Madame: Intimate Biography of Helena Rubinstein

by Patrick O'Higgins

An affectionate, intimate biography by Madame Helena Rubinstein's personal assistant that captures "Madame's" unbounded energy and spunk such as her buying carloads of African sculpture or kicking an inatteneive employee in the ankle to make him listen, keeping her competitor's at bay, and dispensing homely advice, particularly on beauty. Rubinstein's propensity for crisis, strife, and inevitably, farce make this irreverent but affectionate biography the purset diversion and just a fun read.

304 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Ozma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at a used book sale because I liked the look of it. It had a proper cover, and the book had thick, creamy pages which felt crisp. I also liked the cover art: a picture of a solitary jar. It captures, in a symbolic way, the power of the Helena Rubinstein empire. Considering she built the empire herself and, according to the book, introduced the concept of beauty products and maintenance with creams and lotions, she was quite a remarkable lady. One of the first lady millionaires and a very shrewd businesswoman, she was exacting, demanding, detailed, and actually seems like quite the terror to work for. O'Higgins was hand-picked by her, only to be tortured by her with all sorts of demands and exhausting work schedules. At one point, I almost stopped reading because Rubinstein seemed like such a tyrant that I didn't want to read about her anymore. But I was drawn back, wanting to know what happened. She was clever and pushy, a lethal and very memorable combination. As usual, her heirs ran her legacy into the ground. I wonder what the world would be like without her. Would I have saved a lot of money by not having any beauty products to buy? (Although, many other individuals and companies developed similar products, and one debate is if Elizabeth Arden or Helena Rubinstein was first.) I never had the chance to go to the Helena Rubinstein spas. I was a devotee of Georgette Klinger, another Eastern European beauty entrepreneur. She did have some very devoted relatives and employees, but, once she died, her company eventually was consumed in a corporate buyout. I don't know if her products even worked, but she was a genius at the "brand." O'Higgins doesn't paint a flattering portrait. I wonder if Rubinstein would have approved. However, the story of how Rubinstein thwarted two robbers who invaded her home at the age of 90+ was very impressive. The lady had a lot of spunk and nerve. Not an essential or most favorite read but not a waste of time either. O'Higgins was a man of the world and has a great choice of words and strong cultural vocabulary (using phrases like "I gave my salaams"...how many writers today would even know how to use that phrase?).

[Karen Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this biography fascinating - an inside glimpse into one of the most brilliant and repugnant ladies of "beauty." Helena Rubinstein was a doozy of an employer, and O'Higgins had a front row seat as her personal assistant. He watched her load up on jewelry before meeting some women of the press, only to pluck pieces off herself and give them (Lady Bountiful!) as souvenirs ("for luck!"). O'Higgins uses many exclamation points when quoting Madame to make the reader feeling they are there - absorbing her extraordinary energy, her take-no-prisoners method of dealing with people (even her own sons).

His description of Rubinstein buying back her company from Lehman Brothers reminded me of the 1956 movie, "Solid Gold Cadillac" with Judy Holliday - he writes "...she wrote hundreds of personal letters to small stockholders - mostly women - pointing out 'as one woman to another,' that men didn't understand the beauty needs of the average woman...collecting proxies from her new adherents...she was then able to force 'the bankers' into selling the company back to her...she had made a net profit of six million."

Although I have read no fewer than 4 biographies of Rubinstein, as well as her own autobiography, this hilarious and beautifully-written biography tops them all.

[Julai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book had a good foundation in fact, but ultimately I can't makeup a good reason to read it again. The title over promises on intimacy-- there's nothing here to make one blush. Ultimately, brush this one aside.

[crm · Rating 3 out of 5]

first-hand account of Helena Rubinstein's very colourful life and strong character.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

a boring bio by a boring author on a boring person.