Kevyn Aucoin

Paulene L.

Often in the fashion and beauty industries, memories of founders and influencers remain through the legacy they leave behind. Most have properties and products to boast of, but for a special few, they are remembered for their talent and spirit. One of those very special people is Kevyn Aucoin, whose demeanor and skills have put him in the map of the beauty world, even after he’s gone. The passion and love he has for makeup remains alive in his eponymous brand, Kevyn Aucoin.

A Special Talent

Kevyn Aucoin was an early bloomer—he focused on his passion for makeup after being forced to drop out of high school due to incessant bullying. He practiced applying makeup on his sisters and eventually took up a beauty class. Being a natural talent, soon enough he became a teacher himself, and eventually set off to New York to pursue a career in makeup. After a few free test shoot with models to add to his portfolio, Vogue discovered his talent and there began his career on prints. He worked closely with iconic photographer Steven Meisel for more than 18 shoots and even with the first even cover of Cindy Crawford for Vogue.

Kevyn AucoinHis great skill allowed him to charge $6,000 for every session, and even got booked so much that people had to schedule months in advance. By the time he reached 21, Revlon already made him Creative Director and released his own line of foundation: The Nakeds. All other top makeup brands came up to him for partnership and collaboration, including MAC, Laura Mercier, Vincent Longo and Shiseido. After just a few years, he eventually earned his CFDA Award, making history as the first (and currently only) makeup artist to be awarded with that honor.

Kevin Aucoin Beauty

Kevyn Aucoin 2The start of 2000s marked the momentous launching of Kevyn’s own makeup collection called Kevyn Aucoin Beauty—a brand that has continued to exude his style and talent even after the makeup artist’s death in 2002. It was a sudden end to a very successful life, yet all of those remained in the brand, especially in its cult items like Sculpting Contour Powder, Neo-Highlighter, and Sensual Skin Enhancer.

Kevyn Aucoin 6The brand became a reflecting of Kevyn’s philosophies and artistic techniques, all the more because of his ability to tell a story through a certain look. Kevin Aucoin Beauty translated all those into varying textures, high-end and effective ingredients, breakthrough formulas and wide-ranging shades to capture what beauty meant for its founder: uncovering an original inner beauty.

Best of the best

Kevyn Aucoin 1Among the well-received products of the brand is the Sculpting Powder, one of the ‘pioneers’ of highlighting and contouring. It even existed even before these terms became known in the beauty world, with the goal of creating a natural shadow that sculpts the face perfectly. Another customer favorite is the Curling Mascara, a pitch-black formula that intensifies your lashes and holds their curl for a long, long time.

Kevyn Aucoin 3Kevyn Aucoin also released the perfect makeup base with The Sensual Skin Primer. It makes your skin so smooth that application of foundation becomes easy-peasy—all while your skin is hydrated with rich ingredients. But The Sensual Skin Enhancer is arguably most famous among all products of the brand, with its multi-use feature that makes it perfect as a base product, as a concealer, and also a sculpting and defining product.

Kevyn Aucoin 5Kevyn Aucoin 4Kevyn Aucoin isn’t just a beauty brand with great beauty products—it is a continued celebration of the colorful life of its founder and an iconic makeup artist. His legacy has come to reach almost 20 years of existence, and with the maintained excellence of the brand, we’re sure it can stay for 20 more years and even beyond.

Image credits: Kevyn Aucoin, Hollywood Reporter, Makeup 4 All, Timeless Beauty, Beauty Bay, A Little Bit Etc, Style Sprinter, and Cloud Nine Indulgence.


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