Book Review: Love, Lashes and Lipstick by Mally Roncal

    I don't know about you, but when I can't find anything on tv I automatically turn on QVC or HSN.  I've purchased quite a few things from both networks, but I must say I prefer QVC.  One of the biggest reasons why I prefer QVC is because of Mally and Mally Beauty.  If you have never watched Mally, I urge you to find out when she is on QVC next and sit back and enjoy.

    Mally is adorably happy and confident and gorgeous.  Her makeup line is fantastic and she is the makeup artist to some big stars, including Beyonce.  When I found out that she wrote a book I automatically snatched it up from my library.

   Mally's book, Love, Lashes and Lipstick: My Secrets for a Gorgeous, Happy Life, is part self-help book, part autobiography and part makeup book.  It's a very quick read and a book that I must say actually made me happy reading it.

  Mally, whose real name is Melissa (more of a reason for me to love her), tells her life story including the death of her mother from breast cancer.  She tells how her mother knew she was going to die so squeezed a lifetime full of memories into a few short years.  I must admit, I cried while reading some of this chapter.  Some people can be very bitter about suffering such a loss in their life, but Mally used it to create something beautiful in her life, which is very admirable.

   Mally also shares stories about her start in the makeup industry.  She stresses the fact that no job is too small and to say yes to everything.  You never know when a small opportunity can lead to a big one, or if you can meet someone life changing (she met her husband on a list minute shoot) by just saying yes.

   Dispersed throughout the book are pages with makeup tips and tricks.  There were a few that I really liked.

The first makeup tip I liked (and already started using) is the "starburst" mascara tip.  When I normally put mascara on I bring the wand towards the outer edge of my eye, giving a cat eye like effect to my lashes.  Mally says to bring the lashes towards the bridge of your nose which gives your eyes a more open eyed effect.  I've been doing this and I really like the result!  Especially under my glasses and with tired eyes, this does help my eyes look a bit more awake.

The second tip I really liked is her natural eyeliner tip, which it turns out is a tip I've been using for quite a while.  Mally says to use a darker liner on your top lash line and a lighter shade on your lower lash line.  This gives a more natural look and also helps cut down on such a stark contrast on your under eye.  For my daily use I prefer using an espresso brown on top and a bronze on bottom.

All in all, I must say I really enjoyed this book and I think next time I see Mally on QVC I will enjoy watching her even more.  

Have you ever used any of Mally's products or watched her on QVC?