A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden

I am a fan of Gill Paul's writing. I find it straightforward and easy to read. Her descriptions of time and place put you at the scene. While Rubinstein and Arden are not my favorite subjects (I prefer her older eras, especially the Russian monarchy period), still I enjoyed this battle of talented, ambitious women. It is well done and a wonderful behind the scenes look. I especially enjoyed the thought that Helena conveyed in her note to Elizabeth after the attempted robbery when she congratulated her competition for not letting the "hoodlums" win.

I love this author. She puts you right back into time. Very interesting how the cosmetics started.

I’m a huge fan of historical fiction. In that sense this book did not disappoint. I had no idea these two women, both hugely successful in their own right, had such a long lasting rivalry! The book felt a bit slow at times did feel a bit slow at times. I think this is in part due to the chapters alternating between the two main characters. The timing felt choppy and didn’t always line up. Not a huge deal though as I’d still recommend this book to historical fiction fans and makeup lovers alike.

A very interesting read as I assume it was partly based on fiction and the story was very well written!

What a tumultuous story between Elizabeth Arden and Helen Rubinstein. It was startling to me how diabolical Helen was. Beyond enjoying the book,I found out at Elizabeth Arden’s “Eight Hour” face and body cream, which I promptly bought.