The era of the supermodel may be over, but the striking beauty of the women who served as the muses to fashion’s biggest names– particularly in the 1990s– seems to serve as inspiration for women’s beauty routines everywhere today. It’s now more than ever that we’re over-lining our lips, cutting our creases, and sculpting our faces to death as makeup has become more than just routine; but a widespread hobby for so many women around the world. And we have one person, in particular, to thank for pushing these trends into the forefront and changing the way women look at beauty altogether.
Kevyn Aucoin was arguably every supermodel’s favorite makeup artist. As far as I’m concerned, he was the greatest makeup artist to ever live. From Cindy Crawford to Linda Evangelista & the legendary Naomi Campbell, he consistently made these already stunning women up into the most beautiful possible version of themselves. That was what he was best at, and there was no one better at it than him. While he worked on some of the most impactful faces of our time, he undoubtedly left quite an impact of his own, developing strong personal connections & friendships with his many high profile clients throughout his career.
Kevyn was extraordinary. He had a particular eye for detail. He could make the most seasoned model feel like she could even be more beautiful.
— Former Beauty Editor of Vogue Andrea Robinson in Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me
When people make black skin up, they think you just put one foundation all over the skin, it’s not the way. He just knew that. He did black skin so well. He was just obsessed with what he did. He loved what he did. Passionately.”
— Naomi Campbell in Kevyn Aucoin: Beauty & the Beast in Me
Kevyn was always a true lover of beauty, having taken up doing makeovers on family members and photographing them himself from a very early age in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana. He saw beauty in everyone and grew to take major inspiration from the dramatic, high-glamour editorials that were spread across the pages of popular fashion magazines at the time (when the industry was dominated by others like makeup artist & pioneer Way Bandy). It was with this love and gift he developed for transformative beauty that Kevyn used to take us into the 80s and 90s with an empowering, effortless, bold look that brought out the supermodel in everyone.
Today, as we approach a very painful 18 years since his death, I take a lot of solace in seeing Kevyn’s technique and artistic vision living on through the work of current working makeup artists and everyday women in the street as well. While it might feel as though we’ve gone through some sort of contouring renaissance as of recently with the rise of the Kardashians, the sculpted look has been en vogue for decades since Kevyn’s work graced the covers of magazines. Soft, smooth, matte, and defined skin paired with a well balanced neutral eye + lip combo have been reliable go-to’s for a lot of women, including myself, to this day.
KKW Beauty has recently released a collection of eyeshadows, lipsticks, & lip liners called The Mattes which is admittedly inspired by the “iconic 90’s supermodel glam” Kevyn created. The campaign photos for the collection show some clear parallels to his work.
Celebrity makeup artists like David Velasquez also reference the supermodel glam often with tasteful modern twists (like a thicker but still arched brow) like he did here on model Memu Conteh:
With his incredibly accomplished career & obvious long lasting grip on beauty trends, as well as his untouchable talent for bringing out the beauty in every single woman he came across, Kevyn Aucoin is a true legend. Not only in beauty but in fashion in general (he became the first makeup artist to ever win a CFDA Fashion Award in 1994). I’m very hopeful to see us all continuing to celebrate Kevyn’s legacy and diving deeper into his approach to makeup for years to come.
