The Lavender Smokey Eye

In Hollywood, as in beauty, anyone can be anything. Makeup artist Mai Quynh proves the point in her new story for The Violet Files, wherein she transforms a quartet of models and shares the secrets behind their dramatic looks. Follow along as Quynh creates a disco-decadent violet eye for Los Angeles–based model Kenya Kinski-Jones, below. Then study the inventive makeup tutorials she crafted for three equally inspiring LA ladies: Lindsey Wixson, Ayako Comte, and Jane Moseley.

 

THE ARTIST
Mai Quynh | @storyofmailife

THE INSPIRATION
Bianca Jagger attending a party at Studio 54.

WHERE TO WEAR
Giorgio’s Saturday Disco party at The Standard in Hollywood.

MEET THE FACE
Kenya Kinski-Jones | @kenyakinskij

Name: Mai Quynh
Known For: Dramatic eyes and dewy skin
Where to Find Her: Los Angeles
Clients: Saoirse Ronan, Daisy Ridley, Chloë Grace Moretz
Years in the Industry: 18
Beauty Essential: BeautyBlender Pro Sponge

Makeup artist Mai Quynh is a thoroughly ’90s girl. She grew up watching Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford sing with George Michael in “Freedom!” while flipping through issues of Vogue covered by Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. “They were everywhere,” says Quynh of the models who inspired her to pursue a career in beauty. “There was a way that they were painted, a presence they had. They looked so powerful and strong and beautiful and confident.”

Thusly transfixed, the California native enrolled at Studio Makeup Academy in 1998 and established her craft assisting makeup artists Stéphane Marais, Paul Starr, and Frank B. on music videos, commercials, and photo shoots. In 2006, Quynh got her big break when she landed her first Harper’s BAZAAR cover with a brunette and pregnant Britney Spears. “It is quite a memory,” Quynh says.

Since then, Quynh has become a red carpet regular. Her work is readily on display at premieres and awards shows via the glowing faces of celebrity clients such as Saoirse Ronan and Chloë Grace Moretz. “I take everything into consideration—her hair, her dress, her accessories—and I apply makeup that is specific to that moment,” Quynh explains of her approach. But some things never change. When asked who she would love to get in her makeup chair for a dream appointment, Quynh’s answer harkens back to her ’90s fangirl days. “Naomi Campbell,” the artist says. “She’s so fierce.”