TeenLit: Girl in a Fix – Quick Beauty Solutions (and Why They Work) by Somer Flaherty and Jen Kollmer
Girl in a Fix combines, beauty, science, and invention with tradition, helping girls with tips on how to cure everything from stinky feet to greasy hair. Some of the beauty-fiasco advice has been around for many years; other bits fall into the totally new and why-didn’t-I-think-of-that (such as lip balm along the hairline to prevent dye transfer) categories.
Focusing on cosmetic emergencies and solutions, Girl in a Fix offers recipes to concoct lip gloss and nail polish that exactly match eye shadow, and speedy nail-drying tips (try cooking spray!). Some of the suggestions will take time (minutes to hours), but there are also “On the Run” suggestions for quick fixes to bothersome problems (use a toilet seat cover on the face to blot oil and eliminate shininess).
Most teens know that produce is important—whether they want to or not, they really should be eating those fruits and veggies. Girl in a Fix lets them know how to use tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil (this is beginning to sound like a salad recipe) to resolve stained nails, puffy eyes, raggedy cuticles and other disasters. There are lots of things in the pantry that could come in handy at the dressing table.
The explanations of why the fixes work (tomato juice rinses out the green from pool-hair by binding with hard metals in pool water) make the book a series of mini-lessons in science. While some girls couldn’t care less why something works, just as long as it does, others will find the science behind the beauty fix interesting.
The best thing about the tips and advice in Girl in a Fix is that they are financially feasible. None require buying expensive ingredients to concoct remedies. Girl in a Fix is a terrific book to combine with a larger gift (like a make-up trunk) or to slip into a Christmas stocking (or alternate holiday equivalent).
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