Interview by Lindsay Leff

Lindsay Leff: Where did you grow up?
Carmindy: Huntington Beach, California.

LL: Did you play with makeup when you were little?
Carmindy: Absolutely! My mom was a professional dancer at one point, and both she and my grandma did a small amount of local modeling. So, I used to raid their lipstick drawers, play with their costume jewelry, and study glamorous photos of the both of them.

LL: How did you get your start in the beauty industry?
Carmindy: I began working at a cosmetics counter at the local mall after school and on weekends, then began assisting professional makeup artists in L.A. at a very young age and became an apprentice.

LL: Why do you love what you do?
Carmindy: Empowering women makes me feel wonderful, and you can’t beat the lifestyle. I love teaching women how to incorporate natural beauty into every aspect of their lives.

LL: Is there a signature look or style you’re known for?
Carmindy: Yes, an enhanced, natural glowing beauty, and The 5-Minute Face.
Buy The 5-Minute Face: The Quick & Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy, $14.93, at amazon.com

LL: How did you get the role as a makeup artist on What Not to Wear?
Carmindy: I used to be a spokesperson for a myriad of cosmetics companies during morning shows as a beauty expert. So, I had a lot of TV experience. When WNTW was looking for people, I was a natural fit.

LL: How has it changed your life?
Carmindy: It has given me an arena to teach women how to enhance their natural beauty and see what is special and unique about each of them.

LL: Why did you decide to start your own makeup line?
Carmindy: I wanted to create a line of high quality products that all women could afford. I went to Sally Hansen knowing about their reputation for amazing quality, and it was a perfect partnership.

LL: How did you go from makeup artist to author?
Carmindy: I knew I wanted to write The 5-Minute Face, so I came up with a treatment and pitched it to a few publishers. And it started a bidding war. Get Positively Beautiful and Crazy Busy Beautiful followed.
Buy Get Positively Beautiful: The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Gorgeous by Carmindy, $8.80, at amazon.com

Buy Crazy Busy Beautiful: Beauty Secrets for Getting Gorgeous Fast by Carmindy, $9.35, at amazon.com

LL: Do you reveal your makeup tricks?
Carmindy: There are over 600 in my new book, Crazy Busy Beautiful.

LL: What is your favorite makeup tip from the set?
Carmindy: Use my Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Fast Fix Concealer in All-Over Brightener under your eyes, at the outer corners, and along the nasal labial folds. It’s a light pink concealer that bounces light from the skin, waking up the face.
Buy Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Fast Fix Concealer in All-Over Brightener, $8.99, at drugstore.com

LL: What’s your best tip for looking great in photos and on camera?
Carmindy: Make sure you up your

Photo: Peter Buckingham

blush and keep skin oils away by using a light powder to erase shine.

LL: Should you change your look now that fall is coming?
Carmindy: Yes, a slight adjustment like a new nail polish, lipstick, or eyeliner. My picks: Go for a rose gold nail polish from Butter LONDON 3 Free Nail Lacquer in The Old Bill. Go with a great fall orange lip color like Make Up For Ever Glossy Full Couleur in Vibrant Orange. Choose Purple eyeliner to play up eyes. I love my Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Forever Stay Eye Pencil in Pure Plum.
Buy Butter LONDON 3 Free Nail Lacquer in The Old Bill, $14, at drugstore.com

Buy Make Up For Ever Glossy Full Couleur in Vibrant Orange, $19, at amazon.com

Buy Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Forever Stay Eye Pencil, $7.99, at cvs.com for locations

LL: How should you incorporate the new makeup trends?
Carmindy: For each new season, pick only one trendy shade of lipstick or eyeshadow to play with, but don’t spend a lot of money as trends come and go so quickly.

LL: What should you splurge on?
Carmindy: Face cream. My pick: La Mer Crème de la Mer
Buy La Mer Crème de la Mer, $230 for 2 oz., at saksfifthavenue.com

LL: With what makeup can you go “drugstore”?
Carmindy: My entire line of Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy. It’s the only makeup I use on the show.

LL: What’s the one beauty product you won’t leave the house without wearing?
Carmindy: My Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Your Skin Makeup Foundation and always carry my Forever Stay Lip Gloss in Playful Pink.
Buy Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Your Skin Makeup Foundation, $12.99, at drugstore.com

Buy Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired By Carmindy Forever Stay Lip Gloss, $9.95, at cvs.com for locations

LL: What’s next for you?
Carmindy: A Carmindy app for the iPhone, my line on the HSN in Canada and in Shoppers Drug Mart there, expansion of the line in the U.S. market, and a new season of WNTW.

LL: What’s your guilty pleasure?
Carmindy: Eating frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles watching The Chelsea Lately Show.

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