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 to other makeup artists on music videos, commercials and photo shoots. After assisting for a few months, I became consistently busy, so I left MAC. I assisted many makeup artists for about 4 years until I was able to get my own jobs and eventually signed with an agency.

MM: What do you love most about the job?

MQ: One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to meet and see the coolest people & places. Because I work for various shoots and projects, I’m always doing makeup somewhere different and on different people. I love it!

MM: Any challenges?

MQ: Sometimes, it’s hard for me to keep doctor/dentist appointments because if an amazing job comes up, most likely I’ll have to re-schedule the appointment. Also, as fun as my job is, it also has an unpredictable schedule. Some days I’ll have to be at work at 5am or 5pm, so it’s definitely challenging to make and keep plans.

MM: Tell us a little more about working with mark. What do you love most about the line?

MQ: I love working with mark because they’re so inventive and they are always coming out with new products and packaging. The color ranges for all the products is very diverse, which makes it easy to find an entire palette for anyone – that makes my job a lot easier!

MM: If you had to choose 2-3 mark must haves, what would they be?

MQ: My must haves would definitely be the mark Flip for It in Urban Neutrals, mark Hook Up Brushes and the Britt Bardo for mark Only Need Me Tee.

Visit www.meetmark.com to shop for the products that Mai mentions above – and keep reading Makeup Minute for more scoop on her celeb clients!

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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 a true triple threat. The three wearable shades include Joy (red), Happiness (light pink) and Tickled Pink (the Barbie signature power pink exclusive to the Barbie Loves Stila Collection) and feature mood boosting rhodolea rosea and long lasting lip conditioning ingredients.

Price: $32, available at www.stilacosmetics.com, Ulta and Sephora.

Barbie™ Loves Stila Lip Glaze: Add dimension and shimmer to your lips with just a click of one of these iconic Lip Glaze pens. Choose from universally flattering Pale Pink, a Bright Pink or Red.

Price: $22, available exclusively at Sephora and www.stilacosmetics.com.

Barbie™ Loves Stila NEW Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner: Created especially for the Barbie collection, this new marker-like pen glides on with precision and ease and won’t smudge or run. The intense carbon black color creates definition for day and drama for night.

Price: $20, available exclusively at Ulta and www.stilacosmetics.com.

Barbie™ Loves Stila Smudge Pot (above!): Tucked inside jars emblazoned with Barbie’s sparkling stare, these ultra-rich shades of the cult favorite gel-based liner are the first versions to be infused with intense sparkle. Options include eye enhancing Cobalt Clutch (blue with blue shimmer), Purple Pumps (purple with pink shimmer) and the intense Little Black Dress (black with pink shimmer). Each is perfect for lining the eyes and as a stay-put smudge-proof shadow.

Price: $20, available at www.stilacosmetics.com, Ulta and Sephora.

Do you need a little Barbie in your life this season? Leave a comment and let me know if you plan to pick up any of these goodies!

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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 mix is a dual-ended eye shadow/liner brush.  If you’ve never tried LORAC’s shadows, they’re not only pigmented, they’re uber soft and blendable!

You can snag the Red Carpet Reveal Palette  for just $35 – a great value considering that the value is over $100! It’s a Sephora exclusive.

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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 and the hairline.

If you shop now (today through Sunday, the 28th) at www.toofaced.com, you can even enjoy 20% off any order by using code “SIZZLE” – that brings the price of this palette down to just $28!

Happy Shopping!

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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 variety!

You can snag this smarty-pants palette from the Pixi collection at Target $28.

Image via Target.com

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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 base to the shadows included though you can also use it as a light shimmering wash on it’s own.

Shop the Urban Decay Summer 2009 collection at www.urbandecay.com.

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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 and a black eyeliner.  Pop the kit and a mascara into your bag and you’re good to go!

Growing up in the proud yet humble English town of South Shields, Lauren posted her first tutorial on YouTube just 18 months ago. The 27-year-old single mother started posting the videos to enhance her gig selling makeup on Ebay – an opportunity she seized so she could quit her job as a taxi dispatcher and spend more time with her then 9 -year-old son, Jordan.

Lauren never had many girlfriends growing up but has found a wealth of new ones on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. She’s in daily contact with them, whether posting a new video or just catching up. Her goal in life? Simply, “I just want to make people feel special and happy.”

Image via ByLaurenLuke.com.

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The color payoff from the Trios is amazing – you’ll need just a light brush swipe to cover your lid – and the colors are multi-dimensional and gorgeous.

Image Courtesy of Rock & Republic Cosmetics

Rock & Republic Cosmetics are available at Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus stores. For more info, visit www.rockandrepublic.com.

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Treasure Chest Bag: $12.99

Hidden Treasure Brush Set: $19.99

Coral Reef Highlighter Brush: $12.99

Pink Sands Highlighting Powder: $12.99

How to Create the Freshness of Spring Cosmetic Palette: $19.99

What do you think about the new Sonia Kashuk collection?  See anything you’ll pick up for summer? Leave a comment and share!

Image: Sonia Kashuk

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