Kevyn Aucoin, North Americas preeminent makeup artist, shares his secrets, explaining the very best techniques from natural beauty to hot smoky eye make up techniques. He explains the foundational keys to makeup application through step-by-step directions, instructional full-colour sketches, and a gallery of regular girl transformations, as well as fabulous images of stars and supermodels such as Cher, Tina Turner, Vanessa Williams, and Julia Roberts. If you do not own this book, it is a must buy for every girl. It is the perfect instructional guide for teenagers, to a woman in her 30's and 40's.
Review By a Customer- "I bought this book skeptically after hearing from a friend how helpful it was in describing techniques. The georgeous photos would have sold it for me anyhow, but Aucoin's 'Making Faces' actually taught me how to do makeup. I've always done the same thing...which was basically go natural or play with makeup till I looked like a clown then scrub it all off. It's a simple approach that is easily accessible. The book makes doing eyebrow shaping look easy...and it not only looks easy- by following a few steps it turns out it IS easy. If you want to learn the basics- buy this book. If you want to do a home makeover- go glamorous, sensual, then fun later on - buy this book. If you want to tune your look a bit- get it! I guess I don't have to go on, but if you are like me and need a bit of instruction and cant afford a makeup artist to be at your beckon call- buy this book. At least borrow it from a friend. It's one of the books you'll consistently turn to for tips and tricks. It's an excellent resource and a whole lot of fun. The photos and styles cover all ages, from young and cute teenage to mature sophisticated and sexy women to a really hot guy in drag (double take is an understatement). Aucoin not only uses "Stars" but also 'real' people (meaning their looks aren't a direct part of their job) in showing the techniques and how they cause such transformations."
Buy His Book Here- Making Faces
Review From A Customer:
If you've ever looked at fashion magazines and wondered what makeup techniques went into creating the look, "Face Forward" may give you all the answers you need. Not only did Kevyn Aucoin do all the makeup in this book, but he also wrote it and contributed to the photography, art direction and design. He is a genius. Period.
Outside of the introductory chapters, the book is divided into five main parts: 1) "Behind Beauty," where Kevyn describes how he treats the face to bring out a wide range of attributes; 2) "Face to Face," which consists of in-depth photography and illustrations of the steps involved with creating beautiful looks; 3) "Dimensions," where Kevyn explores the "classic personifications of beauty" by making up actresses and models to look like stars of the past; and 4) & 5) forward-looking concepts of makeup techniques and the future of beauty, also using the faces of actresses (and even his mom).
I think it's great that someone as talented as Kevyn can be so generous in explaining his craft, but even if you're not into that, "Face Forward" holds up fantastically on its merits as an art/photography book: the resemblance of the current stars to the past ones is incredible (e.g., Winona Ryder as Elizabeth Taylor).
This book may be a little advanced for makeup artists who are just starting out, but hey, makeup is art, and art is about ideas, so it's definitely worth checking out. For anyone who is just plain interested in fashion and style, "Face Forward" will be intriguing, even if only for the skill exhibited in transforming one famous face into another. It's a masterpiece.
Buy His Book Here- Face Forward
Customer Review - From the first moment I saw Kevyn's first book, "The Art of Makeup", I was inspired and moved by his talent and passion for his craft. I remember staring at the huge pages of his first book and it was then that my creative juices started flowing and haven't stopped since. It was my older brother who had always supported my interest and passion for makeup and makeup artistry, and it was he who gave me 2 of 3 of Kevyn's books. All of them only making me crave more of him and wanting to aspire even more. My brother saw that it was the Beauty & Health section I ran to in bookstores to sit in the aisle and flip thru Kevyn's books.
With the sad passing of Kevyn, I believe that the fashion world lost such an immense talent and impressionable soul. I didn't have to know Kevyn personally to feel that he was a giving and sweet individual, his books and artwork showed me more. His closest friends share countless tales and how he had touched them in so many ways.This book leaves us with his legacy of beauty, talent, art, love, his activism on numerous issues, and most importantly his life. It is a wonderful biography filled with photographs of celebrities he had befriended and worked with.
I most definitely recommend getting this book for those of you that were touched and inspired by him and his work...IT and Kevyn truly were a masterpiece.
Thanks Kerry Diamond for leaving us with a greater picture of a beloved soul.
