Kevyn Aucoin was an American makeup artist, photographer and author. He was said to be the very first celebrity makeup artist. He dies at the young age of 40 from kidney and liver failure in 2002 but is still remembered now for his great work. Aucoin received the CFDA Award from the Council of Fashion Designers in America in 1994 and is the only makeup artist to the this day that has received one.
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| Self Portrait of Kevyn Aucoin. http://softspoken.softsurroundings.com/wp-content/ uploads/2012/07/T_KevynGold1_PRESS-SHOT.jpg |
Kevyn found his love of makeup from as a young child and realised he was gay at the tender age of six. He was bullied in school and in high school for his sexuality and even his adopted parents wouldn't accept he was gay. He got a job, at 18, at one of the counters in an exclusive ladies department store were he charged $30 for a makeup lesson; however the women felt uncomfortable with a man doing their makeup. He decided to move to Baton Rouge in Louisiana, hoping to start his makeup career, however he got assaulted by security guards in a local department store where he was hoping to have a look at some new makeup. The fear got the better of him and so he decided to move to New York City to get his makeup career going.
When he first moved to New York, Kevyn worked for free, applying makeup on models for test shoots. This helped him build up his portfolio and he eventually got discovered by Vogue. He worked with photographer, Steven Meisel, for a eighteen months and continued on do his own Vogue cover. After this first cover he did eighteen more in the space of three years! The brand Revlon hired him at the age of 21 as Creative Director for their prestige Ultima II line of cosmetics and only one year after he was hired, he launched his own line called The New Nakeds. This new line was thought be groundbreaking and changed cosmetics forever. It was the first line to really focus on all different skin tones. There were new shades of foundation, blush, lipstick etc. created that were more flattering and more neutral toned. The editor of Allure magazines, Linda Wells, was quoted in saying, "It may not seem like it, but it was a powerful moment. Before, there were makeup lines for white women and others for black women. But he worked to design makeup for all skin tones. The idea was to empower a woman by revealing her natural beauty, and not to cover her up with layers of product." This new line of cosmetics was seen to be very influential to even very well known brands such as Mac, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown.
Kevyn Aucoin's 1986 Vogue cover with model Cindy Crawford really got his career going. He did nine Vogie covers in a row between 1987-1989 and also seven Cosmopolitan covers on top of that. At his peak he was one of the best paid celebrity makeup artists in history. He would need to be booked months in advance and would charge $6,000 for a makeup session. He began writing a column for Allure magazine that turned out to be very popular and went on to write and publish his own books, The Art of Makeup, Making Faces and Face Forward, all about makeup application and makeup tips and tricks; these became New York Times best selling books.
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| Kevyn Aucoin's New York Times best sellers.http://www.themakeupshow.com/the-makeup-show-blog/ wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vVuv6cVGWC92wjF.jpg |
Kevyn Aucoin worked with countless A-list celebrities from music videos to Vogue covers. He worked with Janet Jackson, Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Tine Turner and the list goes on. He was not only loved for his amazing talent when it came to makeup, but also for his fun loving, truthful personality. Gwyneth Paltrow once said of Aucoin, 'The best thing about hime doing your makeup, is that it allows you to spend time with him'. Kirsty Hume also spoke of him, 'He was one of the loveliest people I have ever met. He always made me feel like my best self.' He was very honest and wasn't scared to voice his opinion which earned him a lot of respect but was also quite controversial at points and he got into trouble with the press when he'd use his high status to talk about issues he has strong opinions about. Aucoin publicly said he thought there should be more coloured women on the Vogue magazine covers, saying 'I want to see more black women inVogue. We live in America, not Sweden'. However his personality was what won so many celebrities and fans over. He was very confident with his makeup skills; he didn't think he needed to follow any makeup 'rules' to be successful. Kevyn Aucoin always believed in himself, even when others would put him down, and I really respect and look up to him for that.
In 2001 Kevyn Aucoin launched his own luxury makeup brand. On the official website for the brand in states, 'Kevyn Aucoin believes beauty is always in fashion; trends come and go, but true beauty transcends time. Our products are created to bring out the true beauty in every woman. Using the highest quality ingredients, innovative new formulas, and exciting seasonal twists on timeless staples, Kevyn Aucoin is a must-have for the modern woman'.
Examples of his work:
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| September 1994 issue of Harper’s Bazaar http://www.themashidip.com/.a/6a014e8644c126970d014e88125a47970d-800wi |
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| Backstage shot of Barbra Streisand for Vogue, 1993. http://www.beautylish.com/a/vxgza/kevyn-aucoin-history |
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| Karen Elson before transformation. http://www.themakeupgallery.info/various/photo/history/kastars.htm |
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| Karen Elson after her transformation into Elizabeth I. http://www.themakeupgallery.info/various/photo/history/kastars.htm |
Sources
http://kevynaucoin.com/the-brand
Kevin Aucoin: A Beautiful Life by author Kerry Diamond.
http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/4039/Remembering_Kevyn_Aucoin
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