Either it’s almost impossible to find a good beauty book or I’m extraordinarily hard to please. Possibly both. But if you have ever seen a book in that genre, I’m sure you understand: they date fast, are often vaguely (or blatantly) marketing-y and the writing is usually awful. Or they tell you how to look French, which irritates me like nothing else. Sali Hughes’s Pretty Honest is the only one I’d recommend to someone I care about.

If you’ve read other entries on this blog, you’ll know that I like Sali. I mean, she uses proper lipstick, likes the scent of iris, writes for The Guardian and hangs out with Hadley Freeman and Caitlin Moran – of course I like her! Anyway, on a slightly less fan-girly note: she’s smart and witty and knowledgeable and, most importantly, has an attitude towards beauty that I can identify with. There are lots of people on the Great Interwebs who clearly know much about contouring, but with whom I feel zero affinity. I also trust her impartiality and judgement, another thing that happens rarely these days.

Pretty Honest is a useful book, especially if you haven’t been following Sali’s columns religiously for several years, as I have. It covers both skincare and make-up and has lots of sensible advice. And lists! Always a good thing. It’s all practical and no-nonsense, but also enthusiastic and empowering (extra points for the bit on same-sex weddings). Which part you’ll find most useful probably depends on your specific issues; what I’ve learned from her over the years includes the following:

– how to cleanse properly
– that my skin is dehydrated and that’s different from dry
– to spot a product containing hyaluronic acid at hundred paces
– that it’s completely OK to be interested in beauty, in addition to everything else one happens to be interested in.

If you need assistance with any of the above, or anything else from winged eyeliner to salon etiquette, Pretty Honest may be the solution. Especially if your skin is dry and dehydrated like Sali’s, then you might just as well buy all the products she recommends and be set for life.