The Girls' Spa Book : 20 Dreamy Ways to Relax and Feel Great (Girl Zone Series)
This new book in the Girl Zone series from Maple Tree Press is a wonderful change from many "tween" beauty books I've seen. It's packed with fun, easy recipes for making all the basics for an at-home spa experience, and is full of girl-power insights and interesting facts relating to the ingredients and products. It also includes great ideas for turning the body products girls make into unique and meaningful gifts.
The team of Mary Wallace and Jessica Wallace has really found an original way to present a topic that many have tried before. There are a lot of teen beauty books and magazines out there to choose from, but few I've seen have the empowering pizzazz of "The Girls' Spa Book."
In a colorful and well-organized presentation, the book outlines ingredients and how-to recipes for making everyday beauty products like shampoo, bubble bath, lotion, lip gloss, powder and more. It gives color photos of the ingredients so you'll know what they should look like and also gives gentle warnings about food and skin allergies throughout. The recipes are step-by-step with drawings, numbers, and a simple layout to help girls do it themselves the right way. There are also sections on creating your own personal logo, making gift tags and baskets, and creating beautiful greeting cards that will be treasured.
As a mom, I think the hair styles and make-up are overdone and inappropriate for younger girls, and they are not discussed in this book (except for a recipe for some very natural lip gloss.) There are also no photos of real girls, only very hip, carton-like girls, so there can be no beauty comparisons or the idea of trying to look like a girl in the book.
What I liked most about "The Girls' Spa Book" were the inspiring quotes from real girls (whose names are listed in the back of the book) about how to relax, de-stress, feel strong, and enjoy life. There are wonderful items that moms could read to their daughters to help them work through all the tough times that this age group faces every day.
