I'm a known avid reader. My idea of a hot date night would probably involve Borders. I get my hands on anything I can, except I've never been able to make it thru an entire Forbes magazine.
A couple years ago at an industry convention, I signed up for this 10 magazines a month deal for dirt cheap, something like 20 bucks a month. It had all the goodies in there... Vogue, Glamour, Allure, and more. Add in a few more gift subscriptions and I was getting 14 magazines a month. If I had all the time to read those, I would have been unemployed.
I got the magazines to educate myself and stay on top of trends. For me, it's actually a tax write off because it's considered research, and rightfully so. Where else should I get hair and makeup ideas, beauty tips and tricks, other than a monthly magazine devoted to exactly such topics? Seemed like a good idea at the time.
After a few months of getting these amazing vessels of information, I was starting to notice a trend. If these magazines are designed to target women like me, then the people who run them must think I'm overweight and desperate to improve my sex life. Oh, and that my vagina and breasts rotate months for having issues.
It seems like every single month, there's 99 new ways to turn him on, or ground-breaking research of our feminine parts, or new no-fail diet plans. There's a whole slew of people whose careers are devoted to finding out what we women want to read about. With all due respect to them, I only have so many orifice's and therefore I doubt there really are hundreds of new things to do with them every year.
And of course, there's some editorial spreads stuck here and there that tell us all about OPI's new seasonal nail color, and the hot lipstick now. I can get behind that, and usually end up going thru the mag at lighting speed ripping out the precious few articles to do with beauty. These tear sheets then lay scattered across the table till I realize that if I took the time to read them, I wouldn't have time to read the other things I find important and then into the compost bin they go.
I hate to say it, but I'm knocking the beauty mags. While there may be pearls of wisdom hidden between the condom expertise and the vagina monologues, digging thru to find the diamond in the rough has become a chore. And, what's more, if I had more time to waste reading about the latest fad food system I might actually do it. Thankfully, I am lucky enough to be kept busy with work and by default don't buy into half the crap that ends up in my mailbox. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the dishing out of sex advice. Women have fought long and hard (pun intended) for the right to display their sex knowledge in bold pink in the checkout aisle. I'm just saying that if I pick up a beauty magazine, I want to read about... beauty.
If your really wanting to get some great beauty advice, I got a couple idea's for you. Check out The Green Beauty Guide. While author Julie Gabriel is so far on the eco side that she's beyond even my zip code for green, she provides a plethora of information that even the laziest environmentalist can do. I love reading her recipes. They combine my three favorite things: Cooking, Reading, and Beauty. Another fantastic read is Gorgeously Green by Sohpie Uliano. This book contains more than just good beauty advice, but at least it's supplements aren't laden with some neo-feminist assertions. I also like Paula Begouns series. This chick is not joking around, she's going to dissect just about any product you could imagine. I've got more up my sleeve, but those three have the most worn binders on my shelf.
Everyone has their thing. That thing you do that's your own dirty little pleasure where the only value gained is a mental break from reality. And if reading these glossies is yours, then definitely go for it. But take it from the professional: Don't get your real beauty advice from there. It's like the pretty boyfriend you once had. Totally fun fling, but with no substance. Enjoy the fun, and when your ready for the real deal, move on.
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