“I’ve never met a woman I like...

“I’ve never met a woman I like who spends more than 10 minutes on her face,” Adrien Arpel says.

This is not the sort of observation you might expect to hear from a woman whose name appears on a line of beauty products as well as 500 skin-care salons across the country.

But her newest beauty book, “851 Fast Beauty Fixes and Facts” (written with Ronnie Sue Ebenstein for G. P. Putnam’s Sons, $17.95), is geared toward the 10-minute face, she says.

Question: What does your new book offer that other “time-saving” beauty books do not?

Answer: It’s a book that tells you how to fix shopping mistakes you’ve made at the cosmetics counter. So often we buy things we find we really can’t use. I tell women how to correct products rather than throw them away, using the same ingredients I use in my cosmetics laboratory.

Q: What are the most common mistakes women make when they buy skin-care products?

A: They buy moisturizer that is too rich or too dry for their skin types. And I have a home solution for that. Add half a teaspoon of glycerin to a tablespoon of the moisturizer if it is too rich. Or, add a quarter of a teaspoon of melted cocoa butter per tablespoon to a moisturizer that is too dry.

Q: What skin-care tips do you have for women who work in offices?

A: Many working women experience an increase in skin blemishes when they spend hours each day in an office. Usually that is caused by handling telephones and office supplies all day. For a blemish-control cream that matches your foundation, mix three drops of liquid camphor in a small amount of your liquid makeup. Mix the solution in the palm of your hand, dab it on the blemish and then apply your makeup.

Q: Is there a way to correct face powder that turns orange on the skin?

A: It’s not the powder but the skin’s acid that makes the powder turn an orange color. If a powder goes orange on your face, mix two parts cornstarch with one part bicarbonate of soda and apply the mix under your face powder. It will change the pH balance of your skin and keep the powder from turning color.