Face Forward
by Kevyn Aucoin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kevyn AucoinEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-10
ISBN: 0316286443
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of Face Forward
Book Review: Beauty Guide, Coffee Table Book, or Political Manifesto?
Summary: 3 Stars
This book seems to suffer from identity disorder, despite the strong personality of its author. The book's intentions seem unclear to me, and that is what keeps it just average.
I was drawn to this book by the wonderful photos of Aucoin's beauty transformations. He was, without question, a talented man. Among other feats in this book, he transforms Martha Stewart into Veronica Lake, Gwyneth Paltrow into James Dean (!)and a male friend into Linda Evangelista. Yet I must say that this is not the best hands-on guide for the average woman. Each photo is accompanied by step-by-step instructions. Sounds like a good idea, in theory. But as I perused this book, I found myself wondering what good those instructions would do. This was especially the case as I read the section entitled "Dimensions." Take, for example, the transformation of Gena Rowlands into Ava Gardner. Now, as a makeup amateur, I can try to follow the author's instructions: "Prep the skin with moisturizer...A touch of concealer...face is set with loose translucent face powder...brows are groomed and solidly defined using a basic brown eyebrow pencil and softened with dark brown powder eyeshadow and a sponge-tip applicator..." But these instructions will not avail much. The first problem with this approach is that I'm NOT a professional makeup artist. Following Aucoin's instructions are not going to transform me into an Ava Gardner lookalike. The instructions come across as more of a mental checklist for Aucoin than anything. I mean, if I'm a professional basket weaver, and you're not, and I say "Weave some stiff yellow straw in with some brown straw, and accent with blue dyed-straw flowers along the handle," your basket is going to look nothing like mine despite step-by-step instructions.
The second problem is that, unless I'm going to a costume party, I don't WANT to emulate Ava Gardner, Veronica Lake, or James Dean (cute as he was). The same holds true of the last two sections of the book, which include some original, unusual, and inspired makeup looks.
In other words, Aucoin gives instruction on how to create these faboulous faces, but following his instructions without the benefit of his expert hand and artistic eye will not yield anything like his results. Even the first section, which includes promising headlines like "Shape: Eyes" and "Makeup: Texture" are actually more of the same--great photos with cursory instructions on how to recreate them. The author should not have bothered giving step-by-step instructions for these looks-they do not endow the reader with what it takes to create them: great talent. He should have just marketed this as a coffe-table type book, designed to showcase his remarkable talent, his creativity, and the power of makeup when in extremely talented hands.
If you do decide to purchase the book for cosmetics advice, my advice to you is to just try to emulate specific elements of the faces within. Examples include the eyes from the Sophia Loren look or the cupid's bow mouth from the Alla Nazimova look. Indeed, taking anything away from this book, cosmetics-wise, requires selective editing on the reader's part.
Okay, so Aucoin doesn't quite fit the bill as an instructor to the masses, and perhaps he should have just stuck to a glossy book of photos to display his talents. But wait! There's an additional "Dimension" to the book that complicates things further! Why, it's politics!
In the introduction, Aucoin says he wants to help women take over the world. He comments on the oppressed 50s, and "the inevitability and beauty of a unified world." He even oh-so-kindly reminds the reader that "conservative means withholding and liberal means generosity." Now, I know he was a stellar person, if I'm to believe all of his famous friends and fans. I'm sure he didn't have bad intentions. But I certainly didn't buy the book to hear that stuff, and I, the purchaser of a beauty book, don't care to become the sounding board for his politcs!
Aucoin also fills the book with his mutual-admiration society of celebrity friends. He admits in the introduction that the book will include lots of praise. This is, however, an understatement. Every single model in the book is a friend of his, most of them are celebrities, and, well gee, they're all just such **great** people! I'm aware Aucoin was famous for his friendships with celebrities, and I mean no disrespect to him. I just found the salivating over all of these celebs a little annoying.
My overall advice on buying this book, in conclusion, is that it should be purchased with caution. If you're just looking for photos of beautiful/transformative maquillages, go for it but don't bother with the text. If you are a fan of Kevyn Aucoin as a person or don't mind a hearty serving of politics and celebrity name-dropping, then this would be a good read for you. However, if you're just looking for a guide to applying cosmetics, your money would be better spent elsewhere.
Summary of Face Forward
The ultimate beauty book -- both gorgeous and practical. "Face Forward" showcases Kevyn Aucoin's incredible transformations of famous and ordinary people alike, and reveals through its step-by-step instructions how makeup can give anyone a variety of different "faces"."Makeup should be fun, not fascist," celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin avers in Face Forward, his third book. One of the most adored stylists among fashionistas, entertainment divas, and high-society jet setters, Southern-born Aucoin arrived on the New York fashion scene in the early '80s, a period he ridicules for its '50s-era conservatism and McCarthyist us-against-them values. His career since has been motivated by the feel-good ideals of acceptance, diversity, and self-love, and the vain world of beauty has eagerly participated in his vision. While one may puzzle on how it is he finds fulfillment in an industry known for its superficiality and elitism, Aucoin's words are nonetheless infectious and the touches of his brushes inspired.
Conceived as an exploration of the past, present, and future of beauty, Face Forward is an ingenious showcase of the transformative, creative possibilities of makeup, with portraits of everyone from Julia Roberts to Sharon Stone, Martha Stewart to his mother, Thelma. His crafted visages range from minimal-application makeovers of friends to elaborate re-creations of such Hollywood icons as Audrey Hepburn (Calista Flockhart), James Dean (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Veronica Lake (shockingly, Martha Stewart) and such pop-culture personalities as Cher (socialite Alexandra von Furstenberg) and Siouxsie Sioux (Winona Ryder). The final pages present his ideas for looks to come, such as "Explorer," Mary J. Blige covered in eggplant body makeup with a rainbow of metallic eye shadows over her eyes and thickly glossed red lips; "Floralia," a freckled Lucy Liu resembling a sprite from A Midsummer's Night Dream; and "Venusian de Milo," Sharon Stone as an orange-haired, one-breast-baring sci-fi femme fatale. Throughout, Aucoin augments an already colorful book with step-by-step instruction, chatty commentary on each look and model, and riffs on such topics as friendship, politics (he repeatedly applauds the Clinton Administration for embracing diversity in the '90s), and the environment.
"Appreciating (even highlighting) individuality is one of the great things about makeup," asserts Aucoin, and Face Forward is a dazzling testament to that belief. For those who see the fun of makeup and are eager to experiment with the virtually unlimited possibilities of it, this book is a boon. --Rebecca Wright
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