I don't buy many beautiful related books anymore, as once you have a decent collection of them, they start blending together. THIS was one I was holding out for though, as when I was browsing Books-A-Million with friends a few years ago, it really held my attention with its talent and creativity.

Kevyn Aucoin, now deceased, was a talented and well-known makeup artist in the industry. His simple and yet detailed approaches make this book shine above the rest, worth purchasing even if you already have a related collection at hand.

Like a lot of makeup books, it goes over the importance of color, tools, and application techniques. As most state, it's important to emphasize personal best features and tailor makeup needs to suit flaws and individual purpose. He has a nice section detailing different makeup looks which worked through the ages, such as the 50's lip and 30's thin brow, film noir and hollywood bombshell looks. He tells about each, shows a picture, and tells how to get the effect.

The book was filled with regular, everyday women also - women of all colors and nationalities, enhancing their uniqueness with his talent and showing how to get said looks. The only thing that would have made this book better would have been more individualized instructions regarding face shapes, eye shapes, and fixing problem areas. These were skimmed over. He also stuck to many neutral shade looks, not showing anything goth, vibrant, or sparkly. ( )

This is a classic for learning how to contour and create other optical illusions. The cover looks boring and dated but the content is very much current and relevant. Many different techniques and overall effects are demonstrated, and not just on models--looks are shown on both celebrity models and then again on ordinary people to show how it can be wearable. The celeb pictures are stunning; look for Drew Barrymore, Winona Ryder and many others. ( )

On a multitide of recommnedations, I picked this up to try and learn how to do eye makeup properly. And learned that there is no normal, proper or right way, much to my relief. :) Very clear diagrams, lots of different looks, and some amazing transformations on well known (and unknown) faces. Loved the fact that he included a drag queen and a businessman, and his mom and sisters. :) I was a bit surprised to see a section on plastic surgery in a make up tips book, but he handled it neutrally and gave some good tips on how to choose a surgeon. Looking forward to trying out the looks from actresses from the 1930's to '50's. ( )

Amazing book on makeup artistry - when I'm bored, I pull it out and try his tricks. ( )

My bible to look good, specially in pictures as Kevyn shares his tips on shading makeup. ( )