5.0 out of 5 based on 3 reviews. – Customer review on 12/12/2011

Gorgeous and interesting, I have had a few dips into the wealth of ideas and applications here and the results have been great. I am forever blown away by the transformative power of makeup and Aucoin always delivered!

5.0 out of 5 based on 3 reviews. – Customer review on 18/08/2009

The man was a genius!! Amazing transformations and great before and after shots on regular people. Can be very difficult to attempt a lot of the looks as you would require a very skilled hand and lots of practice. A fabulous book to gain some valuable tips from the master makeup artist and a great book to have in your collection.

5.0 out of 5 based on 3 reviews. – Customer review on 13/01/2007

If you've ever looked at fashion magazines and wondered what makeup techniques went into creating the look, "Face Forward" may give you all the answers you need. Not only did Kevyn Aucoin do all the makeup in this book, but he also wrote it and contributed to the photography, art direction and design. He is a genius. Period.

Outside of the introductory chapters, the book is divided into five main parts: 1) "Behind Beauty," where Kevyn describes how he treats the face to bring out a wide range of attributes; 2) "Face to Face," which consists of in-depth photography and illustrations of the steps involved with creating beautiful looks; 3) "Dimensions," where Kevyn explores the "classic personifications of beauty" by making up actresses and models to look like stars of the past; and 4) & 5) forward-looking concepts of makeup techniques and the future of beauty, also using the faces of actresses (and even his mom).

I think it's great that someone as talented as Kevyn can be so generous in explaining his craft, but even if you're not into that, "Face Forward" holds up fantastically on its merits as an art/photography book: the resemblance of the current stars to the past ones is incredible (e.g., Winona Ryder as Elizabeth Taylor).

This book may be a little advanced for makeup artists who are just starting out, but hey, makeup is art, and art is about ideas, so it's definitely worth checking out. For anyone who is just plain interested in fashion and style, "Face Forward" will be intriguing, even if only for the skill exhibited in transforming one famous face into another. It's a masterpiece.