The Sensual Skin Enhancer by Kevyn Aucoin ($48 retail | $28.80 pro) is a staple among many makeup artists because of its versatility. It can be sheered out to a tinted moisturizer, or built up to be full coverage while still looking natural; it can also be used as a concealer. This tiny little jar packs a huge punch.
This is one of the most recent additions to my kit. I've been using Face Atelier Ultra Foundation for about two years and I just felt like I needed a change. I wanted to lighten my kit, so I turned to the Skin Enhancers. I love Face Atelier, but I needed to carry additional concealers, which means more space and more weight in my kit . With the Skin Enhancers, I use it as foundation and concealer. I can mix certain colors to create correctors as well.
Longevity: I find that the Skin Enhancers last much longer on the skin than Face Atelier. I have oily skin and I can wear it for 14 hours in 90 degree weather and still look flawless by the end of the day. It doesn't break up or get patchy on my forehead and between my brows like other foundations. It's also water resistant which is great for summer! One of the bridesmaids from a wedding I worked on even went swimming and she came out looking amazing. She texted me the next day and asked what kind of magic I did on her face.
Color Range: The Skin Enhancer comes in 16 shades and it's very impressive. It includes lots of neutral undertones as well as golden undertones. I haven't been able to NOT match anyone with this. For my kit, I have the shades 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16. I depotted them into a Vueset Viking Jack palette. I really recommend splitting with a friend (which I did) because they last forever, and it can be expensive buying 12 shades of foundation. With my pro discount, my friend and I paid about $200 each for the foundations and the Vueset.
1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 have neutral/cool undertones. 4, 8, 11, 12, and 15 have golden undertones. 13 has a peach undertone, and 16 has a red undertone.
Application: A lot of people are intimidated by this product because of how pigmented it is. You only need a half a pea size or less for medium coverage. My favorite method to apply this is with a dense buffing brush, and a beauty blender on myself. I start by applying a bit more moisturizer than usual to the skin, then I warm up the foundation on a palette, dot it on the skin, and then blend. To conceal under the eyes, I take a tiny amount on a brush and buff. You can't use too much under the eyes because it will emphasize lines.
The Sensual Skin Enhancer is so universal. I can use it for weddings and photoshoots because it looks amazing in person as well as on camera. Here are a few pictures where I used the foundation, with no retouching or filters.
You can find Kevyn Aucoin products at Frends Beauty, Nigel's Beauty Emporium, Sephora, and Space NK.
Disclaimer: I did not receive any money to talk about any brands mentioned above. I purchased these products with my own money. All opinions are also my own.
All pictures belong to me, unless stated otherwise, and may not be used without my permission.