Color Stories: Behind the Scenes of America's Billion-Dollar Beauty Industry

by Mary Lisa Gavenas

Book Overview

In America, beauty is big business--and growing bigger every day. Gavenas sweeps readers into this sexy, seductive world and unveils the visions, hard work, and astonishing success stories that have created a 29 billion dollar, virtually recession-proof industry. Readers will never again wonder What price beauty?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684865157
• ISBN13: 9780684865157
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Color Stories

I loved this book! I thought it was extremely well written and an enjoyable and very informative read for anyone that buys cosmetics and clothes. I really enjoyed the contemporary process of how produts are developed and the history of how these companies got started and who started them. It is the first time I have read anything on how cosmetics are really made in a factory (Avon), and FDA information on what companies have tried to get away with in the past.

Beautiful *and* beneficial!

This is an absorbing, informative, quick read from a beauty industry insider. (You'll never look at makeup and fashion magazines quite the same way again!) Gavenas unmasks everything from how the cosmetics big-guns plan their ad campaigns to whether that fashion-mag cover girl is *really* wearing the products we're told she is. The chatty, accessible tone lends itself (dare I say) beautifully to this fascinating look at makeup, marketing, and pop culture.

Fascinating look at the inside world of beauty!

For any women (or man) that have been captivated by a store beauty dept..this is a must read! It's all about the psychology behind the ads that attract sane people into buying expensive cosmetics..This book should be a must read by any beginning psychology student also!

Recommended--great stories

What a relief to read something written on a "woman's" subject (namely makeup) that is well-written without being condescending to its readers. This book is short and fast but has a surprising amount of history about women in business and how and why cosmetics got to be such a big business.And, as a Texan, I loved the chapter about Mary Kay and the women who participate. It's a complicated subject and this is the best treatment I've come across.I don't know if I would categorize it as a business book, a fashion book, or a history book, but I do recommend it!

Fascinating Fast-Paced

Fascinating look at the business of cosmetics and the people behind the pretty boxes of powder and those models' runway faces. The author has a nicely witty writing style that makes the pages turn by themselves.