Books Haul

Browsing the bookshops in New Delhi is one of my favourite things to do here as the books are much cheaper compared to Singapore and you never know what you will find. I picked up Bill Bryson's new book, At Home for just S$29 compared to close to S$60 in Singapore. I also found Trish McEvoy's The Power of Makeup at a steal for just S$15, Scott Barnes' About Face (S$33) and the Kylie book (S$27) for her costume exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum in 2007. Scott Barnes is best known for his work with Jennifer Lopez, who appears on the cover.

I was one of those kids who grew up with Kylie, Bananarama, Debbie Gibson etc as the soundtrack of my youth and reading Smash Hits. Kylie's debut album was the first cassette (yes, this was before the age of CDs) that I bought when I was 10. Can't wait to get her new album, Aphrodite! :-)

More x Coach

Stopped by Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City) to snag the April issue of More magazine (S$18.10) as it comes with a Coach Poppy scrunchie. I'm not a Coach fan at all but the Poppy print looked very colourful and vibrant. This issue is already sold out at the Kino store in Bugis Junction but there are still a few copies at the Ngee Ann City store.

The scrunchie is made of polyester, as is typical of these magazine accessories. The elastic stretches out to just the right size, not too small and not too large.



The small gold heart charm can be detached.

Other ideas on how to use the heart charm.

Hairstyles to try with the scrunchie.

Also picked up J. Alexander's Follow the Model (S$38.22) book. J. Alexander is best known as one of the judges on America's Next Top Model and the ultimate catwalk guru. Walking may seem like the simplest thing to do but it's actually an art, as the model wannabes quickly learn at the tutelage of J. Alexander, who also has longer and more shapely legs than most of the models.

Kinokuniya Haul

Picked up Poppy King's "Lessons of a Lipstick Queen" (S$25.68) and the March issue of UK Glamour at Kinokuniya today. Poppy King is better known as the creator of the Lipstick Queen line, which has been receiving huge raves in the beauty blogosphere. King was formerly the vice president of creative marketing at Prescriptives, which is now sadly defunct. Back in the mid-1990s, Tangs Studio at Ngee Ann City used to carry the Poppy King line but I was not yet into my makeup-mad phase then.

I picked up this issue of Glamour simply because of the Alexander McQueen dress worn by the cover model, pop star Dannii Minogue. Hate the bouffant hairstyle but the dress is just iconic.

If you're in the mood for good beauty-related books, I highly recommend:

1. Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup by Jean Godfrey-June (the editor of Lucky magazine). I wish there were more books like this that offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of women's magazines.


2. The Perfect Scent: A year inside the Perfume Industry by Chandler Burr, New York Times' perfume critic. This traces the development of Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely fragrance and Hermes' Un Jardin sur le Nil.

3. Perfumes by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez: An astounding compendium of perfume reviews. The writing is always witty, pithy with an irreverent sense of humour. I don't always agree with the reviews but it's an excellent book to read if you wish to learn more about the art of perfumes. (My edition above is the first edition. There is a new 2nd edition with a different cover. Available at Kinokuniya)

4. The Unlikely Lavender Queen by Jeannie Ralston: Story of a magazine writer who becomes a lavender farmer. (I had to order this from Amazon.)

5. Allure: Confessions of a Beauty Editor by Linda Wells: Full of beauty tips and tricks.