War Paint
Madame Helena Rubinstein and Miss Elizabeth Arden: Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry
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4.1 • 14 Ratings
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating dual biography of the women who founded today’s beauty industry
They were both born in the nineteenth century in humble circumstances–Helena Rubinstein in an orthodox Jewish household in Kraków, Poland, Elizabeth Arden on a farm outside Toronto. But by the 1930s, they were bitter rivals in New York, the rulers of dueling international beauty empires that would forever change the way women thought about cosmetics, salons, and wrinkles. This riveting biography brings these two celebrated women to life, revealing the ruthless drive and innovative business strategies that took each to the top. Along the way, it offers an intriguing look at their personal idiosyncrasies (Rubinstein collected art, Arden racehorses), their checkered marriages, and the rarefied social milieu in which they both traveled.
Customer Reviews
A Power Packed Must Read
War Paint is a fascinating two books in one, a biography of the founding Empresses of Beauty and a rare up close look at the cosmetics industry. I have worked in the cosmetics industry for 25+ years and knew very little about Helena Rubinstein, until now. Elizabeth Arden is still a household name in the USA 100+ years later and remains a prestige brand, but behind that brand was Elizabeth Arden the woman and what a talented powerhouse she was. Arden basically created what we know of today as a Day Spa.The tug of "war" that existed between these two dynamic ladies reads like an Agatha Christie mystery with a touch of Janet Evanovich humor along the way...you really don't know what one of them is going to do next to the other as they are creating what became the multi billion dollar industry it is today. I loved it! -Doug Olsen