Makeup artist Mai Quynh for mark consistently creates some of my very favorite celeb red carpet looks, many of which I’ve featured here on Makeup Minute in the past few months. So, I found myself wanting to know a little more about her!  Read on for an exclusive MM Q&A:

MM: How did you get your start as a makeup artist?
MQ: After high school, I decided to go to makeup school. Once I finished makeup school, I got a job working at MAC and stayed there for about 3 years. On my days off, I worked as an assistant …read more

Inspired by looks created for the first ever Barbie runway show last season at New York Fashion Week’s Fall 2009 shows,  the new Barbie™ Loves Stila fall collection has everything you’ll need to get all dolled up, including:

Barbie™ Loves Stila All Doll’d Up Palette: A must-have for any glam girl, this adorable refillable compact – decorated with a lenticular of the iconic Barbie stare contains FOUR eye shadow trios (TWELVE eye shadow shades!) for endless looks and countless levels of glamour.
Price: $28, available at www.stilacosmetics.com, Ulta and Sephora.
Barbie™ Loves Stila Lip Enamel Trio: This set of highly-pigmented mega-watt glosses is …read more

LORAC’s Fall 2009 collection will prep any woman for her red carpet moment. Dubbed Red Carpet Reveal, it includes celebrity makeup artist (and LORAC creator) Carol Shaw’s go-to products for her A-list clients from Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner to the Breakthrough Performance Lipstick SPF 15 in seven gorgeous shades.
However, my must- have from Red Carpet Reveal is without a doubt the signature Palette. This sleek, slim black compact houses three coordinated neutral shades (Interview, the darkest of the three, also works perfectly as an powder liner) and one beautiful, versatile powder blush, Main Attraction.
Also included in the …read more

Bronzer addicts (you know who you are!), you’ll want to get your glow ON this summer with Too Faced’s latest palette, The Bronzed and the Beautiful ($35). 

This clever kit contains three of Too Faced’s most popular bronzers, including  Snow Bunny, a skin perfecting winter bronzer Sun Bunny, a cult favorite medium bronze and Pink Leopard, which creates an illuminating tropical tan. 
It also comes with a sweet little Kabuki brush for the perfect application. And here’s a little Makeup Minute tip from me – for the most natural looking bronzer, focus your application on the spots where the sun naturally hits your face: the bridge of your nose, chin, cheekbones …read more

My desk drawer resembles a vanity more closely than it resembles a work space. Truth be told, have a giant assortment of beauty must-haves from the basics (toothbrush, anyone?) to the not-so (an Evian Brumisateur – why not?)  Of course, included in the mix are some of my favorite makeup goodies, like the Pixi Eye Beauty Kit.

This slim (really, it’s not much wider than a credit card), smart palette packs a punch with eight – count ‘em, EIGHT shades of color rich shadows. I love that it takes up such a small amount of space yet gives me so much …read more

The hippies at Urban Decay want you to Get Baked this Summer.  Their new Pucci-inspired palette ($28) comes packed with three gorgeous neutrals – Half Baked, Baked and Twice Baked, along with Flipside, a bright, bold teal.
But that’s not all – also included in the palette itself is a travel-sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, a versatile deep brown. If you’ve never had the pleasure of using these liners, you’re REALLY missing out.  They apply super smoothly and wear like a dream. 
Urban Decay also packs a miniature Primer Potion in Sin in the Get Baked packaging – it’s perfect as a …read more

If you’re a YouTube user and a makeup lover, then you’ve undoubtedly seen tutorials by Lauren Luke, a self-taught British makeup artist turned entrepreneur.  Lauren’s videos – which often recreate celeb looks like Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian –  have been watched on YouTube over 39 MILLION times.  Crazy, right?
Her new color cosmetics line — By Lauren Luke – launched yesterday and includes five full-face palettes with shades hand-picked by Lauren and tutorials meant to maximize the kit’s value and glam quotient. Each kit is just $32.50 and includes three eye shadows, two lipsticks, primer, blush and …read more

Rock & Republic’s edgy breed of glamour has translated beautifully to their luxe makeup collection, which launched last fall.  The new Eye Colour Trios are packaged in substantial black metal palettes and contain three supersized powder eye shadows. I’m digging “Scene 1″(below), which has three ultra versatile smoky hues: a shimmery silver gray, shimmery charcoal gray (doubles nicely as a liner) and the real star of the show, a shimmery gray-toned purple, perfect for day or night.  The other colorway,”Scene 2,” has a shimmer beige, rich purple and a matte black (again a great liner!)
The color payoff from the Trios …read more

Everyone’s in a “frugalista” frame of mind these days but Sonia Kashuk has been a best bet for great makeup at an even more-fabulous price for years.  Her new Summer 2009 collection (available at Target beginning in April) is no exception.  Check out the adorable coral print makeup bags and brushes, along with a do-it all palette and the versatile Pink Sands Highlighting Powder. This collection is just so summery, I can imagine tossing the Treasure Chest Bag in a beach tote for a post-swim touch up.  Here’s the scoop on pricing:
Treasure Chest Bag: $12.99
Hidden Treasure Brush Set: …read more