Redhotcurry Review:
Rating: (4 flames)

Beauty journalist Anjana Gosai is absolutely right when she says that there really isn't much help out there on beauty products suitable for Asian skin. I personally have a drawer full of make-up which is wrong my skin and quite frankly makes me look like a harpy on a bad day. It took me years to work out that turquoise eye shadow is just not my colour and that powder foundations make me look like an alabaster statue, which is fine if you like deathly alabaster...but not for everyday wear!

Anjana is the first to write about the variance in Asian skins tones and issues about hyperpigmentation. Chapter one of the book is devoted to skin colours, tone, textures and ageing. Like many, I've probably wasted hundreds of pounds on unsuitable foundations, powders and so called magic concealers, so reading this made me want to pack Anjana into my handbag to go cosmetic shopping.

The rest of the books covers a broad range of topics: from the tools of the trade to achieving "the look" yourself. She also calls on the skills of numerous experts: from Nina Haider to Farah Naz; hairstylist Dar to henna artist Ash Kumar, king of Bollywood make-up artists Mickey Contractor to internationally acclaimed make-up guru Ruby Hammer. Anjana also devotes chapters to holistic beauty, championed by Bharti Vyas, ayurveda, expounded in chakras and doshas to Indian catwalk styles, bollywood beauty through the ages, bridal beauty and henna.

The Ultimate Guide to Beauty is fabulous compendium of everything you'll ever need to know about looking great - it is like having hundreds of beauty magazines compressed into one easy-to-use tube. Shame it's a bit of a weighty number, but at least your friends won't be able to nab your copy!

Synopsis:

The Ultimate Guide to Beauty by Anjana Gosai is the world's first comprehensive beauty guide for Asian women. With over 210 pages and 12 chapters, this hardback book is crammed with practical advice on how to achieve inner and outer beauty with chapters on 'skin', 'understanding your face', 'tools', 'foundation', 'eyes', 'cheeks', 'lips', 'nails', 'hair', 'unwanted hair', 'bridal beauty', 'henna', 'catwalk', 'Bollywood beauty' and 'body & mind'.

Author, Anjana Gosai, a former model and health and beauty journalist with over eight years experience, says: "I was inundated with letters from readers asking for beauty advice and soon realised that there was nothing out there which catered to the needs of today's Asian woman. Whether it's lipstick junkies searching for the perfect shade or confused brides-to-be unsure about their look for the big day, the Ultimate Guide to Beauty has the answers."

The 'Ultimate Guide to Beauty' features@

• Step-by-step instructions and illustrations to help you choose the right foundation for your skin tone, how to create smoky eyes, perfect brows, long-lasting lip colour and many more essential beauty looks and tips.
  
  
• Stunning photography of trend-setting looks featuring some of India's leading supermodels such as Ujjwala Raut, Sheetal Mallar, Indrani Das Gupta, Tinu Verghese and Upen Patel.
  
  
• Exclusive advice from leading hairdressers, skincare gurus, make-up artists from around the world, including Bollywood make-up maestros Mickey Contractor, Kapil Bhalla and industry experts Adhuna Bhabani-Akhtar, Ruby Hammer, Clint Fernandes, Ash Kumar, Naveeda, Dar, Philip Kingsley, Bastien Gonzalez and many more.
  
  
• A guide to inner wellbeing from leading life coach Robin Sharma (author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari), yoga masters at the Ananda Spa in the Himalayas and Ayurvedic tips from the renowned Somatheeram Health Resort in Kerala.
  
  
• Essential tips on hair removal
  
  
• A bridal beauty guide
  
  
• A round up of classic and contemporary Bollywood beauty looks from the last 50 years
  
  
• A global beauty directory - so readers can choose where to have their beauty treatments all over the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anjana Gosai has been working as a health and beauty journalist in Britain for over eight years during which she has contributed to several publications including: The Daily Mail, Daily Express, Elle, Sunday Times Style, Harper's Bazaar, First, Celebs on Sunday (Sunday Mirror), Tesco magazine, The London Paper, London Lite, and Vogue Japan.

Although countless publications are available for Caucasian and black women, there is very little available for South Asian women in the beauty world. As a former Beauty editor for Asian Woman and Asian Bride and currently the beauty editor of Asiana and Asiana Wedding magazine, Anjana has understood this, constantly offering advice and tips to her loyal readers.