Armed with a decade of experience in the beauty industry, Mimi Quiquine spent years developing products for herself. Several trials and errors later, her skincare line Maison Quiquine was born. “This year, I sought out to find my purpose in life beyond taking pretty pictures,” says the veteran makeup artist. “If I could contribute anything else to the beauty industry, what would it be? Creating a skincare line felt like something I could reflect on in my later years and be proud of.” She’s worked with industry giants like Vogue, Vogue Italia, PAPER Magazine and Puma, and was recently named one of “The Most Innovative Makeup Artists” in the beauty industry by Refinery29.
With her new line, she’s putting a new stamp on her work. Naming her brand after the Quiquine's — a tangible love letter to her mother’s side of the family. Since moving to the States, she’s been guided by an inkling to reunite with her Bajan and Guadeloupean roots. “Reconnecting with my Carribean side was a gateway towards introspection. It revealed aspects of my culture that subconsciously influence my work.” It’s most prominent in her saturated, experimentation of colour.
“Guadeloupe is home to a very rich culture. It’s very diverse, it’s bright and people love music. In contrast to other Carribean islands, there’s still a very strong French influence. Having so many different elements that make up my heritage has allowed me to be fluid when it comes to how I create. I don’t necessarily fit into one box,” she says.
When I catch up with her, she’s comfortably perched in her garden outside her apartment in Queens, New York. Despite the grey-scale of our glitching zoom call, her skin is as youthful and radiant as ever. At first glance I wonder how moving to a foreign country and launching a skincare line while maneuvering the global coronavirus pandemic has been so forgiving to her skin. Surprisingly, our conversation reveals that there is more to her infectious glow than the average skincare routine.
Mimi was oddly prepared for the pandemic even before news of it’s outbreak shocked the world to a standstill. “My mother’s side of the family are buddhists. My husband and I are also practicing buddhists. One of the things I love about buddhism is that the solution you seek is never outside of you, it’s within you,” she tells me. “As we had already been nurturing our home and our surroundings.” True to her premonition, the success of her line is a testament to navigating life without fear. “Keep your manufacturers and production local,” she reveals. “Buying things internationally would have affected the business because products often get held up in customs.”
Rather than be indebted to her social and emotional needs, she continues to reinterpret her idea of a fulfilling work-life balance. “Anyone living in New York will tell you that the general attitude is that if you’re not chronically exhausted then you’re simply not hustling enough. Over the last year I slowed down a little bit on the jobs I was taking. It came with a lot of anxiety and second-guessing in the beginning, but now I have more time to work on personal projects. I have time to rest, and finally have the time to cook my own food.
”In an industry known to profit off women’s insecurities, Mimi’s evolution into skincare is as sincere as it is necessary. In Mimi’s world, skincare and make-up are mutually sustaining. Mastering the art of looking like ourselves is a medium for one to reconcile our outward appearance as a means to tune into ourselves. “Your appearance is a gateway to you as an individual. It’s important that we embrace the skin that we’re in because the beauty industry doesn’t often celebrate individualism. That is why I pride myself on natural skincare.”
Watching Mimi perform her skincare routine is a grounding experience. She looks every bit the modern apothecarist as she glides her “philosopher's” jade stone across the perimeter of her skin in slow, methodical strokes. Currently, her emporium consists of six carefully selected elixirs: a face oil, jade stone, buff scrub, body oil, candle and cleansing balm — all encased in the most luxurious recyclable packaging. “Right now I’ve been very blessed because my skin isn’t breaking out,” Mimi shares. “At the moment, I use my immortelle cleansing balm to cleanse my skin in the evening. It’s a very rich balm so it doesn’t end up drying out my skin. In the summer, I’ve noticed that I can cleanse my skin with my balm in the evening, tone my skin with rose water and get away with not wearing a moisturiser. In the morning I cleanse my skin with my balm then put my moisturiser on.” As the art of “gua sha” is currently trending on TikTok, I’m equally intrigued and sceptical of its mysticism. It’s an ancient Chinese practice which has been proven to prevent headaches, promote lymphatic drainage and prevent the formulation of wrinkles. “I do my gua sha session every other day. The secret to building a strong foundation of great skincare is keeping your regiment consistent. It’s been really interesting to go through this journey with my husband who had previously had no skincare history. Seeing the results has been a very rewarding journey,” she shares.
“The concoction of my heritage has allowed me to feel really comfortable with being a well-rounded artist and not feeling limited to one art form. I know people know me as a makeup artist because that’s how I make a living but I really enjoy photography and I absolutely love making films. That’s where I see myself eventually.” It’s clear that as she continues her legacy of shape-shifting herself to explore different ventures, Mimi’s future will be a constellation of artistry that burns bright.