Calling attention to all make-up history enthusiasts, Vogue has released never-been-seen images of the iconic make-up artist, Kevyn Aucoin’s journals.
Preserved in a new archive by the Makeup Museum, the journals offer us a glimpse into Aucoin’s life between 1983 to 1994, including meetings with supermodels, to polaroids of iconic photoshoot sets from Vogue to Chanel beauty campaigns.
Aucoin moved to New York in the early 1980s and was soon hired as lead makeup artists for Vogue. During his career, he worked extensively with iconic photographers, models, and celebrities. He also published world-renowned books about makeup artistry including The Art of Makeup, Makeup Faces, and Face Forward.
“Kevyn’s imprint on our industry is still very much alive today,” says Rachel Goodwin, Makeup Artist, and Makeup Museum Co-Founder. “He opened the door for new generations of makeup artists to walk through, and legitimized our craft in a way no one had done before.”
The collection includes 7 journals, each one from 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1994, and two from 1993. To make sure the journals were preserved as much as possible, the Makeup Museum worked alongside the Aucoin family to create digital archives of the collection.
Personal keepsake items such as a backstage pass to the 1994 Oscars and Barbara Streisand concert tickets, offer us a glimpse into Aucoin’s personal life.
“They are full of his energy and excitement and unbridled reverence for beauty,” explains Goodwin. “They tell a story of a boy from rural Louisiana whose dream was coming true in real-time. There are so many pinch-me moments in the pages and the way he documented them, it was almost as if he couldn’t believe what was happening to him either.”
You can view the exclusive showcase of Aucoin’s journals at the Makeup Museum Instagram.
