The Legendary Facechart Book | How it Became the Best-Selling Makeup Book
How the Facechart Book became the most coveted, must-have makeup book for makeup artists within six months..
When the idea was first presented for this exceptional book about drawing with makeup on paper, I wondered how many people are actually going to do that? I mean, let's be honest, to an outsider like myself, that idea can seem somewhat extraordinary. Who could ever imagine that (update) it still one of the best makeup books in 2024 for makeup artists.
Besides the fact that the artistic part is really mind-blowing, and I understood that there was certainly interest in it, it took some time before its true power and potential revealed itself. Who am I? I am Wandi, I work for the publisher and am a passionated writer slash makeup lover, and intensely involved in creating The Facechart Book.
During this creative journey, in which Liza Kondrevich took me deeper and deeper into her world of colors, powders, brushes, and makeup, her knowledge of facial structures, and the influence that light and shadow have on them when applied correctly, I realized that this could become a game-changing makeup book.
In retrospect, when I look back at it, it actually makes sense. The principle of 'the face chart' as a tool within the artistry of makeup can actually be reduced to the profession's foundation. Using face templates (some outlines of a face) for practicing techniques, training hand movements, working with products, and designing 'looks' on paper, you can achieve so much without even touching a single model with a brush.
Purely as an educational and training medium, there is a great deal of profit to be made for both beginners and professionals. Think about it; the benefits are enormous! Never before has there been a complete master guide that describes this matter in the finest detail. Well, now there is a book that you can study, and that is NOT about makeup application but still turns out to be essential for every makeup lover.
Note January ‘24: the Facechart Book won’t be reprinted because of extreme production and shipping costs. Get your hands on the last pieces available… AND… check out the NEW online courses!!
Update: As from April ‘23 the Facechart Book is sold out for World Wide shipping. Only some last pieces available in The Netherlands and Belgium on www.bol.com
2024 Update: Now there is a NEW massive online course that goes beyond anything you can imagine when it comes to makeup design and face chart techniques. Get premium online education with Liza Kondrevich and join Makeup Designer Academy™
The Facechart Book, which has now been bought by thousands of makeup artists and fanatics, is structured as follows:
The first chapter tells a bit about the life of Liza Kondrevich. How she grew up as a little girl under the Soviet regime and where her fascination for makeup, and interest in fine art came from. How impossible her dreams seemed, given her geographic location and lack of opportunities, yet she managed to achieve goals that many do not dare to dream about yet. Close partnerships with the world's greatest in the field of makeup and the privilege of working for brands such as Mario Dedivanovic Anastasia Beverly Hills, L'Oreal, NYX Cosmetics, Estée Lauder Companies, and MAC Cosmetics, to name but a few. It's inspiring, even compelling, to read how persistence paves the way to success.
If you like to see a little more of Liza, here's an excellent item Yahoo's intheknow.com recently dedicated to her.
Furthermore, the first chapter delves into all the benefits, the potential, and the underlying value of the facechart.
The second chapter explains which tools and equipment are used. Besides the art supplies, such as paper and the like, there is a major chunk about the types of makeup and brushes. In principle, she states that you can use all conceivable makeup that you have available.
Throughout this book, Liza mainly uses cosmetics from NYX Professional Makeup, and the reason she promotes this brand is not that she is paid for it, but to show her appreciation for the fact that she was allowed to do a unique project in 2020, in close collaboration with NYX Professional Makeup. Namely, designing ten unique face chart templates that offer broad cultural coverage, look realistic, and set the global trend for face charts.
Did you know that even to this day, Liza designs looks every month on behalf of L'Oreal? To support the artistry team? Or how about the Designing for Mario? Read about it in this blog.
The third chapter (and part of chapter 4) is marked by many as extremely valuable. This theoretical part is about the knowledge of color, light, and shadow. And once you have a good understanding of these three elements, you actually get to the core of what makeup actually means. By implementing this knowledge in your profession (or hobby), you will benefit from it for a lifetime, I assure you, speaking from my personal experience.
From the middle of Chapter 4 to the last chapter, Chapter 10, all the different aspects are explained one by one in extremely detailed step-by-step sections—an incredible wealth of information with absolutely everything being defined. Liza has no secrets and shares her knowledge with unprecedented generosity.
In short: This makeup book is a masterpiece that should not be missing from any makeup lover. It is bought as a coffee table book to simply enjoy its splendor and as a textbook. It even comes with a complete video course of more than two and a half hours with exclusive material that cannot be found on Youtube or the like.
Okay, it is clear that this book is groundbreaking, but why is it so coveted at a time like this?
At the time of writing, we are in a global lockdown for over a year due to the Corona pandemic, and launching the book was, not entirely according to plan, in the midst of the first "wave." Not the best timing, so to say, mainly because the group of professionals, our intended customers, has been quite negatively affected by all this.
However, the opposite turned out to be true. The face chart, by itself, flourished like never before. By respecting social distancing in connection with the measures to combat the virus, the face chart in itself is the perfect medium to advise customers in stores, for example, and to showcase skills without the need for physical contact. Paper turned out to be the second-best thing compared to the human skin, in this case, but therefore immediately respected by the wider public.
When the book, which is a bit of an odd one out, was just launched, it once in a while was returned here to the publisher, with the message: “I thought it was about makeup application on the skin'‘ or "I don't understand the purpose, why would one apply expensive makeup on a piece of paper?" We have long since passed that phase, and The Book is already established within these six months.
We receive tons of feedback from the makeup community that this book helped many people through these challenging times. The days spent studying and performing the matter not only took them out of their daily worries but also brought them back into deep contact with their inner artist.
In many reviews, on TrustPilot, for example, that enthusiasm is very noticeable. A large number of artists who have been in the business for decades compare the feeling they get when reading this book (so they don't compare the content, but purely the feeling it evokes) with iconic books such as 'Making Faces' by Kevyn Aucoin’ and 'The Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual' by Bobbi Brown. This is considered a huge honor since those are known to be the best makeup books back in those days.
“If I only had this book decades ago… ”
So those who thought makeup books were outdated are quite mistaken. The value of books remains for life. The only downside to a bestselling book like "FACECHART Drawing With Makeup" is that the overall level and quality of face charts have skyrocketed since its release, making it more challenging to stand out from the rest.
Liza herself, as far as I am concerned, always stays at the top at a lonely height, but that also legitimizes why she wrote a makeup guide book like this.
If she intends to release another book, I certainly hope to be part of it again. I am obsessed with the unique concept and amazed at how much it provides happy, creative souls.
Are you still dating this book? Or are you looking forward to the next one? Let me know and leave a comment below.
Have a wandi-full day,
Love, Wandi