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Interview with Christine Nguyen – Part Two

Hey everybody! I am so glad you all enjoyed yesterday’s Part 1 of my interview with Christine – and yes she is indeed as fun as she sounds in real life! I even got to get my makeup done by her and she was every bit as amazing as she seems. Enjoy part two.

What are some of your favorite products that you’d highly recommend?

Shu Uemura overall is great! Painting Liner stays on all day, Drawing Pencil in ME Brown is a metallic brown. Such a great color for everyday wear & the shimmer in it is eye catching…and of course their Glow On Blush: i love most of the peachy & pinky colors in matte or with a bit of shimmer.

They are so pretty & pigmented, a little goes such a long way with them. Part of my heart did die when they discontinued one AMAZING color (P Gold 93D). It would give such beautiful glowy skin on just about anyone. It looked like pure gold but wasn’t too shimmery, too yellow or too chalky. I’ve been searching for a replacement for years and haven’t come across anything quite like it. I still have one left, but i am totally hoarding it for myself. Also…

  • Dior brow pencil in Blonde! it’s the perfect taupe. A staple in my kit & I use it on just about everyone. It really is the perfect color.
  • Tarte as an overall brand has been great. I love their new Amazonian clay blushes, their concealers are really nice & they don’t settle into all your fine lines.
  • Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows are long lasting & come in such pretty shimmery colors that can be worn sheer or layered on. Busy Signal is my favorite color for everyday wear.
  • Laura Mercier has a great primer for eye lids called Eye Basics. it helps keep oily eyelids at bay & makes way for a crease free & long lasting eye shadow.
  • Armani and Nars for foundation. Both offer excellent coverage and come in a wide color range. Both help the skin look youthful & dewy while evening out your minor flaws.
  • Nars and Fresh for primer. Both companies offer primer with tint, illumination or just plain. They really help you keep your makeup on longer & fresher through out the day.
  • D.U.P false lashes from Japan and Ardell lashes. D.U.P. makes feathery strip lashes that look so pretty the “Furry” line is my favorite from them. They Also make a great glue for strip lashes called EyeLashes Fixer EX it truly dries clear. As for a more natural lash, i use Ardell Knot Free individual lashes most of the time on my clients. They’re perfect to open up your eyes and create a soft and pretty look without being over the top.

Are expensive brands always better than drugstore brands? What drugstore products would you recommend?

Expensive brands are not always better! I have used some really pricey products that have been no good. So you don’t always get what you pay for. There are some really great finds you can get at the drugstore.

For skincare Eucerin is great! The Redness relief line is really nice from the cleanser to the moisturizers. Also De La Cruz Olive Oil from the Latino beauty section of Rite Aid. If you can’t get yourself argan oil, use this olive oil. It doesn’t clog pores, leaves your skin soft & you can even take off stubborn eye makeup with it! Aquaphor for lips and chapped cuticles, and now they come in little travel sized tubes too!

L’oreal is a great drugstore brand, they own Lancome so you know their quality will be nice. Mascaras from L’oreal are great, they offer just about every kind for every consumer. Their Infallible lip glosses are awesome! You get long wear in a good color range. True Match foundation is a great buildable foundation with good coverage. and their HiP line makes a gloss called Jelly Balm, it’s not sticky & comes it great sheer candy colors. “Plush” is one of my favorite colors, it’s a soft pink that looks so pretty on everyone.

What makeup types do you think benefit the most from marketing and hype vs. real quality (for example – are all nail polishes basically the same? or blushes?) Or do you think there’s generally a good correlation between hype and quality?

Generally I don’t buy into the hype of products. I really do a lot of reading & research of reviews on products, and then i try them out for myself eventually. Naturally I am a product whore, but I only like to use what’s really worthy. Just because a cream is $600 and has diamond dust in it, doesn’t mean it’s the holy mother of all creams.

When it comes to marketing, I have to say that mascara commericals have gone looney bin bonkers over the past few years. I think they are so ridiculous! I would never buy a mascara based on a modern day commercial or ad. They all have insane drag queen tranny boy falsies on. Who is buying that it’s really the mascara “working”? That’s not even mentioning the CG effects! I could go on and on for days about how I loathe mascara commericals!

Recently I was reading about how the Asian market is going bonkers over BB Cream. I did a lot of reading and a lot of sample testing. And you know what? I came to the conclusion that 99% of it sucks. It’s supposed to be this all in one amazing moisturizer/foundation/skin healer, whatever whatever. I haven’t found one that looks halfway decent. Most of them look GREY, are overly shimmery and they only come in ONLY one or two different shades. I’m sure there was one decent one out there, but over all this BB Cream thing to me is a LOT of hype.

You have an fabulous dog and you love baking! Can you share a bit more about these loves in your life?

Oh Fab my dog is the best! He’s my little white shadow, my baby seal, my mister fancy paws! I just bought him a red Marc Jacobs bandana from BookMarc today on Melrose. I swear he’s a total metro dog. Between the Marc Jacobs accessories and the Coach collars, he’s always grooming himself!

Earlier this year I started doing silly sketches of him . It started as a doodle while being on hold with customer service. Then i just kinda thought they were cute doodles so I started to draw friends dogs & dogs i’d see in the neighborhood. Part of me wants to write a children’s book starring Fab. Maybe one day, who knows.

As for cooking and baking, I actually don’t always take pictures of what i make. But one confection concoction that I am proud of making, are some cookies I made for Valentine’s Day 2010 for my boyfriend. He’s a video game designer for Sony and worked on God of War 2 & 3. The main character in the game is Kratos, who is this insanely vicious blood thirsty guy out for vengence against the Gods of Olympus. Well, I decided to make kinda cute cartoony versions of his head in the form of sugar cookies! Pretty much the very opposite of what he is. I think they turned out cute! It was only my second time working with royal icing, so they weren’t exactly perfect, but at least they tasted it! By “it” i mean sweet vengence.

I don’t think you know this about me but I am a total nerd when it comes to costumes. If you want me to come out to a party just let me know it’s a costume party & i’m there! I love coming up with a concept & making every little detail come alive. I can’t really sew to save my life, but I have these ideas. So I’ve had outfits made and then make the rest of the accessories myself. Although one year I did make my own Bjork swan dress, it totally gave me TMJ trying to sew the damn thing but hell it was worth it!

Finally – any parting advice that you would like to share?

It’s just tragic when someone says, “I don’t have a passion in life.” Then what exactly is it you’re doing day to day? Floating through time and hardly even living.  I do what I do because it’s what I love. Sometimes i feel so enveloped with excitement and creativity, it feels as if it’s about to burst out of my chest like an alien (total dorked out nerd reference).  I think everyone should embrace what drives them. Find that alien and let it rip it’s way out of your chest already!

I really, really love that last answer. Christine asked for some time to think about it and when I got this response, I just had to stop and appreciate it. I think it’s a very rare thing to meet somebody who not only is fantastic at their work, but does what they love. We spend so much of our waking time working…so it’s a special thing to see somebody who uses that time in the best way. The answer really spoke to me and I will remember it forever – thank you so much Christine, for everything! And if you need to contact her, check out her website here, and stay in touch with her blog here.

16 Comments

  • Reply
    Lisa
    July 7, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    I enjoyed the interview so much! And I totally agree with her on the last answer, you have to love what you're doing.

    Love, Lisa

  • Reply
    AlyssonJean
    July 7, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    I loved part 2!! Passion is key to life! Her beauty tips are much appreciated. XO

    http://simplicityisultimatesophistication.wordpress.com/

  • Reply
    Tangled In Texas
    July 7, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    So fun and honest! No wonder I love Loreal so much. I guess I forgot that they and Lancome (my dept store fave) are owned by the same company. Makes soooo much sense now!

  • Reply
    Melissa
    July 7, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    She's so pretty and very real! She seems like someone I'd totally love to hang out with! YOu always find the best people :). I love her dress up outfits, they're really well done, and it's like you can see her personality.

    I love this: "Just because a cream is $600 and has diamond dust in it, doesn't mean it's the holy mother of all creams." Couldn't agree more! I have friends that buy these things just because, and it's such a waste of money. She's really wise!

    Also, you know what a sucker I am for all things canine… EEEEK Fab is so adorbs and her sketches are actually really amazing. I'd lvoe love to read her children's book 😉

    Thanks!

    xxMelissa

  • Reply
    amy b.s.
    July 7, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    this was a great interview series.

  • Reply
    Chic 'n Cheap Living
    July 7, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    Christine seems so fun and adorable! I love her sense of style and passion for her work (indeed there are probably unfortunately fewer people that are really excited about their work).
    So many tips to remember but I need to stock up on mascara so will have to try some L'Oreal brands!

    xoxo,

    Chic 'n Cheap Living

  • Reply
    Susan
    July 7, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    GREAT interview, your questions are so thoughtful, informative, and helpful for readers! I really love your interviews and the interesting people you feature.. please keep up the great work!

  • Reply
    Michelle
    July 7, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    HaHaHa – I couldn't help but laugh that she calls BB over hyped seeing as I just posted about it and have been a bit looney over it myself :).

    I loved this interview and how candid and "real" Christine is. Her costumes are too cute and you know how I feel about doggies!!

  • Reply
    B.Inspired
    July 7, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    This is a great interview and I love her costumes! She made some great suggestions and touched on some items I've been wanting to try but wasn't sure if it was all that great…specifically the Armani Foundation! I am going to get that next! Thank you!!!

  • Reply
    Lady Sakura
    July 7, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Great interview. 🙂

    I love finding good deals. Drugstore makeup items are my favorites! Loreal and Maybelline are great drugstore brands in my opinion. 🙂

    I've tried BB cream and don't like it so much. I'm asian and don't know how it's popular. lol What I hate the most is the shade. It gives me ashy looking with its greyish pink color. And you can't tell if it works for healing or moisturizing your skin!

    Even though I love drugstore brands, I think foundation is what we should spend more money on. 🙂

    Thanks for the interview. Gonna try out some of these products when I get a chance. xx

  • Reply
    K
    July 7, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    Sephora actually recently started selling those "BB" (Beauty Balm/Blemish Balm) products. I like the idea of "all-in-one" products, but I have such atrociously sensitive skin that I've been wary about giving these a try. Still, lately I've started getting interested in Asian beauty products, just because I'm starting to wonder if it might actually help my skin to try out products that were formulated with Asian skin in mind. Thoughts?

  • Reply
    Sarah
    July 8, 2011 at 1:57 am

    I LOVE this interview series, parts 1 and 2! These tips are so helpful, Christine is beautiful and I love those costumes!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

    -Sarah
    http://pencilskirtsandlattes.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    July 8, 2011 at 11:19 am

    I love the tips from Christine. I only ever wear one lipstick. That's right. I own one lipstick, the same color for close to a decade. Scary but true. And what an inspiring answer about her work.

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    July 8, 2011 at 11:19 am

    I love the tips from Christine. I only ever wear one lipstick. That's right. I own one lipstick, the same color for close to a decade. Scary but true. And what an inspiring answer about her work.

  • Reply
    Chocolate, Cookies & Candies
    July 8, 2011 at 11:19 am

    I love the tips from Christine. I only ever wear one lipstick. That's right. I own one lipstick, the same color for close to a decade. Scary but true. And what an inspiring answer about her work.

  • Reply
    simplychicforcheap
    July 15, 2011 at 3:37 am

    i've been wanting to purchase the armani foundation… just so expensive though! :-/

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