Makeup your mind: Kevyn Aucoin

"It's our hearts and brains that we should exercise more often. You can put on all the makeup you want but it won't make your soul pretty."

"That's why I began doing makeup in the first place: I was hoping that through helping people see the beauty in themselves, I could try and find it in me."
- quotes by Kevyn Aucoin

Kevyn backstage at Isaac Mizrahi's fashion show

Model: Linda Evangelista

Photographer: Cathreine McGann

(Nov 1995)

(source: http://www.beautylish.com/a/vxgza/kevyn-aucoin-history -date: Oct 26th 2014)

Kevyn Aucoin (14 Feb 1962- 7 May 2002) started doing makeup at the age of 11 on his 6-year-old sister Carla. Even back then, his work was near-professional. Because of the physical and emotional harassment in school, he dropped out and didn't get his diploma until the mid-'90s. He had his first break in September 1983 -a photoshoot for Vogue magazine featuring Meg Tilly. Since then, he did makeup for magazines, fashion shows, videos, album covers and celebrity events He did his first cover in 1986 with the amazing photographer Richard Avedon. Cher, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and Kate Moss were just some of the clients he worked with.
Kevyn was the most celebrated makeup artist of his time that had an incredible attention for details and a great reputation. People described him as a very charming and positive person and were honoured to have him as a makeup artist. He believed that trends come and go, but beauty was always in fashion. He even created a makeup brand Kevyn Aucoin Beauty. By using the highest-quality ingredients and innovative formulas he designed products that were aimed to bring out the true beauty in every woman. Also, he released 4 books: The Art of Makeup (1996), The Art of Makeup (1994), Making Faces (1999) and Face Forward (2000).
Unfortunately, he suffered from a tumor on the pituitary gland that causes the brain to keep secreting growth hormone. The tumor made him, in the last 5 years of his life, grow 2 intches and went up 2 shoe and ring sizes. He was on a lot of prescription medications to help relieve the pain (Vicodin, Lorcet, Xanax, Soma) and eventually became addicted to them. That resaulted a lot of fighting between him and his partner Jeremy Antunes. The medications caused fainting, blackouts and at times he seemed like was slow and really, really drunk. He died in Westchester Medical Center and his death was reported as a resault of "complications" from his putuitary condition.
After his death Thelma and Isidore Aucoin, his parents, started an organization called Lafayette chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Eric Sakas, his ex boyfriend, is now the president and creative director of Kevyn Aucoin Beauty for which Kevyn completed the formulas and packaging just before his death.