A Beautiful Rival – Rubenstein and Arden -set in New York City

Submitted: 23rd August 2023

I have little knowledge of the world of makeup and lipsticks but I, like, everyone, has heard of Rubenstein and Arden. This is the story of two women, two rivals, and the story of the beauty empires as the world entered a war and recession…

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Boarding Pass Information: New York with jaunts to Paris and London

Author guide: Gill Paul

Genre: historical fiction

Food and drink to accompany: anything darling that’s good for your skin

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Arden and Rubenstein are two names everyone knows. They were the two most iconic beauty empires in the 1900s and have paved the way for those that follow today. I love stories based on or inspired by real people, so even having no real interest in the beauty industry, I was very keen to read this.

Great idea to have alternating POVS. We meet Arden and Rubenstein via the same events and thought processes. When one launches a product, we see the other’s reaction. When one goes into a store to look at the other’s beauty range, we see both of their work behind the scenes to how the produts got on the shelves. It’s a great way of getting in both their heads and learning about the two very different personalities.

Thesory of how they developed their businesses, stole ideas, spied on each other and reacted to events was so vividly drawn. I felt like I was in their offices, a fly on the wall, getting all the best gossip from them both.

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The book flowed well and the pacing was such that it was fast and slow depending on the world event, the product launch or something of note. During the quiet moments, the look back at their lives and inner turmoil really helped the next big moment to really hit home.

I got so much from this novel – it’s jammed pack with world events, a peek behind the scenes of the beauty industry and more. What I really loved was how the author took these two icon women, gave them a voice, a place on the beauty stage and made them come alive again.