About @glowymino
Photo by Lauren Alexa Photography
|
Email: [email protected] Hi, I'm @glowymino on Instagram! I'm a Chinese American 20-something pharmacy student in the Midwest who loves all things beauty and fashion. I used to play competitive modern Tetris, which is where the "mino" part of my username comes from.
I'm passionate about discussing all sorts of topics regarding cosmetics and fashion: the creativity and joy that comes with them, consumerism/the industry, and the intersection of aesthetics and society and social justice. Within my online presence, you'll often find that I incorporate education into my content; every May, I do "fun" facts in my Instagram captions in honor of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. I started my Instagram in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States as a way to talk about these things I love and connect with the community, and I began this blog shortly after in July to create longer form content like reviews and swatches that are harder to both create and find on Instagram. I have very dry skin of a medium-light depth -- I think somewhere in the realm of NC25-30? -- with strong warm golden/olive undertones. I also have very dry and textured lips. When it comes to makeup, I love a glowy base, hence my username, intense blush, and sparkly eyeshadows, but I don't like wearing mascara and foundation. |
Beyond makeup, I'm very strict about my skincare routine, and I love indie nail polishes; nail polish YouTuber Phoebe Moon describes indie polishes as little individual works of art, which is something I totally agree with. In addition, vintage fashion is one of my greatest loves, and my style is best described as warm-toned "cottagecore spring/summer" to "dark academia fall/winter."
If you're here, I hope you'll find something -- whether it's makeup, skincare, nails, fashion, or leftist ideology -- that interests or helps you!
If you're here, I hope you'll find something -- whether it's makeup, skincare, nails, fashion, or leftist ideology -- that interests or helps you!
Featured Press
Vogue: "Project Pan: Meet the Beauty Community That Just Wants You to Finish Your Makeup" by Laura Yan (April 17, 2021)
OUTSIDE PUBLICATIONS
The Butler Collegian: "Dawgs with Style: Evelyn Stewart" (March 21, 2023)
The Butler Collegian: "Fashion is ruining your style, and here's why" (February 22, 2023)
The Butler Collegian: "How to be sustainable in fashion: EcoReps Clothing Swap" (February 1, 2022)
The Butler Collegian: "Fall fashion: 'Hot girl summer' to 'witch b*tch autumn'" (October 26, 2021)
The Butler Collegian: "Five skincare tips to get you through any blustery, dry winter day" (February 2, 2021)
The Butler Collegian: "Dawgs with Style: Performance attire edition" (October 20, 2020)
The Butler Collegian: "How to treat and prevent 'maskne'" (September 1, 2020)
The Butler Collegian: "Fashion is ruining your style, and here's why" (February 22, 2023)
The Butler Collegian: "How to be sustainable in fashion: EcoReps Clothing Swap" (February 1, 2022)
The Butler Collegian: "Fall fashion: 'Hot girl summer' to 'witch b*tch autumn'" (October 26, 2021)
The Butler Collegian: "Five skincare tips to get you through any blustery, dry winter day" (February 2, 2021)
The Butler Collegian: "Dawgs with Style: Performance attire edition" (October 20, 2020)
The Butler Collegian: "How to treat and prevent 'maskne'" (September 1, 2020)
More "ethical" consumerism
I strive to be (relatively) conscious with what brands I buy from. You can never be absolutely 100% ethical in all regards when engaging in a capitalistic/consumerist society, but it is valid to try -- especially when it comes to cosmetics! Cosmetics are something that bring us happiness, but they're certainly not a basic necessity to survive.
A brand automatically becomes on my "no" list if its products are animal tested (AKA "cruelty-free," though I take issue with that term because "cruelty" and in-humaneness can extend far beyond animal testing). Some other things I consider are things like a history of bad shade ranges for complexion products, a work environment that's known to be toxic and discriminatory, a bigoted owner/face of the brand, extreme lying to customers, etc. Still, you may notice that I do still own and use products from brands that fall under these "no-no" categories; many of these products are from years ago before I really got into the makeup world and decided to go cruelty-free, were given to me without my input, or were purchased from TJ Maxx which, to the best of my knowledge, does not actually financially support the brand.* I do still mention them whenever I use them to be transparent, but whenever I do feature them, I also often include in the caption of the post a short blurb about why I don't support the brand at the time.
Similarly for fashion, I try my best to prioritize secondhand clothing. It really helps that my fashion aesthetic is very vintage-inspired. I'm not perfect by any means; I still purchase some firsthand pieces, and I haven't managed to totally eliminate all fast fashion brands from my buying habits. However, like with brands that test on animals, I do totally stay away from the big bad wolves like Shein, Fashion Nova, Forever 21, Zara, and H&M.
*Please correct me if you have more accurate insider information, but from my research, the money from purchasing TJ Maxx/Marshall's makeup does not go to the original brand. In addition, the makeup comes in large lots that includes products from multiple brands, but TJ Maxx does not have the opportunity to choose what specific brands are included. Thus, consumers buying makeup from that brand does not encourage (from a business standpoint) TJ Maxx to continue stocking that brand since they don't really get to choose what brands they stock.
A brand automatically becomes on my "no" list if its products are animal tested (AKA "cruelty-free," though I take issue with that term because "cruelty" and in-humaneness can extend far beyond animal testing). Some other things I consider are things like a history of bad shade ranges for complexion products, a work environment that's known to be toxic and discriminatory, a bigoted owner/face of the brand, extreme lying to customers, etc. Still, you may notice that I do still own and use products from brands that fall under these "no-no" categories; many of these products are from years ago before I really got into the makeup world and decided to go cruelty-free, were given to me without my input, or were purchased from TJ Maxx which, to the best of my knowledge, does not actually financially support the brand.* I do still mention them whenever I use them to be transparent, but whenever I do feature them, I also often include in the caption of the post a short blurb about why I don't support the brand at the time.
Similarly for fashion, I try my best to prioritize secondhand clothing. It really helps that my fashion aesthetic is very vintage-inspired. I'm not perfect by any means; I still purchase some firsthand pieces, and I haven't managed to totally eliminate all fast fashion brands from my buying habits. However, like with brands that test on animals, I do totally stay away from the big bad wolves like Shein, Fashion Nova, Forever 21, Zara, and H&M.
*Please correct me if you have more accurate insider information, but from my research, the money from purchasing TJ Maxx/Marshall's makeup does not go to the original brand. In addition, the makeup comes in large lots that includes products from multiple brands, but TJ Maxx does not have the opportunity to choose what specific brands are included. Thus, consumers buying makeup from that brand does not encourage (from a business standpoint) TJ Maxx to continue stocking that brand since they don't really get to choose what brands they stock.
"Monkeys are so . . . clever, and they're sensible in that they leave the skins on the bananas that they eat. Is it really necessary to test cosmetics on them? I mean, how important is lipstick to you, Dean?"
~Castiel, (Supernatural S7:E23 "Survival of the Fittest")