Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup

Author Jean Godfrey-June is the beauty editor of Lucky Magazine, and was the ex-beauty ed of Elle. As a beauty ed myself, I had to read this. She captures the world pretty accurately. Yes, everyone thinks we have the greatest job on earth, and if you're a beauty junkie who can't get enough products, it is, but June manages to make it sound nightmarish enough that readers won't want to fill her...more

Author Jean Godfrey-June is the beauty editor of Lucky Magazine, and was the ex-beauty ed of Elle. As a beauty ed myself, I had to read this. She captures the world pretty accurately. Yes, everyone thinks we have the greatest job on earth, and if you're a beauty junkie who can't get enough products, it is, but June manages to make it sound nightmarish enough that readers won't want to fill her shoes in a hurry. Oy, the terror bosses/fashionistas, the high-school pettiness of Paris Fashion Week, the cosmetic conventions in Boca Raton! Part Devil-wears-Prada-ish expose, part memoir, you'll gobble up the dishy parts but sad to say, probably speed-read through the less than gripping reminiscences. June also has an annoying habit of tacking a "y" at the end of every word to create a new adjective, i.e. "fashiony," "rock concert-y," "uptown-y," "downtown-y"... give me a break-y! There's also an embarrassing typo at the very end of the book, in a place where you'd least want it because everyone will remember it! Otherwise, this is a well-written, grounded and humorous take on a beautista's life. If you're at all curious about what really goes on behind the pages of big-time magazines like Elle and Lucky, you should definitely read "Free Gift with Purchase."    hide