Lymphatic drainage massage tutorials, correct lipstick application, a seven-minute workout, an explanation of the body's glandular systems, even Kegels — author Helen Noble's new book Being Simply Beautiful packs a lot of info into its slender 128 pages. Noble, the founder of luxe skincare line Belacrema and a big believer in natural beauty and traditional medicines, seems to have put her entire life philosophy into this book, and a lot of it's very useful. This is one woman's approach to beauty, and it reads like a knowledgeable friend who really wants to help you, even if her ideas are sometimes a little kooky.

As a reader, I was inclined to cherry-pick the bits of most use to me, because although Noble's explanations are elegant and accessible, there's a profusion of "hippie mom" talk that I, ever the cynic, would have been happy to skip over. Overall, if you're looking for a real woman's perspective on natural beauty, and especially if you don't mind a heaping dose of Chinese traditional medicine lite, Being Simply Beautiful (which comes out in stores Dec. 1) is a good one to pick up.