There was a time when makeup artists stayed in the background and only coming out to retouch their work of art.

Nowadays like bloggers they are everywhere with YouTube channels, makeup collections, columns in magazines and book deals. Over the last year we have seen the launch of some great books by talented and respected MUAs and we have put together our Five Fabulous Beauty Books.

Art & Makeup by Lans Nguyen-Grealis

Lan Nguyen-Grealis is an award-winning makeup artist; she is the youngest Golden Mask Award Winner 2013 for Make-up Art and the Professional National Makeup Awards Winner 2011 for best studio shoot and overall winner. Lans taught herself everything she knows about makeup after studying fashion at Central Saint Martins.

Since then she has worked for publications such as Russian Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle Uk, Glamour, Grazia and Stella. Art & Makeup is inspired by the worlds of art, sculpture, cinema and performance art and references Picasso, Warhol, Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, Mad Men and The Great Gatsby. The book contains over 200 images and includes photography from Rankin.

Simply Glamorous by Gary Cockerill

Gary Cockerill is a celebrity makeup artist who has worked with the likes of Eva Longoria, Rachel Weiss, Fearne Cotton and Jerry Hall. He has a background in creating stunning looks for stage and screen, editorial, celebrity, events and advertising. Simply Glamorous shows you how to use makeup to enhance your features so you feel confident in your appearance.

This is done by showing how you can create different looks to your face that can either be natural, sophisticated, glamorous or dramatic. The book contains 15 stunning makeovers on women of all ages, explaining step by step how to re-create the looks.

Easy on the Eyes by Lisa Potter Dixon

Lisa Potter Dixon is known for her fab work with Benefit Cosmetics and QVC and in this book she reveals her secrets to great make-up which can be achieved between five to 30 minutes. The book features looks such as the smokey eye, classic flick and graphic liner looks. There is also a section on practical beauty such as makeup bag essentials, what to use when you're caught short, how to take your makeup look from desk to dance floor.

Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge

The legendary Lisa Eldridge released her book last week and unlike the other books in our Fab Five which focus on the practice of makeup, Face Paint is all about the historical aspect. This book explores the reasons why we use makeup and focuses on the icons and the materials that play an important part.

It also looks at the impact that makeup has had on our lives and predicts the future of the industry. This book caused a bit of stir as Lisa Eldridge is one of the most highly regarded make-up artists on the international beauty and fashion circuit. She has worked on the faces of celebrities such as Jada Pinkett, Penelope Cruz, Tyra Banks, Demi Moore and Salma Hayek.

One Woman 100 Faces by Francesca Tolot

Francesca Tolot's portfolio is very impressive with a client list that boost Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Cindy Crawford and Eva Longoria. This book is the first of its kind and chronicles the transformation of one woman who changes her appearance completely with every turn of the page.

It focuses on the ability to flaunt a dramatic eye makeup and rock bold, beautiful colours or the sheer confidence to display natural beauty by going bare faced. One Woman, 100 Faces is a celebration of femininity in very many ways.