To Hell in High Heels

"I ordered this, received it and read it cover to cover within a day and a half. What a great book! Aimed at those ladies who have woken up one day and realised that they have entered the "twilight" zone of no longer being young and not yet being old but just starting to see those dreaded signs of ageing creeping in....

Helen Frith-Powell gives a very informative, witty and honest account of various anti-ageing products and treatments out there...some useful, some scary and some downright mad! In the name of journalism and for the greater good of woman-kind (yeah, right Helena!), she undergoes several treatments and procedures herself with varying degrees of success. I particularly enjoyed her account of those treatments where she knew her husband would kill her when he found out but went ahead and did them anyway!!

There were also some very insightful remarks made by Helena about attitudes to ageing, which I'm sure most women would relate to and a few cautionary tales about how easy it is to take things too far and when to stop.

Okay, so this book is aimed at middle/upper class ladies in their 40's who have money to spend but so what? In these dreary times of credit crunches, belt tightening and general doom and gloom, it was a most enjoyable, funny and refreshing read.

As a 43 lady myself, I take my hat off to Helena for not wanting to "give up" just because she's getting older. Let's make the best of ourselves every day, after all, you're a long time dead...."
~ Written on 2008-07-15

" Like most women, I am most curious to know the true story of all the cosmetic "wonder claims" from the best anti-wrinkle cream to how Botox "really works" to even plastic surgery without having to actually go through the expensive journey, myself. And really how effective are those natural methods offered that claim I can look younger and firmer without the high tech experience?
Helena has courageously and provocatively taken this tour for me and shared her experience in her new book. She has been able to make me laugh while also scaring me a bit on her journey through the fascinating world of anti-ageing. I actually found myself unable to put the book down from time to time in anticipation of whether or not Helena was going to actually go through an invasive procedure or not?! Such a great read! Her ability to share her process as she visits the most expensive and glamorous salons in the world to sharing the more natural processes for looking and staying younger kept me intrigued throughout the whole entire book.
I have to confess that I am Carolyn - one the people of whom Helena speaks about in her book that offers a more natural, viable alternative to fighting ageing, but this has not deterred me in any way from wanting to know more. I highly recommend this book to any of us wanting a glimpse of what it's like to explore the full spectrum of possibilities offered, from an insider's journey through the "land of anti-ageing" alternatives.
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~ Written on 2008-05-14

"I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It's a very well-researched guide to the full range of anti-ageing treatments on the market as the author travels the globe in her quest to bring the reader the best information in the fight against ageing. I found myself laughing out loud whilst reading this as it is highly amusing as well as being an uplifting read. The author's trademark warmth and humour run throughout this book and, like her earlier books, it is not to be missed. "
~ Written on 2008-04-21

"I ordered this book because I love her blog and thoroughly enjoyed her other books especially Two Lipsticks and a Lover. While that dealt with Frenchwomen and how to look like and act one, this one is all about how to stay young-looking. The author has behaved rather like a method actor getting herself into all sorts of strange situations in her quest for eternal youth but comes out the other end (relatively) unscathed. This is a kind of 'everything you wanted to know about ageing but were afraid to ask' book. If you want to know how to avoid looking like an old crow without having to test everything yourself then this is the book for you. The information is accessible and as with Two Lipsticks and a Lover the author has managed to keep her sense of humour throughout. A very funny and informative read."
~ Written on 2008-04-02