Read an Excerpt
Plastic Surgery Without The Surgery
By Eve Pearl
Warner Books
Copyright © 2004
Eve Pearl
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-446-53169-3
Introduction
When a woman hits a certain age, it's only natural to consider some
type of cosmetic surgery. Women feel so much pressure to resist
aging that they begin to look for anything possible to make them
look and feel younger. Unfortunately, many of these women turn too
quickly to plastic surgery: Two and a half million cosmetic
surgeries are performed each year in the United States alone,
one-quarter of which are done on women under the age of twenty-and
that number continues to grow. Why do so many women want to change
their looks? The constant barrage of media representations of
abnormally thin and beautiful models makes most of us feel less than
perfect, causing us to question our looks instead of accept them. A
woman recently said to me, "As a girl, I was terrified to grow up. I
would look at the magazines and say, 'I don't look that way. How
will I be happy? Have a boyfriend? Will people like me?' My whole
world seemed to depend on me looking like the cover girl models."
Such is the pressure created by airbrushed perfection. We know that
these images are false and misleading, but we also know they are not
going to go away. So what do we do? Many women turn to an array of
cosmeticsurgery procedures-from face-lifts to eye lifts, Botox,
breast augmentations, and more. The procedures, however, are not
only expensive, but also risky and sometimes quite dangerous. A
California plastic surgeon recently attributed the rising rate of
botched operations to improper training of surgeons. Over the past
four or five years, he has seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in
requests to redo such botched jobs. Plastic surgery is not the only
answer. In fact, in my opinion, there is a better, safer, easier
solution. It's the oldest trick in the book, and the technique that
is used for those "perfect" models on magazine covers and for
celebrities on television and in film: makeup.
I spent years creating faces as a makeup artist for theater on
Broadway, in the opera, and in the ballet. Since then, I have been
working with celebrities on television and film as well as doing
photo shoots, yet I still cling to the makeup techniques I learned
in the theater. I've realized that many of the tools and strategies
for making a face come alive onstage remain the same in everyday
life, though not to such dramatic degrees. In the theater, I learned
an important lesson about the dual powers of makeup and the naked
face: Every face is a blank canvas, and makeup can easily alter and
augment facial characteristics, constructing dimension in a variety
of ways. The techniques are simple and create amazing results. They
are the reason why models and celebrities always appear flawless. In
this book, I will reveal these secrets, so you can look (and feel!)
flawless, too.
No matter what we do or where we live, we all sometimes feel judged
by the way we look. My mother, who I feel is beautiful, is
constantly agonizing over whether or not she should cave in to the
pressure and get a face-lift. Her fears of the pain and of the
results have kept her away from the surgeon, along with some simple
makeup techniques I showed her that "lift" her face. Now she can
look younger every day-without the risks or the cost of surgery.
Like many women, I personally struggled with the way I look, and
I've been known to obsess about my acne scars-especially since I
work in an industry where it feels as though you are constantly
judged by the way you look. Even the most beautiful-and young-women
suffer from some insecurity over what they see as imperfections in
how they look, whether it's an occasional breakout, puffy eyes, or a
double chin. All of these so-called problems can be fixed with
makeup. Keep in mind that the appeal of a beautiful woman is also
her sense of humor (think of Lucille Ball), her intelligence
(Eleanor Roosevelt), her poise and elegance (Jackie O), her
confidence (Catherine Zeta-Jones), her drive (Madonna), her
longevity (Elizabeth Taylor), and, at times, her vulnerability
(Princess Diana). Without a doubt, beauty is a subjective quality,
but one that we all strive for to some degree. Makeup gives each and
every woman the power to find her particular beauty, and this power
is the true value of makeup.
I wrote this book because I wanted to share with others what I have
discovered over the past fifteen years working as a makeup artist.
Of the many people whom I have helped get ready for the camera, all
have said one thing consistently: "I didn't know makeup could do
that!" They were amazed at the power of certain techniques to
transform their faces, their eyes, their brows, their noses, their
lips, and other aspects of their bodies.
I also want to share these secrets as a way to empower women (and
men)-especially as a defense against the omnipresent cultural
pressure to have the "perfect" face and body. In this day and age,
when it seems as if everyone is considering some form of surgery or
other interventional procedure to "correct" their face or body,
makeup is a powerful, safe way to enhance your appearance and alter
those features that you want to change without complication. Makeup
is both inexpensive and temporary, two qualities that are decidedly
not characteristic of plastic surgery. We invest time and money in
gyms (we never go to), diet programs (we don't stay on), shopping
for clothes (we never wear). Why not invest some time into making
ourselves feel better about ourselves? Applying makeup is quick,
easy, and fun. Learning how to use it to temporarily accentuate or
completely transform your face is quite simple-just follow the
guidelines in the pages that follow. I promise, you'll be amazed by
the results!
In the first chapter, you will learn about your skin type and how to
choose the right foundation, as well as other makeup products that
best suit your skin type. We'll then move on to the face. You will
see how to use makeup to lift your face or forehead, hide those
freckles, enhance your cheekbones, remove that double chin, and
more. In chapter 3, you'll learn how to accentuate or deaccentuate
the eyes and brows, as well as hide those dark circles, puffy eyes,
and crow's-feet. Contemplating eyelid surgery? No need. I'll show
you how to get the same effect with makeup. Chapters 4 and 5 discuss
the nose and lips. Forget that nose job or Botox to enhance your
lips-you can create the nose and lips you want in only a few simple
steps. In chapter 6, we'll look at the breasts and the body,
focusing on how to make your breasts look fuller (you won't believe
your eyes!) and how to temporarily hide unwanted age spots or
tattoos. Finally, in chapter 7, you will find an overview of all the
makeup tools you'll need to transform yourself. In addition,
throughout the book, you'll discover tons of unique home remedies,
beauty tips, and tricks of the trade that will also enhance your
look.
So forget the risky and expensive procedures and surgeries! Makeup
not only lets you hold on to the part of yourself that your unique
face represents, but also gives you the power to discover all the
people you want to be. Let makeup be your magic wand!
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Plastic Surgery Without The Surgery
by Eve Pearl
Copyright © 2004 by Eve Pearl .
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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