About Face

March 15, 2010
Barnes gave actress-singer-megabrand Jennifer Lopez her trademark "glow," and his celebrity makeup star ascended to join the likes of Pat McGrath and the late Kevyn Aucoin. In his mini-coffee-table-book debut, he shares his philosophyit all begins with the light, where and how it hits the face, because glow is the goal with all women, starlets or not. A lot of heavy contouring and highlighting ensues in an array of "transformations" of nonmodels of various ages and ethnicities. These before-and-afters, captured in step-by-step color photos, are impressive in their technical skill and will inspire the more audacious and skilled among Barnes's fansSarah goes from a pretty, minimally maquillaged twenty-something to a golden-cheeked Renaissance maiden. However, most women probably don't have the time, energy, or ability to mimic the author's painterly (and, some would argue, heavy-handed) approach. VERDICT While Barnes presents some sensible skin care how-to and tricks, his book is best suited to intermediate to advanced makeup artists who have a stake in contouring and highlighting.Heather McCormack, "Library Journal"

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