Book Reviews

 

I’ve picked up a lot of beauty guides throughout the years to learn the best application techniques, trends and styles from the industry. While the premise of most guides are to enhance natural beauty and educate the reader on skincare and make-up application, few focus on howbeauty can be a basis for strengthening a relationship, like one of a mother and daughter.

When I first came across this book, I thought what a great idea, Bonding Over Beauty? I do that all the time! I bond with my girlfriends about current style trends, how to get the perfect curls without frizz, or finding the best skin care products. Yet, there’s so much more than just beauty tips in this book.  Read More

Bonding Over Beauty has  a wealth of important information and ideas to share with your daughter.  From information about puberty to tips for doing manicures and pedicures and even a section on makeup dos and don’ts, this book is full of helpful and fun information. Sometimes as a busy mom, I forget how important appearance is to young girls. I mean, let’s be honest. Some days I’m lucky if I get a shower at all, let alone spend time doing my nails or giving myself a facial. But to a young girl, these topics and activities are of utmost importance.  Read More

As I predicted would happen, when I left the book out on the table, my 12-year-old daughter picked it up and started reading. When asked, she said that the pink cover got her attention. The look does enhance its subject. The subtitles are in a curly font, and the cover, as well as some inside pages and sidebars, are pink. Though it’s a book written to coach moms who are trying to communicate with their daughters about their bodies, it’s not inappropriate for older tweens and teens to read cover to cover themselves, as my daughter ended up doing.  Whether you and your daughter are typical girly-girls or more low-maintenance, Bonding over Beauty will help you fill in the gaps in your knowledge to ease that transition from little girl to woman  Read More

 

I am so impressed with this wonderful book that Erika Katz has written to help Moms during that tween to teen time in their daughter’s lives, by providing solutions to the issues that these young gals are dealing with. It’s the perfect opportunity for moms to provide “bonding” moments with their daughters as they transition into young women, and give them that much needed loving guidance during this special time. Read More

Mother-daughter relationships, in my experience, are tricky at best. How do mothers guide their daughters styling and grooming decisions without eliciting an out of control tantrum about being misunderstood or criticized? In her new book, Bonding Over Beauty, author and beauty expert Erika Katz suggests that a handbook of beauty knowledge and sensitivity to a young girl’s issues can actually help foster confidence, self-esteem and trust. Read More

 

 

 

I am so impressed with this wonderful book that Erika Katz has written to help Moms during that tween to teen time in their daughter’s lives, by providing solutions to the issues that these young gals are dealing with. It’s the perfect opportunity for moms to provide “bonding” moments with their daughters as they transition into young women, and give them that much needed loving guidance during this special time. Read More

If you’re a mom, dad or caretaker to a tween, a big sister taking care of a little sister or even a new parent to a baby girl, this is one of the most important books that should be in your home (or digital) library. Read More

“While the bonding activities are great, the real meat of the book is in the discussions of beauty and hygiene issues faced by teens and tweens. Fitting in with the crowd is a largepart of self confidence at this critical stage, but keeping things appropriate for age and development is also important. Check out this book if your daughter is nearing tween-dom soon!” Read More

“I have been reading this book for the last two weeks and I must say I have read such great ideas to implement with me and my girls!  This book is by Erika Katz, a former model and actress, and she has used what she has learned over time to help with her own daughter and her growing up into a young lady.  She presents all of this material is such a way that we, moms, can teach our daughters in a “bonding” and fun way.” Read More

“What I really appreciated with this book is that Erika doesn’t assume you know all about beauty. Instead, Erika breaks topics up into chapters and gives you information on that topic. For instance, I admit I find the chapter on “getting rid of unwanted hair” interesting. You see my mother has never really discussed this issue beyond shaving my legs and armpits. In recent years (and I mean recent), I’ve realized I have hair in places (which I’m still too embarrassed to admit on here) that I didn’t think could be normal. If it were normal, wouldn’t I have heard about it? However, this book addresses how to get rid of the hair from your upper lip to the stomach area. She tells what the different products available are as well as where they can be used!” Read More

Bonding over Beauty offers everything from bonding over puberty to bonding over getting her ready to leave home. Each chapter is broken down into sections fully explaining each section. It offers tips to use and some awesome recipes for homemade facials. As well as keywords and their definitions. What I loved about this book is that each chapter ends with a bonding activity.  Bonding over Beauty is a must have if you are a mother of a tween or teen who finds herself trying to find ways to build a healthy relationship with your daughter. Read More

As I predicted would happen, when I left the book out on the table, my 12-year-old daughter picked it up and started reading. When asked, she said that the pink cover got her attention.  The look does enhance its subject. The subtitles are in a curly font, and the cover, some inside pages and sidebars are pink.  Though it’s a book written to coach moms who are trying to communicate with their daughters about their bodies, it’s not inappropriate for older tweens and teens to read it cover-to-cover themselves, as my daughter ended up doing.

Whether you and your daughter are typical girly girls or more low maintenance, Bonding over Beauty will help you fill in the gaps in your knowledge to ease that transition from little girl to woman. Read More

“There is a new book for curious ‘tween girls titled “Bonding Over Beauty” that will help clueless moms like my own who don’t know where to begin in schooling a young lass on how to gracefully learn the ways of womanhood. This book is a conversation starters and a great tool to enable moms to educate and empower their daughters to make positive choices. While on the surface this looks like a book about beauty, it is actually about moms being able to teach their daughters the most important lesson of all: beauty truly comes from within, and from preserving health.” Read More

“Adolescence can be such a tough time to navigate for girls and they don’t get much support from the media, which insists that you’ve got to be tall, thin, and pimple-free in order to survive. Erika Katz has done an awesome job of presenting beauty in a way that is fun and totall non-threatening.  Thank you, Erika, for helping moms everywhere help their daughters navigate through the beauty waters and come out shining!” Read More

” On Saturday, Erika hosted a Mother’s Day bonding/press event at Laura Geller Makeup on the Upper East Side in NYC. As part of a Mother’s Day present, I brought my mom for a fun afternoon of makeup applications with QVC makeup star Laura Geller, hair with celebrity hairstylist Julien Farel, with some added bonding over yummy cupcakes and mimosas. The engaging, blue-eyed Bonding Over Beauty author wore a tight pink Michael Kors dress and lit up the room with her contagious energy and passion for mommy-daughter bonding.” Read More

“I loved this book because I could relate to a lot of things in it from my own experience and what I am already noticing in my daughter.ou may think that from the title it’s all about beauty, which you may not be interested in. There is so much more to it…I know that menstruation is right around the corner. Some little girls are getting it from age 9 and that will be next year. If she’s lucky, her body will wait until 16, like it did with me.  This book addresses that as well as yeast infections and UTIs. There are sections about skincare, hair care, makeup, digestion, and fitness. While reading this book, I learned some things too. It wasn’t just a book for things to do with my daughter, but a learning experience for me too.  Some areas, we are already starting to deal with such as underarm odor and the debateto or not to start wearing a bra. I think I want to go over each topic, we’ll read together from the book and I’ll include her in the choice of “bonding activities” that we can do together. I like the idea of a pampering day for the two of us and to take her shopping for her razors or pads/tampons once we hit those milestones. I truly enjoyed this book and especially over the next few years, will serve as a puberty guide for us. I’ve had a couple friends check it out and comment about what a great book it is. If you have a tween, or pre-tween, this really is a fantastic book to have.”  Read More

“Erika Katz offers practical advice for moms of tweens in order to help them build self-esteem, confidence and trust in their daughters. Katz, herself a mom of a tween girl, hopes to help moms build a comfortable dialogue with their daughters as they go through puberty and experiment with their new found independence.  Katz’ approach is to give all moms the information they need to guide their daughters through the trials of womanhood while bonding at the same time. These practical tips on everything from healthy eating to puberty will give moms the knowledge and tools they need to create a bond with their daughters that will last a lifetime.”  

“Are you having a difficult time connecting with your tween or teen daughter? If you feel a little lost on how to talk with her during this difficult time as she goes through puberty, check out a great new book from former child actress and model Erika Katz, who’s now a mom in New York City. “Bonding Over Beauty: A Mother-Daughter Guide to Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust,”offers a down-to-earth guide for moms to help address all the beauty, grooming, hygiene, body issues and questions their daughters have, while also making it fun. Best of all, it offers some great bonding time for mothers and daughters as they paint their nails together or learn to make organic face scrubs from scratch.” Read More

“Bonding over Beauty: A Mother-Daughter Beauty Guide To Foster Self-Esteem, Confidence, and Trust (Greenleaf Book Group Press) says mothers and daughters can bond over beauty. Her book offers moms with an ample arsenal of ideas to bond through all areas of beauty: hair, skin, nails, makeup, hands and feet, nutrition and more.  Below are my top 6 picks.” Read More

“What a wonderful and challenging time it can be raising a tween daughter.  How do I know?  I am raising one right now.  My daughter is 10 going on 11 in a few short months.   Her body is changing and more challenges in life that our girls must deal with.  I want to continue developing a good relationship with her so that she can come to me in the good times and bad.  I didn’t have a relationship like that with my mom.  There were so many things that I was embarrassed about or questions I had.  Instead, I went to my friends or the youth group leaders at our church.  Not your best sources for information.  I am happy to be able to have a resource to guide me through some of the things my daughter will go through.  Bonding Over Beauty, A Mother-Daughter Beauty Guide To Foster Self-Esteem, Confidence, And Trust does exactly that!  Developing good communication with our daughters is so important but how do we do that?  Erika Katz is the author and mother of a tween so she knows the importance.  Building open communication can be as simple (and fun) as going to get your hair done together or having a spa party for just you and her.  It can be the stepping stone to open those doors to talk about things that might not come up otherwise.”  Read More

“I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not only does it include beauty tips for skin and hair for all ethnicities, but it addressess and stresses beauty from the inside through diet and exercise. And in this age of costly spa treatments and mani-pedis, this book includes recipes for homemade masks, foot rubs, and other treatments.  But most importantly, it stresses the bonds that are developed while doing the beauty treatments with your daughter. I, myself, can think of some fascinating conversations that I’ve had with my daughter while doing her hair. And that’s the emphasis of this book – using something we already do and care about to build bonds with our daughters. This book is a wonderful addition to your library if you have daughters.”  Read More

“To keep the focus on bonding, it is really important you take the time to talk to your daughter,” says Erika Katz, author of Bonding over Beauty: A Mother-Daughter Beauty Guide to Foster Self-esteem, Confidence, and Trust. “Teach her to cleanse her skin and do it with her, all the while discussing why it is important to keep skin clean and healthy. Teach her to care for her hair, her teeth, and moisturize her body…These are life lessons, not just beauty rituals. To look healthy, you actually have to be healthy. This is why diet, exercise and proper hygiene are so important.”  Read More

“Erika is not only a former actress and model but also the Mom of a Tween girl, making her a pretty good source for all things when it comes to the body beautiful. In each chapter she not only covers the how-to’s but some fun things to do with your daughter to make great memories together. ..  The information is given in a clear, easy to follow manner.  I learned several things for my own use right now and I cannot wait to start doing a few of these things with my girls as they grow.  I would say that Erika hit the mark with her book and then some.  If you have a daughter or know someone with a daughter, this book would be a great thing to have as we try to help our girls make their way through this world we live in.” Read More

“I don’t think there is anything this book does NOT cover! I even found hair and makeup tips for me! If you have daughters, or your friends/family members do, you need this book! Think of it as a primer to the tween/teen years and as a modern resource!  I am NOT saying that we need to emphasize beauty with our daughters, but rather good skin/hair care, proper hygiene, nutrition and exercise, and the realities of being female. The external world WILL put emphasis on these things to your daughter, weather subtle or unavoidable, they are realities that kids face today. Why not be proactive and emphasize the things in this book ALONG with intelligence and making intelligent choices? That’s the key- well armed, your daughter can make great decisions and save herself (and you) hours of heartbreak and drama. Isn’t that worth it?  So go check out this book, you won’t be disappointed, and your daughter will thank you!” 

“Containing numerous bonding activities that can ease the difficulties faced by young girls on the road to physical and emotional maturity, the book also lets mothers know the crucial topics they need to address regarding the confusing effects of puberty. From step-by-step recipes for creating inexpensive, at-home body scrubs and acne remedies to advice on how to deal with unwanted body hair and even more unwanted periods, to recommendations for the best and most age appropriate beauty products for girls to use, Bonding over Beauty is an essential read for anyone raising a ‘tween girl.” Read More

“When I was offered a free advance copy of Erika Katz’s book,  Bonding over Beauty:  A Mother-Daughter Beauty Guide to Foster Self-Esteem, Confidence and Trust, I jumped at the chance to gain more insight into my own challenge.    I read it in one night, and have spent the last day reviewing sections with my own daughter.  It is the BEST book I have read on this subject.  What an enlightenment.  Erika challenged me to re consider my pre-conceptions about beauty and examine how they impacted my approach to helping Jamie through this time.  It provides specific information about hair, make up, hygiene and self-esteem.   She shares  insights on hot topics like wearing make up to school, shaving legs and tampons.  This book also debunks many beauty myths that are still handed down from Moms to daughters today.  I am so appreciative for  the tips and bonding experiences she suggests as well as the unique approach she takes in tying beauty to self-esteem.  After reading this book, I am much more confident in my ability to help Jamie and I navigate the coming years.  What a wonderful gift. Buy it, read it and share it with your friends.   This gets Momgadget.com’s highest rating.” Read More

“This book is all about beauty and is for the person in a tween’s life that is helping them with building their self-esteem and self-concept. Thus, though this book is touted for daughters, others can also benefit from the book itself, though I can see the importance of mothers and daughters bonding over this type of material.  What I liked about the book was that it focused on beauty and health and made the reader consider the whole person. Thus, the book is not just giving beauty tips, but it also spends a lot of time on health and exercise which is very important in a young girls’ life. The book was easy to read and with short chapters that hit home, anyone reading can get through a chapter in a short period of time and then have a good conversation together about what they just read.  There are some good resources in this book as well for parents. I know that I am not looking forward to the whole PMS Discussion and will probably let J-Mom take the lead on this. Yet, in this book there is a whole section on this whole issue and the way that it was presented here was so down to Earth that I was set at ease (at least somewhat).. Overall, this is a great book that will help in the building of a strong relationship between child and parent. If you have a daughter going into her tween years, do not miss this book!”  Read More

“Even though the book Bonding over Beauty was meant to help a mom and her tween bond and learn, I am finding use for it now.  We both have learned how to use different hair styling tools.  I mean things have changed since I was a teen.  Back then a blow dryer and hot rollers were the limit.  Now there are irons to make hair straight, curly or kinky.  Gosh where to begin.  Also I finally found out the secrets to plucking my brows and not crying through the whole thing.” Read More

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