The Modern Mod

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 constructs an effortlessly cool graphic liner look for Los Angeles–based model Ayako Comte, below. 
 

THE ARTIST
Mai Quynh | @storyofmailife

THE INSPIRATION
Shades of ’60s via Pat McGrath’s beauty looks from Anna Sui’s Fall 2013 runway show.

WHERE TO WEAR
Taking in the art scene at Wolvesmouth, LA’s most exclusive dinner party.

MEET THE FACE
Ayako Comte | @ayakocomte

ARTIST STATS
Name: Mai Quynh | @storyofmailife
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
Agent: Samantha Jeudy @ Starworks

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 whom 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.”