Bloom: navigating life and style by Estée LalondeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've been following Estée for years on YouTube (back when she was still called Essie Button!) though mostly her vlog channel over her main channel as I'm not incredibly interested in beauty and fashion, but even still, I'll watch just about anything she posts because I just love her personality so so much. She is a genuinely kind person as well as hilarious, awkward, and self-deprecating, all things I love in a human and can totally relate to myself. I would seriously love to be her friend in real life (doesn't everybody??) so of course when I found out that she was writing a book I had to pre-order it, and I'm so glad I did!
First of all, the book is aesthetically beautiful, with it's pastel colour scheme and that gorgeous cover photo! It's full of photos from her personal life that correspond to the content of each of the eight chapters - everything from beauty and fashion to food, home decor, travel, life, work, and my personal favourite, "People," specifically her relationship with her boyfriend Aslan. The letter he wrote to her is super sweet and you can just tell that they have an incredibly strong bond and love for each other. She writes about the people in her life with both honesty and pure love and admiration - you can tell that she is genuinely inspired by the special people in her life. I also really enjoyed the 'letters' that she wrote to specific people in her life, like her brother and childhood best friend. These sweet touches add to the overall appeal of the book and make it feel that much more personal and heartfelt - quite a lot like watching one of her many, many YouTube videos, which are always a joy to me.
Estée also spends some time talking about the more difficult moments in her life, for example her strained relationship with her father, growing up as more of an outcast among her peers, and her own battle with depression and anxiety later in life. These stories are not particularly heavy nor do they bring the overall feeling of the book down, rather they add to its depth and make for a more rounded look into her life and who she is as a person. Everyone has gone through hard moments in their life and I feel like these stories are great for younger people, perhaps pre-teens and teenagers, who are experiencing those awkward and trying moments firsthand. It's comforting to see where she was in life and where she is now, and definitely easy to relate to for me.
Estée has put a lot of effort and love into her work outside of this book, building her career from the ground up while never compromising on her own personal style, and in saying that it's clear that this book is a labour of love as well. As someone who has gone through many similar ups and downs in my own life, Estée is an inspiration to me, and in watching her own life unfold on screen I strive to be as genuine, kind, and determined in my own life as well. She definitely lives a charmed life now, but she's worked for it, and I admire her gumption.
I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because although I absolutely love her and her message (and again the book is just so dang BEAUTIFUL), I had expected a bit more as far as content goes. I would have liked more of the actual writing, more about her stance on gender equality and feminism and more stories from her life; though then again I may have just expected the wrong thing out of the book overall. I also can't ignore that she is much better on camera than as a writer, so for that reason alone I just can't give this book a higher rating. That said, it's a lovely 'coffee table' book and one I know I'll return to when I need a little pick-me-up or inspiration. I will continue to support her and I'm excited to see where she'll take her career next.
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