Functionality of Packaging Design

Some of you may not know, but I am a graduated graphic designer and naturally having that eye for design, especially packaging design, I tend to be somewhat judgmental on makeup products when the packaging isn't useful and is a waste of space and time. This is why I don't try some brands. I know it's wrong to base why I wouldn't try a product based on packaging when the product itself is probably very good, but the way I feel is if a product is good on it's own, it doesn't need a whole lot of fluff and flash to sell it. A good example would be the shadow books that you see from Too Faced and Urban Decay. While I would like to try these out, the fact that they are so bulky and take up so much space turns me off completely. I have enough makeup as it is and to have that much space taken away from me just from cardboard and printing doesn't make any sense for me.





In another aspect though, when packaging is sleek, thought out and is designed with functionality in mind, I am more than overjoyed. The first time I saw how Inglot's palettes stack up and are magnetized completely made my day. They are great for packing your kit and stay closed so that your eye shadows and lip products don't get contaminated or possibly damaged during travel.



Another example of good design, especially good re-design is Urban Decay's Primer Potion. As you might have seen before, the packaging for this product was terrible for using the most out of the product. Trying to get the primer out of the bottle with the applicator was kind of a hassle in spots where the product would gather and the wand wouldn't be able to reach it. This is why I was so glad that they realized this and went to a much more usable squeeze bottle.






Do you pay attention to packaging when purchasing a makeup product & do you let it affect your purchase decision based on how you would use it or is it merely whether it looks good?

Brows

Because I've toned down a little, my routine on how I fill my brows have changed (but only slightly). I did this video as a way to show what I do on the daily, so I hope this helps you all with your questions about brows.

Products:
Estée Lauder Artist Eye Pencil in Soft Smudge Brown
MAC Eyeshadow in Cork




Hope you guys are having a great start to your week and that your Easter was fantastic! I'll talk to you all soon enough :)

Healthy food fix!

A couple of days ago I got home from the gym and was ready to munch down on some food because I'm usually very hungry by the time I'm done working out. It was about dinner time and I was cooking a chicken breast. I knew I didn't want to put too much carbs on the agenda because it was night time. So I looked in my fridge and found these things to make this simple but delicious dinner. I thought I would share with you all since I get a lot of questions of what kind of food I eat.


1 chicken breast
1/4 of a small purple cabbage
about 8 romaine lettuce leaves
fresh salsa
1/2 of an avocado
1/3 cup light sour cream
lime juice






I pretty much just made wraps with them and filled the leaves with all of the toppings along with a couple of dollops of the light sour cream and a drizzle of the lime juice. I don't count calories 100% so I'm not too sure how many calories this meal is, but it is nonetheless a healthy meal as opposed to having tacos (especially ones that have a fried tortilla).

A lot of the food I make has a lot of color to it and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a graphic designer and makeup artist. I can't help but make things with color and food is no exception. A lot of what you enjoy is what looks good, so why not make sure your food looks appealing while it tastes so! By incorporating colorful and delicious vegetables into your food, you help yourself eat healthy and enjoy the food you're eating!

I hope this was helpful for some of you and until next time, cheers :)

Tickled Pink Tutorial

My new obsession as of late has been glowy/dewy. I think its with spring being here and all of the beautiful blossom trees blooming that has been leaving me feeling very soft and feminine. So I came up with a look that is reminiscent of it.

Products:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
The Balm Blush/Shadow in Down Boy
NYX Eyeshadow in Tropical
NYX Eyeshadow in Hot Pink
OCC Loose Colour in Hum
MAC Eyeshadow in Fresh Approach
Lancome Artist Eye Pencil
Covergirl Lashblast
K Palette 24/7 1 Day Tattoo Eyeliner
Red Cherry #47
Benefit Bella Bamba Blush
L'Oreal Infallable Lipstick in Perpetual Peach
Clear Lip Gloss







& Here's the tutorial if you haven't seen it :)

Side Swept Fringe and Shiny Hair

I hope that all of you have had a great weekend. Mine has been pretty nice and it seems to be spilling into this week because I'm about to eat sushi tomorrow with my cousin at my favorite sushi place! Mmm. That is all completely unrelated to this post but I figure I'd give a little hello nonetheless.

I've been asked a fair amount of times pretty much since the start of my Youtube channel of how I make my fringe side swept and so I posted a video on how I typically do it. Along with that, I wanted to share what I am currently using for my hair at this moment because a couple of people have asked what I've been doing for it to be so shiny.

As some of you know, I dye my hair a lot. I can't even count how many times I have dyed my hair, so knowing that, you have to know that it is quite damaged. People have said that they dye their hair so much that there is no hope for having shiny hair. That is not true! For me, I try to abstain from washing my hair when I can and try to wash it about twice a week. When I do wash it, to help my hair color stay longer, I wash with cold water. Lately washing my hair twice a week has not been happening because I currently go to the gym around 5 to 6 days a week. So to go along with trying to maintain my hair, I use a shampoo and conditioner that is sulfate free to help keep my hair color going strong. Right now I'm using Organix Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo and Conditioner each being $7.99. I love the way it makes my hair smell. So far I've liked Organix for my hair and it seems to be working. I also like that it is available at drugstores. I was using the Hair One system before which is only a conditioner but I was having trouble with it because it was leaving my hair greasy very quickly.



What has REALLY helped my hair with shine is Ion's Moisture Solutions Extreme Moisture Creme. I put a little of it over the Organix Conditioner and let it sit for a good 4 to 5 minutes before washing it out and it leaves my hair SO soft and so shiny. If your hair is in need of moisture, I recommend trying this out. I bought it at Sally's Beauty Supply for $2.19. I've already had about 4 uses out of it because of my short hair.



Then when I want to heat style my hair I use a heat protectant. I managed to get this Sultra Curl Safe protectant over at Elessa's (Pursebuzz) beauty mixer and I'm liking it thus far. I was using an oil based one before and it was making my hair really greasy. When I'm not using the Ion Creme I'm using Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil ($6.99) in my hair to put some moisture into it.



As for my fringe, my hair is naturally pretty straight. I took some pictures in the process of curling them and doing my hair so you can see what it looks like without any product or style to it.

BEFORE:


MIDWAY with some curling straightening and teasing:


AFTER:



Here's a video on how I work with my fringe:



Hope you guys have a great week and I hope that all of this is helpful for you guys! :)

Sucker Punch: Blondie Inspired Tutorial

I know I'm posting back to back but I need to get this tutorial up on youtube, sorry! After watching the movie, all I could think about was putting makeup on my face and so I decided to do tutorials based on the leading ladies. I might have stated this in the past Sucker Punch post when I did a look based on Baby Doll. Nonetheless here we go!


Products:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
MAC Greasepaint Stick in Brown Now
Lancome Eyeshadow in Backstage Pass
Sugarpill Pressed Shadow in Bulletproof
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Oilslick
MAC Eyeshadow in Next to Nothing
MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Young Punk
Red Cherry Lashes #46 & 74
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara
The Balm Blush in Cabana Boy
MAC MSF in Sunny by Nature
MAC Naked Pigment
The Balm Plump Your Pucker Gloss in Cocoa my Coconut









Thanks for looking :)

Switching it up.

I want to first and foremost thank everyone who reads this thing and I want to say welcome to my new followers! I know the video I posted on youtube has led you here and I hope that you enjoy what I post from time to time :)

For the past two weeks I've been pushing myself harder at the gym compared to the weeks before because I want to see what I can withstand, also because I don't want to plateau. I'm pretty much going to the gym everyday when I can. The only day I've missed since last Monday was when I went to Oakland for my mom's birthday. What does this mean? It means I feel like a grandma now and fall asleep at 11 pm now. Last night I was going to blog at around 12:45 but it felt like 5 am to me so I had to sleep haha. Nonetheless here I am in the morning while I eat my ritual morning food before working out (a small bowl of Special K, boiled egg, and a fruit which is a banana today).

After the gym (usually a couple of hours later), I get spurts of energy and want to do things. I decided to play with makeup and I ended up with two videos.



I also picked up my dress shirt I got tailored and bought a bunch of clothes because my style is again morphing into something else. I'm really excited about my dress shirt because I got a men's shirt tailored to me so that I can properly rock a bow tie (I own two now). I think I look a little like Annie Hall but slightly more feminine.

I came home and my desk is was littered with products and my things after a couple of days. It doesn't matter of how often I clean it up, there are always products everywhere after I do makeup and record videos.



At night, I painted my nails because they were bare again. I always paint my nails before bed which is always a bad thing but thanks to Seche Vite (which is a top coat that I purchased at Sally's Beauty Supply for about $8), I don't have to worry about waiting for an hour or two to relax in my bed. I swear this top coat has saved me time so much in the past that I always go back to it. The color I put on my nails is OPI in Gargantuan Green Grape. I think its very soft and pretty. When I looked at the color I thought it looked a little plain so I threw China Glaze's black crackle polish and I love this thing for when I'm feeling lazy and I want my nails to look snazzed up. It does it's job right, but more so if you are random with the strokes on your nails and do them in different directions. I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but hey, they still look fun.









Before bed I noticed the pink eyeshadow I used stained my lids, thus is the story of my life whenever I wear color. Oh well! As an end to this random post, I have no shame on posting pictures of me without makeup though, so here it is. I've done this several times online and I think that people need to feel comfortable in their own skin enough to be bare. The way you are naturally is beautiful.



I hope all of you are having a great week thus far! I'll talk to you soon enough :)

A Day in Oakland

Good afternoon ladies & gentleman!

I always get people asking to show what kind of outfits I wear so in between posts of makeup and such I'll be blogging about my day and will show clothes I wear. I figure It'd be easier than posting a video on it and I won't feel so weird about it since I usually take pictures when I go out to places with friends and family.

On Saturday, my mother, father, cousin Raymund, and I went to Oakland to eat at Fenton's since my mother has never been there before. It really was a gorgeous day out (it has been for the past couple of days) but it was still a bit chilly.













We saw these two adorable boys walking with their mother and I had to stop them to ask if I could take a picture of them. They have so much style, I just had to.



A lot people ask about showing my tattoo so here it is. Its on the inside of my right leg and its a cherry blossom branch.

As for the clothes I am wearing, the hat, skirt, shirt, and side bag are all from H&M. The cardigan I got from forever21 a long time ago, I also got the scarf from forever21, and the flats are from Cotton On.

I hope you guys enjoy these random posts. Let me know if you'd like me to continue posting blogs like this!


:)

Recent comments

I wouldn't normally post just a blog post of me talking but I'm in a mood to for some strange reason.

Most of the people who watch my videos are used to me being very daring and completely vibrant. I didn't want to admit it but I do have to say that was a phase of my life. I was going through things and having the freedom to be able to dye my hair pink, purple, and blue was something I had never tried before.



I wanted to experiment and I do have to say that I didn't have the confidence to when I was bigger. When the weight started coming off, I started playing around with clothes, accessories, hair, and makeup like I never did before and it was a lot of fun.

Now that I'm fine tuning some things in my life and letting my style as a person progress, I no longer have the desire to look the way I did. I'm genuinely enjoying toning it down and being more neutral and natural looking. I feel pretty when I do it. That is why my hair color is the way it is now. It's not brown, its a dark red. I'm sure that I will still throw on things that are a little more like the old Jasmine, but for now this is me.



I also want to talk about the fact that my face looks different. I did not have any plastic surgery. The only thing that changed with me was my weight and I did it all the old fashion way: diet & exercise. My face looks different now because of the weight change, a lot of people's faces do when they drop weight because that is one of the first places you start noticing it. That's all.



Me bettering my health is all for me and no one else and I am doing it the way that I wanted to. I don't knock anyone for being an x amount of pounds or for being an x size. If you are happy the way you are, that's fantastic and I'm happy for you. I am more happy now than I have ever been and I hope that anyone who follows me and reads this is as well because I really appreciate all of the support.

March Favorites

Hi everyone!

I haven't done one of these videos and I figured that I'd give it a shot so you guys can see what I'm digging on lately in my everyday use of makeup as opposed to just tutorials because there are times when I use the same products over and over within a length of time because I enjoy them so much. For the month of March, these were my go to's.

The Balm Time Balm Concealer 0.25 oz $18
It comes in 6 different shades, so that does somewhat serve as an issue as I've heard from others that its a little difficult to color match since there isn't more of a variety of tones. Overall though, this product is very smooth, has great coverage, and does its job over a lengthy amount of time!


Benefit Bella Bamba Blush 0.28 oz $28
On the website it is described as a watermelon blush and I have to agree. It's very warm and summery with a great glow to it. It also smells amazing. Its pigmented and very golden pink.


The Balm Hot Mama Blush/Eyeshadow 0.25 oz $19
A very coral summer blush or eyeshadow with a great gold sheen to it. This blush is a little lighter in pink tone than the Benefit shadow and it goes on a little smoother than the Benefit blush.


NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil $4.50
These pencils offer a great base for eye shadows to bump up pigmentation and to really get shadows and even glitter to stay put. Just a tip though, putting just enough as needed will really help because if you put too much your eyeshadow will definitely crease on you.


Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick
I've used these lipsticks so much in the past 2 months because of the fact that its hydrating, inexpensive and the color payoff is fantastic. I know that the prices vary at different stores, but you can generally get them at different drugstores fairly easily.

Plum Passion Tutorial

Here's a more dramatic and vibrant look that I haven't attempted in quite some time. I hope you enjoy!


Products:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Purple
Sugarpill Pressed Shadow in Poison Plum, Dollipop, Tako, Bulletproof
MUFE Eyeshadow #60
Ben Nye Magicolor Cream Crayon in White
MAC Eyeshadow in Vanilla
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Zero
Red Cherry Lashes #74
Milani Mineral Blush in #201
MAC Naked Pigment
Milani HD Advance Lip Color in Romantic Rose









:)