I no longer wear stockings and skirts every day and my vintage hat collection is gathering dust (though I did just buy a tube of ruby red lipstick for the first time in ages) but I still adore Dita Von Teese. She is self-made in every imaginable sense of the word and yet she doesn’t come across as fake. In this lavishly illustrated (and mammoth) book she stresses that you can do this, too. You can find a unique style and milk it for all its worth. You can be eccentric and glamorous and confident. I lack the dedication to take it to Dita’s level, but I wouldn’t mind owning a copy of this gorgeous book so that I can flip through it once and a while with a cup of tea and fill up on the inspiration to squeeze some beauty out of life.

This is not your typical beauty book. It has elements of the typical beauty book: putting on makeup, hair care, skin care. But it’s also a bit of an autobiography of Von Teese, filled with photographs. Most of the photos have nothing to do with the written content, but they show Dita in her glory, and are great fun to look at.

By ‘eccentric glamour’, Dita is referring to going against the usual rules of beauty and doing what makes YOU happy, whether you look like everyone else or not. She wants you to find your own, personal, look- to make your mark on the world with your beauty. As someone who was wearing dark red lipstick in my teens when everyone else was wearing white lipstick (yes, I’m old), I can totally appreciate her attitude!

While Dita looks like an image from a fantasy, she’s actually down to earth. She’s in love with vintage and retro glamour, but does her own hair and makeup (including dying her hair every two weeks- she’s actually a blond!), uses mainly drugstore brands for skin and hair care, and works her ass off to keep her body in great shape. She’s busy all the time, not laying around eating bonbons.

She gives advice on diet and exercise, because beauty is based on good health. She covers everything from hair removal, fragrance, well-fitting undergarments, doing one’s eyebrows and putting on that wonderful cat-eye liner, the half-moon manicure, and how she does those fabulous retro hair styles. She even devotes a chapter to stage make-up, not that most of us will need that information. It’s still fun to read!

If you’re into retro looks this book is a must. If you’re looking for a basic beauty book with lots of cool photos, this book will work for you. It’s almost 400 pages of good stuff. ( )

A beauty goddess and yet she is still able to speak plainly, informatively and friendly in this book that outlines how she obtains and maintains her exquisiteness. And, in turn, how you can attempt to achieve the same. Filled with wonderful pictures and panels of those she admires. ( )