Name: Yajayra Morales
Year: Junior
Major: Accounting
Passion: Makeup
Self-taught or licensed: Both
Instagram/YouTube: @_ym.glamour/Yajayra Morales
Q: Tell me about your makeup history – when did you start, what influenced you, why do you like makeup, etc?
I started doing my makeup mostly during my junior year of high school. I began watching makeup videos on YouTube, but I can’t quite remember how I began watching makeup videos. Watching makeup videos was not popular like it is today. I found makeup videos very pleasing to watch and little by little, I began practicing and buying products.
I love makeup because it’s a way of self-expression and art. As I’m getting older, I have a heightened degree of visual stimulation and that’s one of the reasons I love makeup. I enjoy looking at very colorful and creative makeup videos or photos, and I love how you can combine so many colors to create a new look. Makeup is not about covering up your skin, it’s about enhancing one’s natural features and expressing yourself.
Q: How many makeup products are in your collection? What percent of it do you use regularly?
I know I do not have the average amount of makeup a normal consumer would have. I have never counted how many makeup products are in my collection. But I have an entire IKEA Alex drawer unit with nine drawers dedicated to just my makeup collection. If I were to estimate, I would say I have about 200 makeup products in my collection.
I’m aware I don’t need this much makeup, but I just enjoy collecting makeup and trying new products. From my collection, I would say I use about 80 percent of my products regularly. I tend to use specific products depending on the occasion, kind of like getting dressed and deciding if you want to dress casual or formal, which might sound crazy, but it’s my reality.
Q: If you had to choose your top five, what would they be and why?
This is a really tough question because I love my products so much, it’s very hard to decide.
1. Becca Aqua Luminous Concealer – It gives me a medium coverage, but a very beautiful dewy finish that brightens the under eye.
2. Benefit Hoola Bronzer– I was very skeptical about trying this bronzer because I thought the shade was too light, but I would hear everyone rave about it. I gave it a try and fell in love. It is my most reached for bronzer.
3. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation– If you want a medium to full coverage foundation with an assortment of colors and lasts the entire day, you will love this foundation. I love how diverse the undertone selection is for it. This foundation is my closest shade and it’s one of the reasons I can’t live without it.
4. Mac Strobe Cream– I love liquid highlighters and I usually apply them before my foundation on the high peaks of my face for optimal glow. I love how versatile this product is. When I want to look luminous all over, I mix this into my foundation. Or for a no-makeup makeup day, I use this to make my skin look awake.
5. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter– These are one of my favorite highlighters. There are so many colors that will compliment a wide range of skin tones. Other than using these highlighters for the face, I love applying them to my eyelids to give them a pop of color.
Q: When you were abroad in Europe this winter, what differences in makeup trends did you notice?
While I was abroad in Europe, I found stores had almost similar trends as the U.S. As far as seeing people with makeup, I saw many did not wear much makeup. Social media has transformed the makeup community with a blink of an eye and there are all sorts of crazy trends I have seen such as the wavy brows, faux freckles, the very defined eyebrows and even using weird tools to apply makeup.
With that said, I saw the trends I have seen on social media were much more visible in the U.S. than in Europe. In Europe, I mostly saw natural, effortless no-makeup makeup. Fresh and bright skin seemed to be the overall trend I saw in Europe, mostly in London and Italy. Although, I would say I saw more social media influenced makeup styles in Paris.
Q: Which beauty stores did you visit there? What products did you buy?
I visited many Sephora stores including their Flagship store in Av. des Champs-Élysées, Paris. I was surprised by a store called Boots, which carried drugstore and high-end makeup, skincare and fragrance products including YSL, Chanel, Lancôme and Estee Lauder. I also went to a very luxurious shopping mall in London called Harrod’s that had an extensive beauty section with a lot of high-end makeup including La Mer, Tom Ford, La Prairie and Sisley.
I expected to buy more makeup products in Europe, but I only bought the Burberry Fresh Glow – Luminous Fluid Foundation, YSL TOUCHE ÉCLAT WHITE Ultra Brightening Pen, and a Kat Von D Kiss Cremé lipstick.
Q: What is the longest time you have taken to do your makeup?
The longest I have taken to do my makeup would probably be about three hours during the holidays and the fastest would be 5 minutes when I’m in a rush.
Q: What is your go-to look? Why?
My go-to look is a luminous base with any warm brown or copper toned eyeshadow. I love how fresh and awake glowy skin looks. Brown and copper are my favorite colors and I feel like they are so versatile.
Q: Share a makeup tip/lesson you have learned, which you think others may not know.
Do you ever finish your makeup, spray setting spray, and then your mascara smudges? Set your makeup before applying mascara and you won’t ever have to worry about this anymore! That’s what I do on an everyday basis now.
Think setting your makeup before mascara is too weird? When your mascara smudges, wait for it to completely dry, grab a cotton swab and gently clean the mascara, it comes right off.
Adding a highlight shade to the inner corner of the eyes will make your eyes look much more awake!