I don't buy many beauty related books anymore, as once you have a decent collection of them, they start blending together. THIS was one I was holding out for though, as when I was browsing Books-A-Million with friends a few years ago, it really held my attention with its talent and creativity.
Kevyn Aucoin, now deceased, was a talented and well-known makeup artist in the industry. His simple and yet detailed approaches make this book shine above the rest, worth purchasing even if you already have a related collection at hand.
Like a lot of makeup books, it goes over the importance of color, tools, and application techniques. As most state, it's important to emphasize personal best features and tailor makeup needs to suit flaws and individual purpose. He has a nice section detailing different makeup looks which worked through the ages, such as the 50's lip and 30's thin brow, film noir and hollywood bombshell looks. He tells about each, shows a picture, and tells how to get the effect.
The book was filled with regular, everyday women also - women of all colors and nationalities, enhancing their uniqueness with his talent and showing how to get said looks. The only thing that would have made this book better would have been more individualized instructions regarding face shapes, eye shapes, and fixing problem areas. These were skimmed over. He also stuck to many neutral shade looks, not showing anything goth, vibrant, or sparkly.
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