Kevyn Aucoin

(American Makeup Artist, Photographer and Author)

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Kevyn James Aucoin February 14th 1962 – May 7th 2000

Kevyn was considered the world’s first celebrity make-up artist. He did makeup on Naomi Campbell, Cher, Julia Roberts and Cindy Crawford, he was known for his charm and charisma which secured his fame.

“The best thing about him doing your make-up, is that it allows you to spend time with him." - Gwyneth Paltrow

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Gwyneth Paltrow Makeup by Kevyn Aucoin
(Eyebrows to die for)

Kevyn had a lot of influence on the beauty industry, being largely responsible for the beauty stylings of the 1990s such as Brooke Shield’s matte lips, Christy Turlington's arched brow and Cindy Crawford’s lipliner. He wrote three bestselling books, The Art of Makeup, Making Faces and Face Forward, expressing his unique aesthetic. 

He made tutorials to create his famous looks, from how to contour your face like Gwyneth Paltrow to achieving Courtney Love’s smeared lips and smoky-eyed grunge look. He also launched a groundbreaking makeup line with Revlon titled The New Naked, which catered for all skin-tones, before introducing a cosmetic range under his own name in 2001. He was awarded a CFDA Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1994, and remains the only makeup artist to have received the honour.

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However before all the fame and celebrities, he was adopted into a strict Catholic family and bullied throughout school for his effeminate leanings. Unfortunately he suffered from a rare condition called acromegaly which is a tumor on the pituitary grand that causes an overproduction of the growth hormone. As his reputation grew, he was also growing physically and this relentless pain led to a long-term prescription drug addiction. He began to collapse onset, and his closest friends urged him to seek help. When Aucoin passed away in 2002, due to complications arising from his condition, his loss shook the fashion world, who united in mourning to pay tribute to his outstanding legacy. 

"He was one of the loveliest people I have ever met, He always made me feel like like my best self." - Kirsty Hume

Karen Elson Before Transformation

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Queen Elizabeth I - Karen Elson

While looking through some of Kevyn's work I found this photo from Photo shoot he'd created with model Karen Elson. The look is one of his many transformations, he'd transformed Karen into Queen Elizabeth I. I love the look he's created as you can see the amazing transformation from a beautiful super model into an eyebrow-less Queen Elizabeth I.  

Websites Used:

• http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/4039/Remembering_Kevyn_Aucoin
• http://www.themakeupgallery.info/various/photo/history/kastars.htm