Making Faces

If you’re a beauty junkie like me, you realize that the tools are only half of the equation. You can buy the best makeup and brushes, but if you lack the technique, you might as well be finger painting with Wet ‘n’ Wild. When it comes to technique, no one comes near the technical prowess of the late, great Kevyn Aucoin. He wasn’t merely a make-up artist; he was a makeup maestro...a magician.

Before his untimely death in 2002, Aucoin wrote three books – The Art of Makeup in 1996, Making Faces in 1997, and Face Forward in 2000. These books may be oldies, but they are most certainly goodies – as good technique never goes out of style.

If you have never heard of Kevyn Aucoin, I have some advice for you - get thee to the nearest bookstore and buy these books. They contain unbeatable tips on the basics of makeup application. Aucoin shows readers how to use these fundamentals in interesting and unconventional ways, with step-by-step directions for dozens of different looks. The biggest treat is the gallery of jaw-dropping celebrity makeovers; transformations include Lisa Marie Presley as Marilyn Monroe, Isabella Rossellini as Barbara Streisand, Tina Turner as Cleopatra, Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis, Gina Gershon as Sophia Loren, and Calista Flockhart as Audrey Hepburn.

This looks like Veronica Lake – who, coincidentally, is the muse for many of the Fall ’07 beauty trends. Can you guess the celebrity behind the makeup?

PS - Kevyn Aucoin also has a line of makeup and brushes. Check them out at kevynaucoin.com.