Kevyn Aucoin - Makeup Artist and Author
One of the most influential men in my dance career wasn't
a dancer at all. Rather, he was a makeup artist and author whom
I never even had the pleasure to meet. Kevyn Aucoin became one
of the most famous and internationally celebrated makeup artists.
Name recognition outside of the fashion world is generally limited
only to fashion designers and the most famous models. With the
publication of his incredible book series, his editorials, articles
and columns in Allure, and his numerous appearances on
talk shows, Kevyn's became one of the most famous makeup artists
since Max Factor.
Unfortunately, the world lost this master artist when Kevyn
Aucoin passed on May 7, 2002 at age 40 from a rare pituitary
gland disorder. Though his life was relatively brief, he was
able to touch the lives of thousands and share his skills with
the world.
Kevyn's ability to see beauty in virtually every face, his
deft skill with makeup brushes and sponges and above all, his
willingness to share his techniques with the average woman made
him unique. His works graced the covers of top fashion magazines
such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair
and many others. Kevyn's warm chatty approach and you-can-do-it
gave hope to many women wrestling with the basics of makeup application.
He was the ultimate makeup artist who wanted to help transform
the world by sharing his vast knowledge. He will be sadly missed.
He brought his professional makeup application techniques
from the world of fashion and shared them in his writings. His
books are inspirational, full of ideas for pushing your own personal
boundaries, tips and techniques that take makeup from a mask-like
barrier to an art form. His seemingly miraculous transformations
of women, men, great beauties and ordinary faces were presented
in big beautiful images, useful diagrams and easy to read text.
I recommend his books to every dancer I meet.
 The Art of Makeup served
to introduce Kevyn Aucoin technique, style and talent to the
world. The book showcased the faces of beautiful models and ordinary
women alike, transformed with paint and powder. In this book,
he exhibits his special flair for bringing out the beauty in
every face. Along with the large images in this coffee table
sized book, Aucoin comments on the techniques and tools he used
to create each look. But this is no basic beauty book. He uses
quite advanced techniques and the reader interested in recreating
some of the faces should already have some basic familiarity
with cosmetics. But the beauty of this book, no pun intended,
is that it really shows the approaches that a highly qualified
makeup artist uses to create a look that will express a mood
or feeling. For the dancer, many of these techniques will not
only be helpful, but may inspire some creative stage makeup looks.
Read more about The Art of Makeup on amazon.com
 Making
Faces is one part how-to and one part inspirational.
He opens with a section on cosmetics, going over some basic fundamentals,
but delivered with his own brand of style and wit. The directions
are loaded with tips, hints and tricks for manipulating cosmetics
to conceal, reveal, highlight and ultimately present the most
beautiful look possible. The second part of the book takes feminine
archetypes, such as "The Siren." "The Vamp"
and "The Diva." Although he presents his artistry on
some of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world, such
as Isabella Rosellini and Nicole Kidman, these archetypes can
help a dancer create a mood through the skillful application
of makeup. This is my favorite of his three books.
Read more about Making Faces on amazon.com
 Face
Forward is a testament to the transformative powers of
cosmetics. This book features the sumptuous high-quality photographs
that are the hallmark of all of Kevyn's books. The faces are
nearly life size, exquisitely made up to reflect different characters
and looks. He recrafts the faces of Hollywood megastars into
replicas of earlier famous stars, serving to underscore how important
the arch of an eyebrow, the thickness of eyeliner or the curve
of a lip is in defining the look of an individual or even an
era. There are many fantasy looks and wildly imaginative interpretations.
The text explains his choices and thought process and supported
with gems of wisdom, hints and tips for achieving similar results.
Read more about Face Forward on amazon.com
Related Sites
Kevyn Aucoin's website - http://www.kevynaucoin.com/
Allure Magazine - http://www.allure.com/
Obituary Articles
http://www.fashionwindows.com/beauty/2001B/kevyn_aucoin.asp
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/05/11/style.aucoin/
http://www.twbookmark.com/authors/90/585/
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