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In the time it takes to say Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin and Hair from the Beauty Authority, you could probably apply a quick coat of mascara to accentuate your lashes.

And by the time you finish reading all 224 pages of the newly released book, you may decide you never have to buy another beauty magazine again - not because you no longer care about smoky eyes and bronzed legs, but because this tome tackles all there is to know about putting your best face (and body) forward.

Coinciding with the beauty superstore's 10-year anniversary in the United States, the book draws on advice and personal anecdotes from brand founders and industry experts while providing product recommendations, ingredient glossaries and how-to primers.

At the U.S. corporate office in New York, author Melissa Schweiger described the year-long project.

"At Sephora, we have access to all the big names in beauty, and we hear all their top secrets and interesting tips and tidbits and techniques that the general public doesn't have access to," says the former beauty editor and writer whose articles have appeared in Marie Claire, In Style, Seventeen and Women's Wear Daily. "So we thought, what better time than now to just to consolidate everything."

Sephora dates back to 1969 (it started in France), but it was not until 1997, when Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton - the luxury powerhouse best known as LVMH - purchased the company that global expansion began.

Whether in Calgary or Cannes, the boutiques boast a similar aesthetic; the airy black and white space, not unlike a traditional department store but more compact, allows the colourfully packaged products to stand out. They are merchandised according to brand, most of which are considered prestige or more exclusive.

Companies jump at the opportunity to be carried by Sephora not only because the exposure is international but because sales associates receive training on everything in the store, as opposed to just being educated in a single brand.

Today, there are more than 180 stores in North America; the first Canadian location opened at Toronto's Eaton Centre in 2004. The website, now nearly nine years old, is the most comprehensive source for purchasing beauty products online, with upward of 12,000 on virtual display.

The book is more selective. Schweiger explains the featured products represent all-time customer bestsellers, as well as favourites from brand founders. Companies did not pay to be included. "This is meant to be quite the opposite of a catalogue," she says. "We spoke to each founder and asked them to think about which product they would choose if someone were to buy one product from their line. It was hard - like picking your favourite child."

But products serve no purpose if you don't know how to use them and for this, the book becomes a compendium of all those magazine articles women read but rarely refer back to.

Quick fixes can come from unlikely places, no purchase required; matchbox covers double as nail files, hair conditioner is a shaving-cream substitute and cold spoons fix puffy eyelids.

Discovering the faces behind the brands - some of them share their daily routines - is especially eye-opening. Vincent Longo recounts a morning doing makeup for an Erin Fetherston runway show. Tarte founder Maureen Kelly eats an egg-white omelette with spinach and cheese plus multigrain toast with jam for breakfast.

"If you have a connection with a founder that you didn't realize you'd have, it will make you more interested in a brand that you wouldn't have tried ordinarily," says Schweiger, who, at 34, is fresh-faced with effortlessly styled long blond hair.

For all the airbrushed images - perfect pores, sun-kissed cheeks and lustrous lashes - the text reassures that no one is born perfect (Shocker: supermodels have cellulite!). And the experts are careful to qualify that true beauty has as much to do with confidence as with genetics and cosmetics. It's what's on the inside that radiates outward, many agree. Sean (Diddy) Combs even democratically - and endearingly - declares that "all women are beautiful."

Asked what beauty means to her, Schweiger responds with all the predictable non-superficial attributes. Then she pauses, smiles and adds, "And also, a good lip gloss and a little blush doesn't hurt."

Budding beauty

Here are the top picks for spring from Melissa Schweiger, author of Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin and Hair from the Beauty Authority:

Stila Eye Shadow Pan in Kitten, $18LipFusion Color Shine in Bare, $38Tarte Cheek Stain in Full Blossom, $28 Cargo Blu_Ray Collection, $20 to $30 Cosmedicine Honest Face Skin Tint & Treatment SPF 20, $35 Sephora Brand Lash Plumper, $16Daisy by Marc Jacobs eau de

toilette, $55Sephora Nail Patch, $10 Make Up For Ever Diamond Eye Shadow in Diamond Peach, $20

All prices in U.S. dollars; available at http://www.sephora.com.