Written by Jayse Smith
This book opens with an image of five handsome men beaming with happiness, confidence, style and love. It’s safe to say the FAB5 are exactly that…F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!! The words above are used to describe the picture on the dedication page, and these are the themes which are woven throughout the new lifestyle book—Queer Eye: Love Yourself. Love Your Life. The entire book is filled with explosions of colour, gorgeous photography, and chock full of handy tips, hints, and information to live your best life.
The first chapter is broken up into different stories about each of the fabulous guys starting with Jonathan Van Ness and followed by Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Karamo Brown. They each share their story and information in their respective sections and offer gems of wisdom and insight into their lives and experiences of growing up as part of the LGBT community.
The book is then broken up into sections which cover the boys’ talents: makeovers, style, food, interior design, and self-love. Filled with catchphrases, the one liners makes reading all the information throughout this book a joy to absorb.
Hair, skin, and soul expert Jonathan shares his tips, tricks, and wisdom on how to put your best face and hair forward such as spiking your shampoo and conditioner with a few drops of lemongrass or rosemary essential oil to stimulate hair growth and combat dry scalp.
Tan shares his style tips, although he looks like he’s stepped out of a GQ magazine, his mission is to try to find your personal style which will make you feel confident every time you walk out the door. He recommends never buying anything without trying it on first and always take three sizes to the changing room with you. He offers his tips to essentials every wardrobe should include for both men and women.
Karamo shares his insights to achieving your goals and living your best life. Also how to engage meaningfully with your feelings and explore what your emotions are trying to tell you. He offers tips for budgeting, learning, and work with tips ‘hip tips’ throughout—with one of my favourites being how to remember someone’s name when you meet them for the first time. He says repeat it in the conversation, so you remember it for next time.
Bobby shares his remodelling and decorating tips. His tips include figuring out how a room will function, how many people will use the room, and how it’ll fit in to your daily routine.
Antoni shows off his skills in his chapter on cooking, it is filled with recipes from each of the boys, his tools of the trade and staples which should be in every pantry. He talks about the balance of flavours salty, bitter, sour, sweet, and umami pronounced ‘ooooh-mummy,’ a hard to describe flavour which is unique, rich and kind of tomatoey. He shares kitchen hacks and simple meal ideas which look freaking amazing.
This book is 100% amazing. It’s a kaleidoscope of ideas and left this author feeling uplifted and ready to take control of every aspect of life. These guys present such an optimistic outlook which is something the entire world needs. If you need direction in your life this is a great place to begin.
Queer Eye: Love Yourself, Love Your Life is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
Will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the Fab Five—the beloved hosts of Netflix’s viral hit Queer Eye—comes a book that is at once a behind-the-scenes exclusive, a practical guide to living and celebrating your best life, and a symbol of hope.
Feeling your best is about far more than deciding what color to paint your accent wall or how to apply nightly moisturizer. It’s also about creating a life that’s well-rounded, filled with humor and understanding—and most importantly, that suits you. At a cultural moment when we are all craving people to admire, Queer Eye offers hope and acceptance. After you get to know the Fab Five, together they will guide you through five practical chapters that go beyond their designated areas of expertise (food & wine, fashion, grooming, home decor, and culture), touching on topics like wellness, entertaining, and defining your personal brand, and complete with bite-sized Hip Tips for your everyday quandaries. Above all else, Queer Eye aims to help you create a happy and healthy life, rooted in self-love and authenticity.
