'll learn how to tell when you're being boondoggled by a salesperson, what's overpriced and overhyped, as well as what's overlooked. More than 200 brands are included, along with a helpful summary at the end that lists the best products for each cosmetic category. It should be noted that not only is Begoun a fine consumer advocate, she's also a self-esteem advocate: she mentions time and again that even the best cosmetics won't necessarily improve your life, and that's a point well taken.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 347 reviews)

Great Book! by Kim Cornett (Buena Park, CA)

5 Stars
September 26, 2009
This is a great book to have! Since there's so many cosmetic products to choice from, this book really helps to identify what products work and what doesn't work, so you don't waste alot of money on buying products that doesn't work.

Not perfect but best out there by Anncamas (Camas, WA USA)

4 Stars
August 20, 2009
Borrowed someone else's and overall, think it is especially good if you are an adult with acne or rosacea since using a product that will exacerbate either problem can result in a couple of days of extreme discomfort. Do I agree with all her comments and opinions, no; for instance, I like the "tiny" brushes found in EL eyeliner/eyebrow powder for drawing fine lines. Couple of other products I like too were not her favorites, but not because they were misleading or harmful. One thing I was really surprised at (contributes to 4 stars) was that the book did not cover Merle Norman, which has a national presence in stores (did cover numerous other much smaller lines that most people have never heard of). I have used their makeup products occasionally over the years and liked them (sales staff had more knowledge then most and moderately priced). I did decide to try a few of Paula's products so will see how I life them - just arrived (nice to be able to read the ingredients without a magnifying glass). The book does need to be updated every year.

Item ordered 7/09/09 has not yet arrived by Ethel Hulet (Utah)

1 Stars
August 18, 2009
From Unsatisfied Buyer: I placed my order on Amazon July 9. Within one week I received the wrong version of book (v5), contacted seller, Best-Seller-Books, July 16 and requested v7. Seller replied "PLEASE EXCUSE US ABOUT THIS MISTAKE PLEASE KEEP THE WRONG BOOK AND I WILL CHECK MY INVENTORY IF I HAVE ANOTHER COPY OF THE 7TH EDITION OR GIVE YOU A FULL REFUND IF THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU CONTACT ME ASAP THANKS A LOT". My reply on July 16, "If you don't have 7th edition I'll need the refund. Please let me know if you will be sending 7th edition." Seller did not acknowledge this last reply from me to indicate if they had v7 in stock or not. On July 31 I contacted Best-Seller-Books (Seller) again expressing concern that I had not received an acknowledgement on the July 16 message. Was informed on same date that the seller had ordered this item and was waiting for it to arrive, and that this item would be shipped priority mail when the seller receives it. I asked seller to notify me when item ships to me. Today is Aug. 18; I have had no further contact from the seller since July 31. I will be contacting this seller again today. Chances are, I would have this item in hand by now if purchased from other Amazon sellers that also listed this item on July 9, and not still trying to get it from Best-Seller-Books more than six weeks later. This seller does not initiate necessary communication with buyer resulting in poor customer service.

Not what I expected by Sweetbriar (United States)

1 Stars
August 05, 2009
I found this book at my local library before purchasing. I was glad of that b/c I won't be buying it. A much better read is Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care by Aubrey Hampton, creator of Aubrey Organics who this author does not give credit due for his hair and skin line. I found Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter without Me more of a personal opinion of almost every cosmetic product on the market. It get's tedious. If you are looking for overall advice you're better off with Hampton's book which has been around a long time.

Don't go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me by Same L. Sernka (Vista, CA)

3 Stars
August 05, 2009
There's a lot of good information in the book. However it basically is outdated the minute a new product comes along. When you buy the book you get a coupon to join a web site [...] which has the same information available and is updated as the new products come out. That may be the better way to go. However the annual subscription rate is $24.95 and when you buy the book you get a discounted rate by 50 %. So. . . . . .

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	Don't Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me: Over 4,000 Products Reviewed, Plus the Latest Hair-Care Information by Paula Begoun (Author) Are $20 shampoos and conditioners worth it? Can good hair-care products be found at the drugstore, or are the expensive salon products really superior? In this comprehensive guide to all things hair care, consumer advocate Paula Begoun answers those questions and more in her reviews of more than 130 drugstore, salon, and department store hair product lines, from Aveda to Matrix and Pantene to Zirh. Thousands of products are described and evaluated according to their performance, reliability,...
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