Review: Fairly Good Fashion Resource
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 18, 2013
From the outset, permit me to say that this was a difficult book for me to review.  I am one who is not overly fashion-conscious, but I enjoy looking nice.  Therefore, I don't pay attention to trends all that much although I'm better than I used to be.  Apparently, I am a different kind of frugal shopper than she is, and so I take an exception with a few of her tips.  Probably if you are the typical fashionista, this will be a book that will resonate with you better than it did me.  So please take everything that I say with a grain of salt.My favorite parts of the book were the natural beauty sections where she shared easy recipes for creating your own beauty products at home.  I also appreciated her thorough explanation of the different body styles (even though I didn't agree with all her tips concerning these shapes).  The picture examples that she shared were phenomenal, and it made me wish that I had an e-book that displayed color or a hard copy of this book.  I am not marking down the book for this purpose--the author and publishing company have nothing to do with this issue.  If you do choose to read this book, I would recommend a physical copy of the book if you can get it.  The sites she lists in the back of the book are amazing.  I am familiar with some of the sites, but there are several that are new to me.  This list is almost the most valuable asset of the book, in my opinion.As to the issues, there are a few, but they are minor.  I was shocked to read that there are clothes that one invests in that only last through a few times of wearing before being discarded.  This completely confounded me since I have clothes that are not the highest quality, and they look good after many years of being worn and loved.  I also did not understand why she did not bring up the cost-saving feature of thrift stores and/or consignment shops.  I have shopped at these places all my life, and I still buy most of my clothes there.  I have found unbelievable deals of high quality clothes, and the prices I paid have been completely incredible.  I also buy many clothes at discount stores, and I have no problem buying clothes at 50-75% off the regular price (again, a direct contradiction to her advice).  I don't try everything on in the store, and I buy shoes online--not a heel or pump amongst them.  I don't consider myself a fashionista, but I also don't consider myself frumpy or out-of-touch.  While I believe I did gain some valuable information, I suppose that I have my style and money-saving techniques down when it comes to fashion.  I might try the hairstyles she suggested.  I might even look back at the make-up techniques.  What I can say is that if you need some help in the fashion area of your life, this may be an idea book for you.  The author clearly knows what she is talking about, and I suppose that if you are used to spending hundreds of dollars on your look every year, this book can save you some serious money.