I adore Kevyn Aucoin . . .
Danielle at Final Fashion got me thinking about a book called “Making Faces” by makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin. I remember purchasing a copy as a gift for my friend Tatie-Pie Susko when it first came out in 1997. As she flipped through the pages, she would show me a photo of celebrity who Aucoin had transformed into another celebrity, and then she would make me guess who I was looking at.
I remember getting stuck on this photo. I knew it was supposed to be someone made up to look like 40s film star Veronica Lake, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out who it was. Then came the big reveal: It was Martha Stewart! My jaw hit the floor.
Kevyn Aucoin was a genius. He knew the bones of a woman’s face like a great portrait photographer, and he had a knack for displaying his subjects in their best light. Unfortunately, Aucoin died in 2001 from complications related to a rare pituitary tumor. However, his books live on. If you ever have the chance to pick them up, even if it’s just to look at the pictures, it will be time well spent.
