Book review | Fearless, by Trinny Woodall

By Trinny Woodall | Published by HQ

Latest entrant in this category is British beauty businesswoman and makeover expert Trinny Woodall's glossy looks-cum-lifestyle manual, Fearless. If Fearless seems an odd title for a book on clothes and makeup that's because Trinny sees both as a form of armour for women in their interactions with the world.

It's a detailed book covering much more than the purely physical and I tended to pass over the chapters on 'The art of letting go' and 'The wonders of meditation.' There's a good early section identifying the physical factors that go to make up your facial appearance. Trinny has defined 29 different skin tones, 18 hair colours, and 14 eye colours. Having had my 'colours done' via House of Colour when I was 'reinventing' myself after midlife divorce, I wasn't immediately taken by the colours suggested for me as 'Cool/Neutral' (or am I a 'Neutral'?) and felt lost trying to find my way through the 135 suggested lip colours for all types.

It's high maintenance stuff. 'Skin essentials' include Cleanser, Exfoliating Acid, Vitamin C Serum, Retinoid Serum, Moisturiser, and SPF 30 or 50. I have to admit the last one is the only one I put on religiously day after day, and to me it fulfils the function of a moisturiser too.

If you're really dedicated you can also try out the suggestions on 'Vocal Facial Massage', 'Gua Shua', and 'Micro-needling.' Not to mention 'Tweakments' of varying degrees of invasiveness.

For me the section on clothes was the most helpful, as although I've been interested in clothes for a long time, my body is considerably different now from how it was when I was 22, and so the necklines and styles which might have enhanced me then are always open to evolution and reevaluation. The Trinny and Susannah books used to include the names of retailers supplying the featured clothes but that didn't appear here.  Instead was a list of mental health and addiction-aid charities.

Author: Trinny Woodall

Publisher: HQ

Format: ebook. ISBN: 9780008605445

Format: Hardback. ISBN: 9780008605438