Decorate Your Coffee Table With These Gorgeous Beauty Books

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If you're looking for the perfect way to inspire a book-lover in your life, these beauty volumes should be on your shopping list. They're good for so much more than keeping glass stains off the coffee table. Each page is packed with hair, makeup, and nail tips from celebrities and industry insiders. Whether you like a good self-help book, prefer a historical drama, or salivate over amazing photography, there is an option in this roundup. Keep reading to kick-start your friend's romance with all things beauty.

01
Boundless Beauty

Boundless Beauty

Boundless Beauty ($40) is more like a history tome than a how-to book. You will find out more about the inner workings of the beauty business by reading the story behind French brand Sisley. Hubert d'Ornano, founder of Sisley, outlines the rise of his billion-dollar company page by page.

02
Blow Me a Kiss

Blow Me a Kiss

As beauty editors, we know the power of a bold lip, and so does author Alice Harris. In her book Blow Me a Kiss ($24), she highlights artwork that zooms in on the mouth. The visual exploration includes photos from icons like Andy Warhol and models like Solange Knowles. After a few pages, you'll be craving a bold lip look.

03
Flower Crowns

Flower Crowns

We're obsessed with flower crowns — and not just for music festival season. That's why Flower Crowns: 30 DIY Floral Creations ($17) has a permanent place near our craft table. There's inspiration for holiday hair accessories and bridal arrangements, too.

04
Your Beauty Mark

Your Beauty Mark

Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese has definitely got a signature beauty style — red lipstick, jet-black hair, beauty mark, and alabaster skin. She's sharing all her secrets in Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour ($40). Inside she outlines her exercise routine, fragrance shopping tips, and skin care essentials. We're nicknaming this volume "How to Become Your Sexiest Self."

05
The French Beauty Solution

The French Beauty Solution

French women have unlocked the secret to antiaging — relaxation! The founder of skin care brand Caudalie, Mathilde Thomas, details her laissez-faire approach in her first book, The French Beauty Solution ($27). We can honestly say that she looks like a 20-year-old model, so any advice she gives we'll follow to a T.

06
Hair

Hair

With almost 30 years of runway experience for designers like Marc Jacobs and Versace, Guido Palau is the expert when it comes to hair. He shows off his skill in his latest book, Hair ($75). You won't find the loose waves and ponytails in this inspiration guide. It's all over-the-top styles that show off Guido's true talents.

08
The Beauty Book

The Beauty Book

Kenneth Willardt is a fashion photographer who has captured celebrities like Karlie Kloss and Rachel Weisz for top-tier magazines. In his photo tome, The Beauty Book ($125), all of his best shots are collected into one weighty volume. The book also comes with a coordinating app that reveals bonus multimedia content when you scan the coordinating page.

09
Younger

Younger

Dr. Lancer is the dermatologist to stars like Kim Kardashian, and he's letting us all in on the Hollywood skin secrets. In his book Younger ($27), he tells the truth about Botox, but he also gives tips for natural antiaging, too.

10
Bloom

Bloom

Carmindy is one celebrity makeup artist we trust. She has created her own makeup line and powdered the likes of Cindy Crawford. Now, she's passing her beauty advice to the next generation in Bloom ($20). This book is a guide to the makeup basics from acne-concealing techniques to budget-friendly product picks.

11
Nails, Nails, Nails!

Nails, Nails, Nails!

Nail art is here to stay! And while some designs are too complex to DIY, celebrity manicurist Madeline Poole has pulled together 25 looks that you can do with Nails, Nails, Nails! ($10).

12
Making Faces

Making Faces

The late Kevyn Aucoin was an icon in the makeup industry with celebrity clients like Cher, Tina Turner, and Gwyneth Paltrow. His legacy (and best beauty secrets!) live on in his book Making Faces ($22). The techniques are timeless.

13
The Secret of Chanel No. 5

The Secret of Chanel No. 5

The fragrance that women adore is undressed in The Secret of Chanel No. 5 ($26). You can get a glimpse into this historic fragrance and Coco Chanel's life, which will only make you covet a bottle of your own even more.

14
Make-Up Secrets

Make-Up Secrets

Make-Up Secrets ($25) by British makeup artist Jemma Kidd makes all those complicated beauty looks like the smoky eye and false lashes a breeze. It's good to have this manual near the vanity when you're preparing for a party.

15
Freckles

Freckles

Photographers can find beauty in many different places, and Reto Caduff features the handsomeness of freckles in his photo book Freckles ($180). You'll never feel insecure about you spotted features when you get a glimpse of all these gorgeous faces.

16
Pretty Powerful

Pretty Powerful

Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful ($30) is more a motivational book than a makeup guide (even though Bobbi has done that before, too). Inside there are inspiring messages from celebrities like Rachel Roy and Gabourey Sidibe right at your fingertips for days when you feel less than glamorous.

17
Lauren Conrad Beauty

Lauren Conrad Beauty

Lauren Conrad hit a home run with her beauty website, The Beauty Department. Her book Lauren Conrad Beauty ($22) is like the expanded version with stellar tutorials and tips from her team.

18
The Coiffure Project

The Coiffure Project

Natural hair has become increasingly popular over the last decade, and while women around the world are embracing their curls, The Coiffure Project ($30) is zooming in on the trend. This book of photography by Glenford Robert Nunez Jr. features curly girls front and center.

19
Book of Downtown Girls

Book of Downtown Girls

Wah Nails is one of the top nail art salons in the country. So if you want to see the extreme side of manicures, you'll get caught up in its Book of Downtown Girls ($18). Bows, rhinestones, and designs galore.

20
Braids, Buns, and Twists

Braids, Buns, and Twists

You'll never have a dull hair day again with this book gracing your coffee table. In Braids, Buns, and Twists! ($20), author Christina Butcher breaks down how to get an array of styles even a beginner could master. Plus, it makes the ideal gift for the DIY girl in your clique.

21
Faery Lands: Tahiti

Faery Lands: Tahiti

So, technically Faery Lands: Tahiti ($100) isn't a book about hair or makeup. But the island-themed photography is the project of none other than makeup artist Francois Nars. The black-and-white photography is an Instagram-lover's dream.

22
It

It

Your fashionable friend will appreciate It ($30) by Alexa Chung. The front-row regular gives her advice on everything from getting dressed to re-creating that enviable head of waves.