Where we see ingredients, she sees beauty remedies
Author Tara King aims to get women thinking outside the cosmetic box, says Andrea Byrne
Sunday November 08 2009
From using paprika as a lip-plumper and olive oil as an eyelash-booster to reducing a bruise with an onion, young Irish author Tara King believes you don't need to spend a fortune to look good.
"We completely trust the various products that are out there," she says.
"I have always had the belief that there is too much faith placed in these products. The way I see it, why spend €30 on what might be a good product, when you could try out several different solutions first for no more than €3, which would probably achieve the same results?"
The Galway-born journalist has just published a fashion and beauty book, Look Your Best, which promises miracle remedies for everyday beauty dilemmas -- without the expense.
The book, which is particularly pertinent given the economic malaise, also helps readers make the most of the products they already have. King advises that bending the wand of the mascara, for example, can give it new life and that blasting it with a hairdryer will curl the lashes.
"For as long as I can remember I have been the creative type, always improvising and seeing what I could make out of things," says King.
"For the past two years -- out of my own interest, not with a view to publishing a book -- I was collecting tips. If something caught my attention, I would put it straight into the scrapbook."
However, it was a conversation with a publisher that kick-started the writing of the book in earnest.
"The aim is to get women to think differently. So when they go into a supermarket, they don't just see ingredients for dinners, they also see potential beauty remedies."
Bucking the trend of most other budding hacks, King opted not to study journalism in university but instead to launch herself straight into the industry.
Not long out of school, she began writing for a crime magazine and was a researcher for two crime books.
She then went on to work as a news reporter and feature
writer with the Clare Champ-ion for four years, before finally deciding to concentrate full-time on writing books.
Despite her modest 23 years, King is also the official biographer of singer Brendan Grace's autobiography, which is soon to be released, and also co-wrote Just Imagine, A Life Without Illness with healer Michael O' Doherty, who cured dancer/choreographer Michael Flatley from a mystery illness.
Such is the appeal of King's beauty and fashion book that her publishers are hoping to launch the book globally after Christmas.
Tara King's book 'Look Your Best' is available in all good bookshops nationwide
Sunday Independent
