Customer Rating: 
Summary: Extremely useful reference
Comment: I got Paula's 2003 edition in 2006, but was sorry that it was rather outdated and in that edition
she said she wouldn't be doing another one. So I was happily surprised to find a brand new edition
in Barnes & Noble, and after perusing it I plan to order it from Amazon. A few comments: Some
reviewers claim Paula gives negative reviews to most product so she can push her own line. I don't
agree with that. In fact, in the 2003 edition which I have, she includes descriptions of her
products but decided not to even rate them. I think in the new edition she DOES rate them finally.
As someone who has really been a makeup junkie, particularly with trying out skin care products, I
found her descriptions and evaluations extremely useful. I have tried cheap products and very
expensive ones, and have found things I loved in both categories. One thing I DO believe is that
the highly expensive products cannot really justify the high price tags. My own experience has
shown that more expensive is not necessarily better. And cheap isn't necessarily bad. My own
favorite cleanser, discovered by accident many years ago, is Cetaphil, and Paula rates that one
highly. I just ordered a bunch of Paula's own product samples, and from what I can tell from small
samples, I like them a lot, particularly her concealers. None of them irritated my skin. I've had
a lot of trouble with sensitivity and skin scrubs, so I'm anxious to try her AHA gels instead of
using granular type scrubs. By the way, the information on her website is useful and her lectures
are interesting. Paula knows a lot and she has been studying and evaluating skin care for a long
time. This book represents an enormous compilation of work, and there is nothing else like it out
there. You may not agree with all of her opinions (for example, although I had hoped I wouldn't
like it, I really do like Creme de la Mer despite its outrageous price, and I've found it soothing
to my skin when it is in a reddish, upset state. I'd like to find a cheap clone of it, but thus far
have not found one). The point is, you can use her reviews as a starting place for your cosmetics
purchases. The fact is, cosmetics companies really do take advantage of us all and our desire to
look good. I think we'd all admit that there are some truly outrageous prices out there, and after
years of trying things, I have to admit I haven't found any miracles yet. It's a full circle, and
I'm back to the point of trying to find products to cleanse and moisturize without irritating my
skin. Nothing fancy is really needed. One interesting thing Paula provides is information where
there is huge product overlap (example: all Olay's lines, with older ones now being cheaper and the
newest ones costing quite a bit more. Yet, considering their ingredients, there is no real
difference between them....you just pay more for the newer ones!!). All the beauty magazines
feature various products (obviously "paid" by cosmetic companies to do so), and it's nice to find
out more details about what these "really" are. In short, this is a great and very useful book if
you approach it with the right attitude. For products I like, it's nice to learn exactly what
component of the products creates the effect I like, too.
