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?

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.

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!

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

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.