Q&A with Jaimie from Espionage Cosmetics

Jaimie Cordero is the CEO, Glitter Jedi, and one of the all around fantastic ladies behind Espionage Cosmetics. Glitter is important, friends. Check out the interview below!

What inspired you to create Espionage Cosmetics?

I was a working makeup artist that was being booked to do web series, commercials, etc., and I wanted to create my own multi-use makeup. At a very early point, I started fusing my nerd obsessions with my love of cosmetics and bright colors. The beauty industry doesn’t have a strong reputation for kindness and inclusivity, and without being outright said, it gives off the “If you can’t do x, y, and z, you shouldn’t even be in this space.” So Espionage Cosmetics removes the intimidation factor because makeup is art. It’s a way to express yourself. It’s a way to have fun, and there is no right way. My goal with Espionage Cosmetics was to destigmatize that you can only like video games or you can only like cosmetics, and that they aren’t mutually exclusive. When combined, they can actually be very powerful. 

Glitter. So much glitter. It's in my title after all.

If you could invite three fictional characters to dinner, who would they be?

1. Elsha of the Quelled from Sherryl Jordan’s Winter of Fire. She was my first favorite female badass character. People told her ‘no’ and then she ignored them and she did good for her people through her rebellion.

2. Master Chief from Halo because I want to talk about his Forerunner suit (it’s basically a highly evolved life support system that I find fascinating). It’s legit. I’d like to speak to him about that.

3. Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. The Banshee Queen & Leader of the Forsaken. Because she’s another strong-willed woman. She managed to bring herself back to life in her own defiance of the Lich King, and now she’s now the War Chief of the Horde. I’d like that kind force of will at my dinner party.

P.S. My auto answer would have been Conan the Barbarian, but thinking about it, I don’t think it would go well. He’s a barbarian and I feel like that would turn into shenanigans at dinner.

Espionage features some awesome cosplay on its blog. What's your dream cosplay?

Queen Taramis from Conan the Destroyer. 

If you were to offer one piece of advice to Quirk's Geek E. Girls, what would it be?

Don’t waste your energy on covering up or apologizing for what makes you unique. I spent most of my time when I was younger caring what people thought about me liking WWF Wrestling, or Conan, or video games. I was teased mercilessly and it often made me mask my joy over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles instead of sharing it. I always wonder what or how different I would be had I used all of that energy to focus on building myself up and find nerds like me sooner than I did. You’d be surprised how far you can go when your focus is on your own passions. I’d be so much further now if I focused on loving those things and myself openly from the start. Luckily I got a second chance at it. That is what Espionage has grown out of.