Dude, I have been so seriously busy lately. and I feel like I haven’t necessarily gotten results yet.  I’m just working to make sure that when I do get news, it’ll be “Jany, you freakin’ rock.”  In the interim, I noticed I haven’t traveled most of the year.  Besides the brief trip to China in January, I’ve been mostly being a home body.  So a weekend trip to LA and Disneyland?  FUCK YEAH!

Here are pictures and crazy schedule.  There are no words to describe the magic that is Disneyland.  BTW, thanks PK and JH for getting us in for free.

Halloween theme! Yay!

Main Street

Paul & Jean on the Jungle Cruise (or something like that)

Ju Hee and Me. Wow I have a big head.

Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted House Thingy

Pixar Toy Story 3-D ride

ice cream vending machine on the way to LA. Seriously, how often do you see these?

it's a Small World. I didn't get to go on cuz the line was ass long... but it's pretty!

Yay Mickey Popsicle!

That’s it for now!

I started using Biore nosestrips in high school.  After the first time seeing all the crap that’s in my pores, I was sold.  But it’s a pretty hefty investment: $8 for 8 strips at 6 boxes a year is $48.  Okay, not exorbitant, just more than I’d like to spend on a simple luxury.

With my supplies running low, I hopped over to my local CVS to buy some more.

Several things I noticed:

• They now put tape on the packaging.  Apparently, people have been stealing the strips (?).  And once I get home, the tape makes opening the two boxes a hassle.
• I bought two boxes and counted 18 strips.  Now, last I remember from elementary math class, 8 + 8 = 16.  So what’s up with the extra strips?

Most likely, it’s  a marketing ploy.  The temporary happiness of feeling lucky that you got a whole extra strip, not a big deal except they’re a freakin’ $1 each!  But since I got two boxes, I spotted the difference.  It’s not that I’m lucky.  Their goal is to make everyone feel lucky.

Is that good or bad?  Well I’m certainly happy to get 2 more strips free.  On the other hand, I don’t like that some marketer (probably an MBA grad who wants to show off her marketing genius to the new boss) is trying to sway my emotions.

Isn’t this supposed to be this “Web 2.0-if-I-hear-that-phrase-one-more-time-I’m-going-to-shoot-someone.”  Aren’t companies supposed to be all about transparency?

Why not have a campaign that says, “To show you how much we love your support over the years, we’re going to put an extra strip in every box of Biore strips.  Supplies are limited.”?  Or “Find the Golden Ticket at your local Target store (co-branding is awesome) to win a free spa weekend for you and a friend.”  Or even “Recycle your old Biore packaging, and we’ll give you $2 off your next purchase.”  They have a $2 coupon inside anyway, and a full color 4 fold brochure is surely loads of money and certainly not green.  I’d rather Biore saves both of us the $1.50 for the printing cuz they’re clearly passing the cost onto the consumer.

Point is: stop trying to trick us!

This is why my goal is to work for a company that treats marketing as the champion for the consumer voice within the office.  Marketing shouldn’t be about gimmicks and trickery.  It’s about having a great product/service and letting people know about it.

Shame on your, Biore.

Since 1984, when I was born, societies are more open.  China’s opened up to capitalism.  Many countries and non-fundamentalist-saturated US states have legalized gay marriage.  Interracial couples and their beautiful babies are more common than ever.  So I’m wondering what will be the new OMG?

People in their 20s are pierced, tattooed, and racing out of their sexual and gender roles.  So as they, and someday I, have babies, what will our kids do that we’ll simply balk at?

If we’re already listening to metal, gangsta rap, and drum and bass, will our kids rebel with Mozart or Debussy?  Or get no tattoos or piercings where we’re inked and punctured?  Maybe.

But my guess?  Marriage.

We’re already starting to see it in the main stream.  Some are already heading towards divorce, infidelity, and open relationships.  I grew up on Disney and still want some shiny, white, brunette prince with impeccable fashion taste and manners to swoon me (a shiny, white, blond peasant girl with raggedy clothes but a heart of gold).  But for our kids, these standards may or may not exist.

I think we’d probably want our kids to end up with someone and get married and have kids.  But it might not happen in that order.  Here’s my rationale against marriage, at least until later in life:

1. We’re living much longer.  The financial adviser (much better predictor than a doctor lol) told me the other day that I can expect to live to 95 (what?!).  Now, ’til death do us part during the bible days was like 20-30 years.  But 50+?  I can’t imagine.
2. There are more choices out there, so we’re pickier.  If we’re not restrained by distance, gender, race, or any other factor, then we can choose to be choosy.  Therefore, if our relationship’s run its course and we find someone better, why not move on?
3. It’s not longer scandalous to have babies out of wedlock.  Hell, it’s barely scandalous to have a baby while still in high school.   So deciding with your committed boyfriend to raise a child together and realize that you’ll work things out for your offspring regardless of your personal relationship sounds pretty reasonable.  Have kids while it’s biologically safe, but realize that doesn’t ‘lock’ you in forever.
4. There’s a magazine called Divorce.  Something ain’t workin’.

What do you think?

I saw the Colgate Wisp on a point of purchase display (by the checkout counter) at Walgreens.  It was $2.49 for a four-pack, which isn’t too expensive for an impulse purchase.

The Colgate Wisp is a tiny toothbrush you can use, while you’re out, without having to use water.

I love it.

1. It’s portable. Each brush costs about $0.60 including tax.
2. Sometimes, after a meal, it’s just better to do a quick brush versus chewing gum or sucking on a mint.
3. The non-brush end has this flexible toothpick that’s so much better than any traditional toothpick or tooth floss.
4. The “toothpaste” is basically one of those liquid mint things.  So nothing in this new product is “new.”  It’s just repackaged very nicely.
5. The bristles, handle, and ends are pliable, comfortable to hold and use, and look pretty futuristic.

The one thing I don’t like about the Wisp is the packaging. The package I bought (look below) comes in a set of four.  I  don’t need to take four with me any time I go out.  In fact, if I’m going clubbing, my purse will likely be tiny.  It’s hard enough to pack a camera and my iphone.  I don’t have room in my purse to carry another package almost the size of a deck of cards.

Instead, the Wisp should be packaged separately, so I can take them out one at a time.

To be honest, I probably would buy this in the future.  I’m not planning on using it every time I go out, probably only the times when I eat something super garlicky or have a date.  So $2.49 every 3 months or so is a pretty good investment.

Yes, that’s clearly an inappropriate status update, but the response may be even more so.  Managers should take HR issues seriously.  Broadcasting company issues online doesn’t just hurt the company’s brand, it hurts the manager’s reputation as well.

Ad sites aren’t always equal.  I’m a huge fan of ads and love seeing the newest ideas out there.

I’m pretty much what you’d call the perfect consumer.  I spend loads of money each year on tons of products from makeup (just ordered my 120 palette eyeshadow set from eBay) to dresses (my birthday dress from Forever21) to bedding to 14 pairs of Havaianas to hundreds of books.

I just love ads.  They’re beautifully designed with catchy slogans and tell me exactly what’s new out there.  Wow!

But not all ad sites give me what I want.  When I see an awesome ad, the first thing I usually do is Tumbl it.  And Ads of the World lets me do just that.  I can share the link, the picture, the radio spot.  Whatever it is, I can rip it and share it.  Of course I also give credit (linkie) where credit it due.

Unfortunately, scaryideas, which I found first, isn’t so sharing friendly.  The videos have embed restrictions.  I can’t copy the picture link.  I have to physically save the picture and then reupload it onto the internets.  What a drag!

How can I help you spread the word about the amazing ads out there, all cataloged from your huge database, if you don’t give me the option to share it on my blog or my Tumblr or my Facebook?

That’s just silly.

And my natural reaction: unsubscribe and only post from Ad of the World. If you don’t let me help you do your marketing, I’m sure someone else will happily oblige.

Take Away? Don’t be stingy.  Let your users help.  Give out snipURLs, allow embedding, heck even add a hash or a “via” along with your caption to help me link back to you.

The Big Picture blog from The Boston Globe does a great job of that (check out the # mark below).

Bolts of lightning illuminate the night sky of Montevideo, Uruguay as a thunderstorm unfolds over the Uruguayan capital on July 5, 2009. (MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP/Getty Images) #

I’ve been experimenting with makeup lately (see my last two posts), and I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from Makeup Geek.  So here’s one of her awesome videos on how to apply makeup.  I’ll be working on some of my own looks and posting them here and on Facebook.

I went to a MAC tutorial at Bloomingdales today, and it was super helpful in figuring out 1) where my crease is and how to emphasize it, 2) what my many makeup brushes do, and 3) how to put in false lashes and sculpt my eyebrows.

This is a pretty neutral look, but the artists helped me spice it up a little.  I’ll try to go through tips and steps for our future reference.

First, we brushed on some normal moisturizer with a fluffy brush (about the size of a blush brush), followed by a tinted moisturizer, which acted as the foundation, and then concealer.  Next, was two layers of powder.  The first was a flesh colored one to set all the make up, and the second, a bronzer.  The last prep step for the face is a dab of blush on your cheeks to make them nice and rosy.

Tip: When putting on bronzer, start at the top of the forehead working the powder into the hairline to make it more natural.  Then, work your way down the sides of your face to give it contour.  Brush under the chin and under your cheekbones for additional shaping.  (Sometimes, I also like to dab a teeeeeeny hint on the top of my nose to give myself a sun-baked look.  But just a tinge because you don’t want to flatten your face.)

After the face, we started working on the eyes.  It’s hard to tell from this picture, but here are the basic steps:

1. Brush on an eye primer. (I’ve been people use their fingers, but it’s nice to buff it in with a brush- use a small concealer brush.)
2. Put on a light color (5-10 shades lighter than your skin) right under your brow.  Don’t worry about blending it in.  You’ll do this later.
3. And a medium tone by dabbing at the corner of your eye and working it in.  Use your finger and feel your brow bone; then, make circular motions right under that with a brush.  Sweep the remaining eye shadow (don’t grab more) in a “windshield wiper” motion towards the inside of your eye. See how I have a darker circle on the corner of my eye? Like that.
4. You look kinda silly, but keep going.  Take a really light color and fill in the lid right above your lashes.  Work your way up until you meet the medium tone from your windshield wiper strokes.  Blend thoroughly.
5. Take a darker color and go back to the windshield wiper strokes.  Darken it especially around the outer corner to form a nice frame for your eyes.
6. Blend.

See the many layers in the first photo?  There’s the light color right under the brow, the medium for most of my lid, the light color (use whatever you want) for right above my lid, and the darker color for the corner of my eye.

Next, put on eye liner.  Use an angled, thin and hard brush. Dab some gel eyeliner (comes in a pot) and make little strokes near your lash line.  Smooth it out.  For the winged look (see how my eyeliner goes beyond my eye), draw a line in the upper corner of your eye that’s a continuation of your lower lashes.  Then, connect it with the upper lash line.  Curl your lashes, put on some mascara, and wait for it to dry.  Finally, apply some false lashes, et voila!

Tip: Put the glue on the false lashes and wait for it to almost dry before putting it on your eyelids.  It’ll stick better and you don’t have to hold it in place as long.  Also, if you tilt your head back, you can see yourself in the mirror as more easily than trying to close one eye.  Lastly, reapply some black eyeliner so that fake lashes blend in.

Tip: Some people say that curling your fake lashes and then reapplying mascara will help bind the fake lashes with your natural ones.  This is true, and you should curl your lashes.  However, not putting on mascara will make the fake lashes last longer.  So it’s up to you what you want to do.

To make this neutral look pop, the MAC makeup artists also put on some blue eyeshadow on my lower lashes.  This is totally optional.  It’s applied the same way as the top lids.  You can also wet your brush before dabbing it into the eye shadow, and you’ll come out with a more vibrant color.

Finish with a nice lip stick or lip gloss.  I can’t wait to try this again on my own, especially the false lashes.

Here’s what I look like after a whole day of hanging out by the Ferry Building with some cold ones and then buying much needed cat food shopping.  (Mon Petit Coeur wasn’t starving but the dry food was running on the last 2 cups.)

My friend Wawi, affectionately Wii, is visiting from Spain, and we ended up spending over an hour getting our eyes done at the MAC makeup counter in Bloomingdales.  I have two full bags of makeup and never seem to wear any, so I thought I’d spend a little time and give myself a little make over today.

I’ve done the classic smokey eyes, for Asian almond eyes.  Because my face is flatter than the anglo face, I don’t have the crease and natural contours that white people have in their eyes.  It’s also harder to find the right sunglasses.  The ones I’m wearing at Marc Jacobs.  They still hit my cheeks, but in general, I’ve had a lot of success with Marc by Marc Jacob shades. (Side note: I love this peasant dress that I got from Victoria’s Secret online.  It was on sale, and it fits just right. )

So I’ve been watching lots of YouTube makeup tutorial videos, and I’ve tried to emphasie the crease and contour my eyes.  It doesn’t work for me.  Instead, here I did the smokey eyes right above my lids, instead of to the side, in order to make my eyes open up.  I started with some Make Up For Ever concealer palette (thanks to Makeup Geek).  I got the one with the weird purple sets (the guy at Sephora says that’s for Asians, the one with the green is for caucasians, the orange is for South Asians, and the dark for African Americans). Then, a MAC eye primer.  It helps pick up the make up and with blending.  I tried without and the powder just falls right off.

"5 Camouflage Cream Palette" Make Up For Ever @ Sephora

After my eyes are primed, I start with a cream tone (a shade lighter than my skin), and start layering darker and deeper colors as I get closer to my eye.  Then, I use a round brush and blend it all in, so I don’t have lines between the lighter and darker shades.  Next, add some smudgy Shu Eumura eye liner pencil, which I love because it’s easy on, doesn’t smudge, and lasts all night.  Some Buxom mascara and I’m done!

It takes a little bit of practice to get the layering right w/o going too crazy.  I had to try a couple of time before my left eye had the same layers as my right eye.  The primer really helps, and the buffing does take a minute or so.  I guess it just takes practice.  All in all, I’m really happy with the results.  Sometime this weekend, I’m going to try a lighter day look.

Cheerio!

I love the new Kia Soul commercial.  The hamsters on wheels are such a cute analogy, the animation is on point (the fur is mindblowingly well done), and the music is just right.  They’ve undoubtedly spent a pretty penny on the social media campaign: the Facebook app, the Facebook pages, the official website, forums, good fodder in a lot of blogs, and of course the ad on the Kia Motors America YouTube Channel.

Kia owners really love their cars and the Go Hamsters Go app:

Mekiya S*****: I got mine the day after easter….I LOVE it! ♥

Brien D*****:  anybody tried “Go Hamster Go” yet? You’ll need a webcam, and it may take a minute to download, but it’s pretty sweet! facial recognition technology! hamsters! the Soul! what’s not to love?

Brittany S*********:  Def love my little black soul first one in NE bought it in first day of April whats up

Kudos to what must be great metrics.

But a few things bug me, especially I initially clicked on their ad in Facebook.

1. The ad for the app doesn’t link to the YouTube video, which to my knowledge is the only shareable one.  The ad in Facebook is only shareable within the site, and the video off their website is embedded without share codes.  If I have to go to a completely different site to share the video, I’m probably not going to do it.
2. No part of the marketing campaign links to the other.  Facebook pages don’t link to YouTube doesn’t link to the dedicated site.  Frustrating!  A few extra links or buttons can multiply their efforts online.
3. There’s no Twitter page. What?  Seriously, get one of the main engineers or product managers to gossip about the new Kia Soul online. I’m guessing this isn’t their Twitter page because… well, it’s lame.

Kia’s doing so many things ‘right’ with their presence online.  And a few simple tweaks with links, Twitter pages, etc. will have a huge multiplying effect.

And some additional ideas: Kia soul owners submit videos on why they love their car?  Win prizes including free car details at your local dealership.  Design your own Kia Soul?  Top 10 designers get 1) publicity and 2) $1,000 cash back on your new Kia Soul.  A multi-city DJ contest? Get added to the Kia Soul mixtape.  Best DJs from around the country battle each other for a pimped out Kia Soul.

.

Here’s ‘my’ Kia Soul.

P.S. I couldn’t actually “download” the file, so this is a screen cap.  “Lovley” is spelled wrong on the fourth option (under “temptational”).