Kevin Aucoin was a pioneering makeup artist. Discovered by
Vogue, serving as Revlon's Creative Director for the Ultima II line, and finally starting his own company, he was a giant among makeup artists. His untimely death in 2001, was complicated, but primarily caused by painkillers he took for his physical and mental suffering from the symptoms related to a rare pituitary tumor. He was considered a pioneer for many reasons, but retrospectively, he may have been the first makeup artist who refused to prepare models who were too young for the catwalks or editorial work.
When he died, I was sure his cosmetics line would die with him. Much to my surprise, it continues to thrive.
We have a Kevin Aucoin counter at SPACE.NK at Bloomingdale's at Tysons Corner Center, but the last time I looked, they did not have the latest Kevin Aucoin colors. Barneys New York did. I considered them and ruled them out. Not for me - for example new matte lip colors.
I did play with some of his existing lipsticks and fell for
The Rouge Homage Lipstick ($27) in Heartbreaker immediately. Check out my photo below, and you'll see why. Imagine this color. Then imagine a sheer finish - gorgeous!
The Rouge Homage Lipstick is a silky, sheer-finish lip color that pays homage to Kevyn Aucoin’s beloved
nude collection from the '90s. Each lip shade features a moisture-rich
formulation created with shea butter, aloe, and hyaluronic acid. These
ingredients hydrate and protect the lips while smoothing texture
irregularities for a velvety finish. In addition, the shades are gorgeous. The Nordstrom and Barneys Web sites show eight shades.
I took a few swatch photos in full sunlight over the weekend. This shade is hard to characterize. It has hues of rose, mauve, and even a little copper in some lighting. It's just as pretty on my lips as it is on my arm.
Now that I'm home, I wish I had picked up a second shade. I'm developing so many incentives to shop! You can find Kevin Aucoin at SPACE.NK, Barneys New York (in store and online), and Nordstrom online. I'd love to choose a second shade in person, so it's likely to be SPACE.NK.
Photo at top courtesy of Barneys New York; other photos by Best Things in Beauty
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