Patinkin - Lazy Perfection: The Art of Looking Great Without Really Trying

2017 by Jenny Patinkin

Illustrations 2017 Inslee Fariss

Published by Running Press,

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A Subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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ISBN 978-0-7624-6144-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017931626

E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-6145-5

Cover and interior design by Amanda Richmond

Edited by Jennifer Kasius

Typography: Brandon, Arno, and Dankita

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E3-20170411-JV-PC

THIS IS A BOOK FOR WOMEN WHO LIKE MAKEUP, BUT DONT necessarily like to wear a lot of it. One sentence in and Im sure youre already wondering why in the world Ive bothered to write a book about beauty for women who arent huge makeup wearers, but this is not really a makeup book. This is a book about Lazy Perfection, and Lazy Perfection is about how you can put in minimal effort with your beauty routine and still get results that will make you look and feel lovely. Sure, you probably enjoy makeup and wear a little of it, or at the very least are intrigued by it, but if youve picked up a book with the title Lazy Perfection, Id say the chances are good that youre not operating at YouTube Beauty Guru level, putting in forty-five minutes on false lashes and contouring every time you have to leave the house.

Ive written this book for women who like makeup, but dont wear a lot because they dont feel like they know what they are doing, or who have never really worn makeup, but want to give it a try, or who dont like the way their makeup looks and want to make some adjustments, or who want to learn how to streamline their routine so that they can get out the door faster, looking and feeling great, or who, most of the time, pretty much just cant be bothered to put any on. This book is about easing the anxiety that comes with not knowing how to choose the right makeup, answering the questions you didnt even know you were supposed to ask, giving you the tips and tricks you had no idea existed, and walking you through a few simple steps that will put you on the road to a gratifying, flattering, and stress-free beauty routine.

Maybe we should start off by talking about what Lazy Perfection isnt. First and foremost, Lazy Perfection isnt about being actually lazy. I hear women talk all the time about the improvements theyd like to make to their appearancethey arent happy with their skin, they have dark circles, they dont feel like their eyes pop but then in the same breath, they tell me that they dont enjoy applying makeup and dont really want to take the time to deal with it. Ladiesyou cannot have it both ways. If you want to make an adjustment to your beauty look, some effort will be required. The extent of that effort is up to you. Lazy is a totally relative term, but no matter how much time youre willing to put into it, its going to take a commitment. Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty-five minutes One womans fast-and-simple is another womans holy-crap-thats-a-lot-of-effort, so you are the only one who can decide what it means to you.

Secondly, Lazy Perfection is also not about being perfect. Perfect is a myth. Very few women have completely symmetrical faces, or features that conform to some unattainable standard of perfection. We are real, human, flesh and blood, some of us with one eye larger than the other or one brow thinner. We can totally enhance or improve our appearances, but true perfection does not exist. Perfection is a reflection of our own personal beauty ideals, our own standards of beauty, so this method should really be called Lazy Whatever-You-Think-Is-Pretty, but the name isnt as catchy.

In my Lazy Perfection approach, I take a holistic overview to beauty. Which means the makeup we use has to work not only with our facial anatomy and coloring (obviously), but also with our personal style, lifestyle, and technical skills. Everything has to be in harmony so that you always look and feel like just a more put together version of you. Thats when youll feel the most confident, natural, and at ease and, in a nutshell, thats Lazy Perfection.

I want the Lazy Perfection girl to always feel like herself, not as though shes been given a full Americas Next Top Model makeover, opening her eyes at the end and being totally flabbergasted. The Lazy Perfection version of natural is when you look like you only a bit more polished, refined, and chic no matter how much makeup you are wearing. I cant tell you how many celebrities and social media-ites use makeup to create features on their faces that dont exist in nature, but thats not how I approach beauty. Lazy Perfection ENHANCES what you have; it isnt a do over.

With every client I see, I strive to give them a look that they can easily replicate at home, to set them up for success. If eyeliner is so frustrating for you that you have given up and just dont wear any, I would never suggest an advanced technique like a liquid liner cat eye. Thats not Lazy Perfection approved. If you live in yoga pants or jeans and a T-shirt, I am not going to suggest metallic eye shadow and full coverage makeup. Thats not in Lazy Perfection harmony. And if you only want a ten-minute makeup routine, I am not going to recommend a fifteen-step makeup program. Because thats not Lazy Perfection, either.

Too often in these days of reality TV and social media, women have a preconceived notion that makeup needs to be totally TRANSFORMATIONAL and LIFE-ALTERING. I know this isnt going to make me super popular among my retail beauty friends and colleagues whose careers depend on the belief that makeup is terribly important, but really, when you think about it, its just makeup. What I mean is, if you are sure that the newest eye shadow palette is going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE, or that if only you could find the IDEAL red lipstick or achieve the ULTIMATE cat eye, youd reach nirvana then Lazy Perfection isnt going to be for you.

To be Lazy Perfection, you must first understand that makeup is not the destination, its the journey. Wow. Im starting to sound pretty hippie-dippy here, but let me tell you what I mean. Makeup isnt going to alter the path of your destiny, and its not going to drop luck and eternal joy in your lap. Its not a life raft we have to cling to for our very survival. Its more like a good pair of floaties that can prop you up and make you feel more secure.