"The perfect gift book from Paris's iconic apothecary L'Officine Universelle Buly captures the elegance and sophistication of the Parisian beauty standard in a beautifully illustrated and detailed guide--with easy-to-follow recipes--to retaining and enhancing natural beauty. "Nothing is simpler, more enjoyable, more self-evident, or more efficient than taking good, natural care of yourself." This is the philosophy of L'Officine Universelle Buly, a reincarnation of the legendary Parisian beauty emporium established in 1803. Since then, it has brought natural skin and body care to seven cities across the world, offering clays, oils, plant-based powders, and other gifts from nature collected by Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami over the course of their international travels. An Atlas of Natural Beauty is the result of their research and passion: an encyclopedic guide to simple recipes and protocols that will help anyone retain and enhance their natural beauty. This exquisitely designed book allows you to sample Buly's unique aesthetic heritage as a French apothecary, as well as discover the modern uses, properties, and home beauty recipes for more than eighty exotic and diverse range of seeds, flowers, oils, trees, fruits, and herbs. From apricot and avocado to argan oil, jasmine, and jojoba, each ingredient is accompanied by a gorgeous illustration, its providence, its primary use, and recipes for how to use it as a beauty solution now. These ingredients are easy to find, and the recipes are easy to replicate, whether it's making a simple oat bath to smooth skin, a sake lotion for your scalp, or a lemon "shine water" to brighten blonde hair. An Atlas of Natural Beauty is the perfect gift for newcomers and obsessives alike, empowering us all to take care of ourselves and feel confident in our skin"--
"From Apricots to witch haze by way of chamomile, lavender and olives, AN ATLAS OF NATURAL BEAUTY explains the origins, history and uses past and present of over 80 versatile botanicals for retaining and enhancing one's beauty"--
I bought this because of 1. the cover, and 2. I'm always on the lookout for ways to use the things I grow.
I'd never heard of the Officine Universelle Buly, and hadn't a clue it was a shop until I received the book. The writing style fits; there's a very strong marketing vibe to the phrasing. But I thoroughly enjoyed all the information contained in it. It's mostly a list of different natural ingredients that can be used as beauty regimens, though there are a few first-aid type recipes here too. Each has a little segment on its history, mythology and cultivation/harvesting, as well as tips on how to get the most out of the ingredient.
Beauty regimens are not necessarily my jam, as I'm a low maintenance kind of girl (read: lazy), but nevertheless there were a lot of useful finds, including one that might help MT manage his painful flareups of rheumatism.
A beautifully constructed and laid out book that will serve as an interesting reference when I'm in need of a solution that can come out of my garden.
Reading updates
-
Started reading
-
5 January, 2019:
Finished reading
-
5 January, 2019:
Reviewed