Exclusive: Celebrity Makeup Guru Tim Quinn on His New Halo 42 Skin-Meets-Wellness Line

Celebrity makeup artist and NewBeauty Brain Trust member Tim Quinn boasts an impressive A-list client roster, some of which we cannot even mention as he’s sworn to secrecy. In addition to his more than 20-year tenure as the former Giorgio Armani Beauty global makeup artist, he’s glammed and beautified the most famous of faces, including Kerry Washington, Kate Bosworth, Hilary Swank, Diane Lane, Barbara Palvin and the list goes on and on.

Quinn has now launched a new career as beauty boss and cofounder of the new skin-care meets self-care line, Halo 42. To give NewBeauty the first scoop on his fabulous new line—we are obsessed with each product, but the Pout It Out Lip Rejuvenation ($42) pot hasn’t left our handbags—Quinn sat down with us along with his cofounding partner, fitness and wellness expert Mark Turnipseed, to share how his lifelong career as one of beauty’s best experts has led to this moment and the wellness benefits of their collaboration.

What is your desert island must-have beauty product?

Tim Quinn: Our Pout It Out Lip Rejuvenation. I can’t live without a lip balm today.

What inspired you to start your own beauty brand?

TQ: Even after 20 years in the beauty business, I felt it was time to work with somebody I really want to spend time with while developing a brand that speaks to all people.

Where did the Halo 42 name come from?

TQ: It’s a great story—Mark actually had a dream about an upside-down rainbow. I’m kind of an investigator, so I looked into what that is as part of the Halo family. You can only see an upside-down rainbow at 42 degrees, which is what our brand is all about, helping people shift their perspective to find your own.

What is your favorite red-carpet moment of all time?

TQ: Oh God, Beijing, probably 10 years ago with Tina Turner. I showed up to get her ready and she was every Diva you wanted her to be. The wigs, the Louis Vuitton cases. She said I was the only one since Kevin Aucoin to get her eyebrows right, then she let me walk the red carpet with her.

What lesson did you take away from your pandemic experience?

TQ: For me the pandemic was about finding my inner joy. I got to spend a lot of time with my mom and then with my new best friend, a business partner and rediscovering what it is that really makes me smile.

Why have you gone from a mental health wellness and fitness professional to cofounder of a beauty brand?

Mark Turnipseed: I find that one thing that we all have in common is wanting to feel beautiful, but we also want to see beauty, so that is just something that really connects with me and connects with everyone else.

What is your definition of beauty?

MT: My definition of beauty is feeling lovely inside and being able to recognize it outside.

When was the first time you noticed the connection between beauty and mental health?

MT: It was in my own process when I was going through my own struggles and challenges. When I connected with my beauty and through self-care, I was at a very hopeless state of mind and body. Then, I was taught how to brush my teeth mindfully and it was during that time, that I connected with myself on a on a way that I had never connected before. I realized then that I had hope that I could become beautiful and that I can step into my potential.

If self-acceptance is so important to mental health and beauty, why don’t we all embrace it more openly?

MT: It’s a big thing to accept. I think the world moves so quickly. We’re always thinking about the future. We’re always thinking about the past. It’s about sitting in this moment and being where we are right now—that’s where we experience beauty. And unfortunately, that’s not where we live most of the time. So, if we can learn to center and be in the moment we can learn to experience our beauty and others’ beauty more authentically.

Where do you see the beauty world heading in the next 20 years?

MT: I see it really enveloping many more wellness practices, as well as diet, exercise and being much more encompassing than just you know, covering things up, but a much more holistic approach.