Envision Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada in the high-drama, estrogen-infused world of cosmetics, and you have What Pretty Girls Are Made Of—a hilarious debut novel from a writer who’s lived it.

Lindsay Roth spent years working in the makeup industry at a well-known multimillion dollar company.  Her roman-à-clef, What Pretty Girls Are Made Of, breaks the lipstick seal of silence in this thinly veiled tell-all about what it’s like working in the estrogen-infused cosmetic trenches.   

This voice-driven narrative centers around the indefatigable Alison Kraft, who lands a new career in the cutthroat world of high-end makeup, ensnared under a new boss who could give even Miranda Priestly a run for her money.  A boss who secretly wires the office halls, requires coffee in the shade of Beyoncé, and locks misbehaving employees in her red Mercedes for drive-by-ambush scoldings.  While this cosmetics company doesn’t test on animals, it certainly isn’t cruelty free. 

But beyond the circumstances of Alison’s job, What Pretty Girls Are Made Of brings a new, hopeful spin to the woes of late 20-Something life: it isn’t fluff – it isn’t a miracle story.  It’s about how this winning modern heroine invents herself; about covering up and wiping away.  An act of desperation to achieve inner satisfaction.   

What Pretty Girls Are Made Of is honest about its characters’ flaws, while still maintaining a fresh-faced outlook at what happens when life doesn’t go your way.

For what really is makeup?  You’ll find out.