“My entire mission in life is to help women take over the world. Not only by force, but with compassion, perseverance, and love.” – Kevyn Aucoin
When I think of the term “makeup artist”, one name comes to mind above all others and that is the genius of Kevyn Aucoin. His career spanned 20 years and his book “Making Faces” is still the Bible of makeup artists and addicts alike. With a mere stroke of his brush, he could transform. Sadly, his own signature line of cosmetics was released not long before he died in 2002 and has remained fairly obscure.
I recently purchased my first piece of Kevyn Aucoin makeup–The Making Faces Palette Vol. 1. Trust me, I will be adding to my KA collection as soon as I can– I love the quality, price and the look this makeup gives me. Warning: I’m gonna gush a bit.
The Making Faces Palette Vol. 1 includes:
- 3 Eyeshadows–Whisper, a soft peachy shimmery champagne
- Goddess- a shimmering bronze w/copper undertones (but no red)
- Aubergine- a matte browned purple eggplant shade
- Neolita- a red raspberry blush
- Nuelle-a nude peach cream blush
- Guilty- a very nude pink gloss
- Gently- a sheer peach w/a slight coral undertone
- Control- a purplish berry
- A small blush brush
- A very small double ended eyeshadow/lip brush
The eyeshadows are soft, and pigmented with some sheen. I wouldn’t even call them shimmery, but truly more like a sheen. They add a nice glow to the eyes. What I like about these shadows and what makes them special is the complexity of the shades. Whisper is a peachy champagne but has a pale pink undertone which makes it a universal shade for use as a highlighter, on the lids and inner corner. Goddess had me at first glance because as you know, I’m a sucker for bronze eyeshadow. This particular bronze is a bit difficult to explain–not pale, not medium, not deep. It’s just perfect–a true bronze as in a bronze statue, with a bit of copper but not the annoying red undertone that is present with so many bronze/copper shades. Aubergine again, is true to its color–a matte browned purple and lends itself well as a liner and in the “outer v” for smoky looks.
Neolita blush is a highly pigmented red raspberry shade. I have to use a skunk brush and be very light handed or it’s too deep on me. Now, the nice thing about this blush is that it too is a universal shade–neither warm nor cool. It brings a pleasant flush to the cheeks. Nuelle is a nude peach cream highlighter/blush. Although the texture is moist and it applies well–no tugging and blends well, it is my least favorite thing in the palette. I think it’s too nude to be used as blush, but not shimmery enough for a highlighter. I have other highlighter I prefer.
All the lip glosses are lovely and well coordinated to the rest of the palette. They are very pale and sheer –meant for a nude look with the exception of Control which is a saturated purple berry. The glosses last fairly long but much of that depends upon which application method you use. With gloss in palettes, I always use a lip brush.
I genuinely appreciate the instructions on the inside cover of the palette. I tried the suggested look and it turned out pretty good! The Kevyn Aucoin Making Faces Palette Vol. 1 is a well thought out collection of universally flattering shades making it a fantastic everyday no-brainer palette. This palette is ideal for a classic and polished look for us confident older women! No bright shades, glitter, overt shimmer—just a refined elegance worthy of all over 40 women. Kevyn Aucoin cosmetics can be purchased at Dermstore.com, beauty.com, beautysak.com, and kevynaucoindirect.com
Packaging: a 4 x5 cardboard palette w/mirror. While I don’t prefer cardboard packaging, I don’t mind it that much. The blush and gloss wells may be small for some
Quality: in my opinion, the quality of the individual products in this palette are on par with Chanel and Dior
Value: the regular price of this palette is $45. I got it on sale at Hautelook, where it is often offered for around $20 which is a steal. I like this palette so much I would happily pay $45
Best For: women over 40! Anyone looking for a timeless and fresh look, great for travel
Overall: reasonably priced with excellent quality and especially suited for over 40 women, this palette is a winner in my book or er, blog! I will use every product in it.
Grade: A
[...] famed Kevyn Aucoin delivers a universally flattering palette for women over [...]