As a cosmetics fan I was really excited to read this book. Overall, I thought it was a pretty decent read. I am curious if any of the book is inspired by true events because some of it seemed like it could have happened. If you like historical fiction this is for you.

This book is so much fun. I was in the cosmetic business for a while and could relate to many of the scenarios that I witnessed firsthand. It tells the story of three beauty icons - strong women who were gifted with good looks, brains, and plenty of chutzpah. I highly recommend this book to someone who is fascinated by strong women and the beauty industry.

This is a novel about the people who invented the modern cosmetic industry, Meet the ladies who made the cosmetics world as we know it. From a poor Jewish woman to a poor black woman, and every one in between. This was a fun romp through a fictionalized of history.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I was captivated by the blurb for this book, being compared to Swans of Fifth Avenue, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I was excited to read Rouge by author Richard Kirshenbaum.

Taking place between two icons in the beauty industry, I really enjoyed this one! I loved the rivalry between brands, and getting a peek into this world of beauty.

Spanning from the 1920s to more recent times in the 1990s, I felt that Rouge was well paced, full of the drama, and gave a full cast of characters that I enjoy!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Wow - this book really makes the reader feel like they’re going back in time and experiencing all of the events with the characters! Really enjoyed this book, and it definitely kept me wanting to get to the next chapter to see what happens! For anyone that likes a book with a saga/story throughout years, this one is for you!

This historical novel, set primarily from the 1920s-1940s, centers around two rival women, Josephine Herz and Constance Gardiner, who each become pioneers in the makeup business. Apparently it is based on the real life rivalry between Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, but for whatever reason, even though the book seems very well-researched, the author chose to make fictional characters rather than fictionalize the real life women even though he borrowed many elements of their real lives. The writing is sometimes stilted and the book definitely violates "show don't tell" repeatedly, but it was an interesting story. I was looking for a historical novel on the lighter side and this definitely fit the bill. Fans of Melanie Benjamin might like this book although she undoubtedly would have used the real-life characters instead.

This was a fun book! It's the story of the cosmetics inventors in a power struggle, with all the glamour of that industry. I thought it made the perfect beach read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried a second time and I just couldn’t get into this book. I really don’t like to give bad reviews but this book was not meant for me.

I loved this book! It is a little bit of beauty, with a huge side of hustle.
Rouge is a story set in the 1930s about Josephine and Constance and their bitter rivalry. Super strong female leads! It is juicy, dramatic, intriguing and extremely well written and historical. I want to see this as a TV show!!! Thank you St. Martin Press!

Love the cover and the story was riveting. I felt the angst of want and desire from the characters, the conflict and the descriptions were wonderful. Well written - definitely recommend.

I had eagerly anticipated the release of Rouge. The premise is intriguing and I had high hopes of reading about strong, powerful, competitive women breaking barriers in an era where women were shrugged off and not thought to have the competence to run a company. What I got was a novel full of superficiality, backstabbing, spitefulness, and gender and sexuality issues that made me incredibly uncomfortable. I hoped for more character depth and something that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but some part of this story fell flat for me and left me disappointed.

I could tell that this novel was well researched and the subject is still fascinating but sadly I am in the minority and did not care for this novel at all.

Rogue is the story that follows three women in the beauty industry in the 1930s. It has plenty of intrigue and drama and enough to keep the pages turning as you learn more about each woman's past and rise to the top. What will they do to keep their place in the hierarchy? This book was a fun read.

I tried hard to like this book but I thought the pace was super slow and not catchy at all. It felt like it went on and on.

Before I begin, I will nitpick. It's called Rouge, but no one made blush...
Now, on to the good stuff. Rouge is the tale of Josephine and Constance and the bitter rivalry between them and their beauty empires. It also features CeeCee, who will become important to them both in dramatic ways throughout their lives.
I loved this book. I SAVORED it. And I could easily see it as a tv show. It was juicy and full of drama but well written and deeply interesting to me. I love Jacqueline Susann, and to me, this felt similar to reading one of her books. Dramatic, sexy, but also there's substance.

One million thank yous to Netgalley for providing me this fabulous read. 5/5 stars

Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Rouge.
3.5 stars

A glitzy, delicious novel about two fearless women striving unapologetically striving for domination over the cosmetics industry. Rouge is a novel loosely based on the very famous rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. But not only that, it brings in inspiration from other major founding players cosmetics industry, Max Factor, Mary Kay Ash and David Hall McConnell (Avon) to create an exciting story about some of the brands best known in the industry. It’s a fascinating tale of rivalry and innovation. These women were brilliant, strong pioneers of their industry and this book does a brilliant job of putting it all into a captivating story. It’s a fun one for anybody interested in the women who were the founders of one of the world’s biggest industry. Well executed and super catty, I fully enjoyed it.

I am a huge beauty junkie and so this book was amazing for the amount of information provided about the scions of the industry. Names are changed, but I knew enough of my beauty history to know who's who. The author obviously did his research. The only negative was the story was a bit slow moving, because there was so much detail. I think the book would benefit with a bit of streamlining. All in all a fascinating read, perfect for historical fiction fans who also love the field of beauty and cosmetics. I recommended it to a makeup artist at Sephora.

(Thanks to @stmartinspress for my review copy) Finished @richard_kirshenbaum debut novel, #rouge earlier today and it was an engrossing summer read. The story of 2 (actually kind of 3) female entrepreneurs who kick-started the beauty industry was well crafted. This historical fiction mostly covered the 30s to 50s as Josephine and Constance constantly try to one-up each other personally and professionally. These titans challenge each other to push their respective companies to greatness. Their lives parallel throughout the story in unique ways though they remain enemies until their dying day. (Not a spoiler as the book opens with one presenting legal papers at the funeral of the other.) I loved getting a look at how the beauty industry was influenced by Hollywood and the war - and the story to find a mascara formula that worked was fascinating. CeeCee was probably my favorite character in the book - she was fierce!!! The only miss for me was the prologue and epilogue - they weren’t needed in my opinion and didn’t add to the story much. I think the last scene and frankly, the last sentence before the epilogue would have been the ideal ending. All in all, a fun read for anyone interested in the flashy, fictionalized origins of the beauty industry

Interesting well researched tale. I enjoyed how the author framed the characters. The story moved along quickly and ended well.