Kevyn Aucoin: Makeup legend, one of my inspirations and a fabulous makeup brand left in his legacy.
The makeup range, on first perusal, may seem complicated and it definitely did start as a pro makeup artist range, however once you look further into it, have a play and understand it a bit more ; it is a brand that is for everyone and people of all skills in the art of makeup application.
I have been using the brand for around 8 years now, and this was kickstarted by the fabulous sensual skin enhancers, and from then, I have grown my collection substantially and hold A LOT of Kevyn Aucoin makeup in my kit from bases, to lipsticks, primers and contour. From my experience of using their makeup, here a a few key pieces that you may need in your kit and/or collection. I lied in the title to this post ; ‘5 to try’ has a ring to it, but in fact there is 6 products here. Hey, it was hard to do!
Sensual Skin Enhancers. Those little pots of concentrated pigment that a lot of people can be scared of, but once you get used to using them , you have endless skin finishes, coverages and possibilities. I have a post HERE all about how to use them if you find them a little intimidating (& swatches). This is my most-used foundation ever and I now have every single shade in my kit : great for ALL skin tones and types.
The Matte Lip Color. I think these are THE best matte lipstick formula I have ever tried. They are creamy, comfortable, they stay on, they don’t feel dry & the colour range they do are second to none. I literally love 80% of the shades. Kit favourites have to be shades Persistence, Eternal and Uninterrupted.
The Celestial Powders (Highlighter). Kevyn Aucoin bought the contouring and highlighting to the game before there even was a game. I would *kinda* like to state that he was the pioneer for the highlight/contour and was writing books about it in the 80’s and early 90’s. They now do 3 highlighter shades with the original and still the best-seller being the infamous ‘Candlelight; but I am more partial to the slightly warmer and more rose gold-esque ‘Starlight‘ which has to be in my top 3 highlighters ever. Such a beautiful shade and it has lovely smooth, blend able texture. No glitter. No chunks. Just easy.
The Flesh Tone Lip Pencils. They keep their selection of lip pencils refined and well edited. They only do 7 shades but they are super versatile, and cover a lot of options. The ‘Medium’ shade, if you can get your mitts on it, is a wonderful brown-based nude and has a huge celebrity following including Victoria Beckham. My personal favourite has to be ‘Minimal’ which is a pinkier-everyday-lip-colour-but-a-little-better.
Bronzer. A little unsung in my opinion, I like both formulas of bronzer (they do a matte vs glowy) but my go-to has to be the ‘Tropical Days‘ which is a bronzer-come-highlighter in one. It has a graduated colour that runs from dark/bronze into a paler bronze/highlight that you can simply swish about and custom to how you want your finish. Perfect if you want one product instead of three on your cheeks.
The Creamy Glow. A great selection of colours and I just love the fact they come in nice, small compacts, you can use these on your lips and cheeks, and they give a wonderful sheen on the skin as well as a natural flush of colour. You can really build these up too, as the pigment is a little heavier than most cream blushers. I like to just quickly press them into the skin with my fingertips ; no brushes or fanciness required! My go-to is the shade Tansoleil which is a beautiful coral.
I’m looking on the website at the moment and am currently being reminded of all the other products that I love, and I have the fear I have left so many out! Other things I love : The Volume Mascara, The Eyeliner in brown, Brow pencils (how did I miss these gaaaahh) and THE CONTOUR POWDER OBVIOUSLY.
Have you tried any Kevyn Aucoin makeup yet?
