Making Faces
by Kevyn Aucoin
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Book Reviews of Making Faces
Book Review: Beauty and science and love?
Summary: 3 Stars
I'd be interested to see how beauty and science can mix. The art of beauty, the construct of what women consider beauty. When you think of it, the image of womanhood is entirely constructed and false - from the removal of hair, to the dye-ing, plucking, exercising, surgery and painting that goes into it. While some of it is beautiful and idyllic, much of it is also exploitative and is about greed and money. Animals are also tortured in factories for this stuff. Emotionally connect to that for a minute. Do you know how agonizingly painful it is to be totally helpless and not be able to move? Not to kill the party, party, party, but our beauty is constructed for our own loss sometimes as well as the horrendous agony of animals that cannot free themselves from what is un-imaginable pain. Always search for cruelty free makeup. Nothing, not beauty, not any kind of image is worth the loss of love and heart muscle you get from supporting companies that torture animals. Beauty is a joyous, delightful thing, but always be thoughtful when reading books like this, so that you don't support cruelty of products recommended or authors that support products that torture, don't buy into images you really don't want, and come away feeling a little better about your inner strength and beauty. Don't mock and abuse the people fighting the good fight. Turning love into anti-matter with mockery is a weak move. I love makeup and sparkly things sometimes, and these books help for fun and joy, just be full of care. Also women - if you really care about beauty develop power, love, gentleness, kindness and adorn your character with these most lovely of virtues and strengths. And then express yourself with the outer things if you have left over time. Some virtues we need - animal rights, women's rights, human rights, end war, disease and predation with your brilliant minds and helping hands, fighting against religions that abuse animals or women etc.... these beautiful virtues are golden. I also do believe beauty in some form is virtuous, though often the ugly have their own beauty. Ever see the earth mothers with their craggly bodies and beautiful minds? Seek them out! Frida with her moustachio (she refused to shave! No, I don't support her politics!) She was a great painter and celebrated woman. Anyway face paint is a form of self-expression, it's fun to go for it if you can get it with some heart muscle.Book Review: BUY THIS BOOK! NOW!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've bought a beauty DIY book in the past decade you know that HALF the content invariably comprises the writer's flagrant self-promotion, while the other half, advertising for commercial products...often from the writer's own [or their friends'] brand lines. No so with 'MAKING FACES!' Almost every page offers realistic, achievable enhancements for real life women, using generic products.
Contrary to one silly review, you cannot "flip through this book at Barnes & Noble" because the SEEMINGLY trite techniques need to actually be performed by the ordinary woman to see the stunning but realistic transformations for herself. The kind that make you wonder just how ugly all those much-admired famous faces are without talent like Kevyn's propping them up. Additionally, the lone reviewer complaining of `lack of realism' joins the reviewer complaining of no step-by-step instructions, in making me question THEIR sense of reality. C'mon Girls! The same way we all translate & personalize Haute Couture into everyday skins; Aucoin's most dramatic techniques can also be simplified into everyday looks.
Most wonderful: Aucoin's [glossy photo] [step-by-step] transformations of unknown women into better, everyday versions of themselves; along with the startlingly, ATYPICAL dramatizations of many famous faces. All proving that TECHNIQUE can truly transform and hypnotize! MUST SEE: the glossy close-ups of Drew Barrymore as the 'Sophisticate,' Andy Macdowell into the Oriental 'Temptress' and Demi Moore as the 1920's 'Vamp,' among many other scintillating looks.
As for Kevyn Aucoin...genius! A generous, sensible, humanitarian genius at that! Read the mini-biographies of the people made-over; and Kevyn's common-sense advice [against kids wearing make-up; and pageants etc, etc] and you will appreciate the man as well as the artiste all the more.
Ironically, Aucoin's generosity in sharing this hard-earned experience, which other industry professionals keep so closely guarded(?), inspired such respect and trust in me...I actually went looking for his products. Now I'm a double Aucoin fan!
BUY THIS BOOK! Then ACTUALLY try, try, TRY the step-by-step techniques before reviewing the book...and by the end of your experimentation, you'd be wishing that he were straight and available! But...that's another book!
Book Review: Practical, beautifully illustrated and photographed.
Summary: 5 Stars
I love playing with new looks and colors and this book is the perfect tool on how to make it easy and fun while getting professional looking results. It will help you discover exciting new looks you never dreamed of and the full potential of every makeup tool you own. The instructions on how to accomplish every look in the book are clearly illustrated step-by-step, making them extremely easy to follow. The advice given by the author comes alive with his own funny anecdotes on discovering and experimenting with makeup.
This book is extremely well organized into three sections. The first one covers the basics of what you need to know about each part of your face, how to apply makeup to each, which tools to use and how to enhance and get the most benefit from your strongest features. The second one shows you makeovers done on ordinary people that look like you and me. It includes before and after pictures that show the impact of well-applied makeup on every kind of skin and color combination. The third section is the most impressive part of the book. It shows known celebrities made up like other celebrities that have established iconic looks over the years. (Look for Lisa Marie-Presley as Marilyn Monroe and Isabella Rosellini as Barbra Streisand).
This book also includes a few male makeup techniques, from the conservative (using concealer and powder) to the adventurous (using eyeliner and eyeshadow) to the extremist (using everything from powder and blush to lipstick and a wig).
Although there are three or four extreme looks in this book that I don't think I will ever try, all of the rest can be applied just as they are or with slight modifications. The great advice, easy to follow instructions, funny anecdotes, if not the great photographs alone, make this book a must buy for anyone who uses makeup regularly or sporadically. It's so rewarding that you won't be disappointed.
I recommend buying Beauty: The New Basics by Rona Berg along with this book to complement the makeup knowledge with the best advice on skin care, hair care and beauty products that's available on a printed format.
--Reviewed by M. E. Volmar
Book Review: Making Faces is for EVERYBODY
Summary: 5 Stars
His 2nd best-selling book, a follow up to his debut "The Art Of Makeup." I found out about this book when Kevyn Aucoin, the best-known makeup artist, was on Oprah. Needless to say, I was fasinated, seeing the makeovers done (on the show, and in the book)I longed to see this book. When I finally found this (and his first book), I flipped out, I was addicted to his book(s). Like his new book, "Face Foreward," this book is not only for women I feel, but also for aspiring actors, for people who want to have fun, ect. Kevyn Aucoin shows us in his view that there are no rules to makeup, as long as you like it. He has diiferent sections teaching tecniques, showing the different parts of the face, and many looks, like the "soft look" with Tina Turner (by the way, he is the only makeup artist that has ever touched her face-in the past she had always done her own makeup). A part where he shows before-and after pictures of friends and family (he makes up his Mom and sisters), and saving the best for last, showing the many celebrity faces transformed into someone else. A flood of celebrity's, become chameleons, not only pictures, but also showing us how to do it ourselfes. Lisa Marie Presly into Marilyn Monroe, Isabella Rosilinni into Barbra Streisand, Demi Moore into Clara Bow, Nicole Kidman into the 60's "Ingenue," and transforming a handsome friend(a man) into the beautiful "Showgirl," and "The Player." And not to mention Vanessa Willaims as the "Chanteuse," a picture she used for her Christmas album cover. The rest is filled with more celebrity's, models, and loads of great fun. And one of the best things about this book, besides the beautiful pictures, is that you get to know Kevyn-a real nice, warm, kind-hearted man who seems to have something nice to say about everyone. If you like celebrity's, makeup, beautiful pictures, ect, then learn from the best, Kevyn. This book is for you. This book is for everybody.Book Review: Makeup bible, ultimate how-to--BEST book on this topic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Makeup bible, ultimate how-to, this book remains the Best book I have seen on the subject of working with color, proportion, shading, and highlighting to create a beautiful, symmetrical, gorgeous face. It is thorough and leaves no question unanswered.
The book begins with the basics: anatomy of the face, foundational ingredients (moisturizer, simple tools, foundation types, powders, concealers) and moves on to techniques. There is an Amazing diagram on shading and highlighting on pg 24 that shows an exaggerated version of what goes on beneath the makeup to create the illusion of symmetry and highlight (or fake) high cheekbones, a lovely chinline, and beautiful eyes. It also discusses brows, eyes, lashes, lips, and then moves onto overall styles and looks. The way he explains with the text and shows with a combination of drawings and pictures makes it clear for anyone, whether a professional or beginner. Excellent resource!
The looks themselves are extremely varied from subtle, minimal, and fresh, to smoky, sexy, and very dramatic. He begins with simple ideas on everyday people, but finishes off with celebrities looking like you have never seen them--you seriously have to find their names to figure out who they are, they look so different. These are examples of what different makeup can do, and for the theatre and fashion folks out there, this section provides you with so much inspiration and ideas--it is priceless!
There is something here for every person and every occasion, so even those who don't like looking overly made up can look great. His pictures of friends, family, and of course, celebrities give this book both warmth and glamour, and his clear way of breaking down various techniques make this the most accessible, user-friendly, useful book I have read on this topic. I recommend it to anyone at all.