My Story
Makeup wasn’t always something I understood or felt confident using. In fact, when I first started exploring it, I found the process confusing, overwhelming, and honestly frustrating. There was so much information, so many products, and no clear guidance on what would work for me. But over time, through trial, error, and a lot of research, I slowly built my knowledge and gained confidence in understanding my skin, products, and the routines that worked best. That personal journey sparked a question that became the heart of my Senior Project, how can I make it easier for someone new to makeup to learn the basics without the stress, while also helping more experienced users stay informed and up to date with evolving trends?
Services & Unique Value
Cosmique is a beginner-friendly mobile app designed to make makeup and skincare simple, approachable, and personalized. It guides users through every step of their beauty journey with tailored product recommendations, easy-to-follow tutorials, and educational content based on their unique skin type, tone, concerns, and preferences. Users can scan product ingredients, learn how to use tools like brushes and sponges, and build personalized routines with confidence. The app also offers a customizable sample box, allowing users to try products before committing to full sizes. With a clean, intuitive design and regularly updated content, Cosmique transforms what can feel like an overwhelming process into a clear, empowering, and enjoyable experience.
Competition
Existing beauty platforms like MAC Cosmetics, Findation, and Temptalia each address only parts of the beauty experience, leaving significant gaps for beginners. MAC’s AI shade finder and virtual try on tools are limited to its own products and prioritize sales over education. Findation helps users find shade equivalents across brands but lacks guidance on application, skincare, and product understanding, and is only available on the web. Temptalia offers reviews, dupe lists, and tutorials for experienced users but focuses mainly on makeup, with limited skincare education and shade diversity for deeper skin tones.
Personas
In today’s overwhelming beauty market, beginners often struggle with too many products, confusing advice, and complex ingredients. Cosmique was created to simplify this experience through an intuitive mobile app that prioritizes education, personalization, and trust over sales and trends. Developed from in depth user research, Cosmique addresses common beginner challenges, finding suitable products, using them correctly, and avoiding costly mistakes through three core personas: Luna the Aficionado, Pam the On-the-Go Shopper, and Chelsey the Cautious Consumer. Designed around real needs, Cosmique helps users understand their beauty profiles, discover trustworthy products, and build personalized routines with confidence.
Chelsey the Cautious Consumer
Chelsey, a 23-year-old skincare enthusiast with a citrus allergy, struggles to find safe products due to hidden citrus ingredients often disguised under vague terms like “fragrance.” Past allergic reactions have made her wary of brand transparency and ingredient labels. Cosmique empowers users like Chelsey by offering detailed ingredient breakdowns, allergy alerts, and customizable filters to exclude specific ingredients such as citrus extracts or fragrances. Backed by trusted databases like EWG, Cosmique helps users shop confidently and safely while exploring new skincare products.
Luna the Aficionado
Luna, a beauty influencer and skincare expert, creates educational content for her audience, relying on accurate, ethical product information to maintain her credibility. However, verifying brand claims and ingredient data is time-consuming and inconsistent. Cosmique streamlines her work by providing transparent, reliable product information, safety ratings, ingredient breakdowns, and brand ethics insights through trusted sources like the EWG—saving her time and empowering her to share trustworthy, well-informed content.
Pam the On-the-Go Shopper
Pam, a 30-year-old illustrator with a packed schedule, relies on online shopping for her skincare and makeup. After her favorite concealer was reformulated, she struggled to find a suitable replacement and wasted time and money on mismatched products. Cosmique solves this by letting users build detailed profiles with their shade, undertone, skin concerns, and allergies to receive personalized product recommendations. Pam can also order customizable sample boxes to test products before committing, saving her time, money, and frustration while ensuring the perfect match for her skin.
Cultural Relevance
The research included 27 survey responses and 5 interviews. Results showed that 70% of participants struggled to compare shades across brands, and 60% were unsure of their undertones, revealing a major knowledge gap in choosing suitable makeup. Interviews highlighted issues such as allergies, unclear ingredient lists, and frustration with inaccurate online shade representations. Secondary research found that 75% of beauty brands don’t fully disclose ingredients, and 95% use added fragrances without detailing their components. These findings emphasize the need for transparency and education in beauty. Cosmique aims to close this gap by helping users understand their shades, undertones, and ingredients, promoting a more informed and inclusive beauty experience.
Visual Strategy
The project began as a brainstorming idea for a personalized tool. Two concepts stood out: one to help users find their foundation shade across brands and another for personalized pet meals. With a stronger link to beauty and a clear market need, the idea evolved into an app making makeup more accessible and inclusive. The name Cosmique blends cosmetics and unique, reflecting individuality and self-expression. Its visual identity emphasizes modernity, approachability, and empowerment, using Montserrat for a clean look and Anek Latin for warmth. The color palette, Comic Red, Cosmic Blue, and Cosmique Gold symbolizes creativity, confidence, and inclusivity. Logo explorations focused on celestial and feminine themes, resulting in a minimalist silhouette of a woman’s hair, a timeless mark of beauty and individuality. Complementary icons and patterns were created to unify the brand across packaging, marketing, and the app interface.
Marketing Strategy
Cosmique’s marketing strategy centers on making beauty accessible and enjoyable for all, targeting both beginners exploring makeup and experienced users passionate about trends and products. A mix of digital and physical marketing ensures broad reach. Online, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube drive engagement through tutorials, trends, and product insights, supported by influencer collaborations that showcase how Cosmique simplifies makeup discovery. Partnerships with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) further build trust by providing transparent, ingredient-based information. Offline efforts include posters, billboards, and live events, giving users hands-on experiences with the app through demos and feedback sessions. These interactions boost brand awareness and create meaningful user connections. Together, these strategies position Cosmique as a modern, inclusive, and empowering beauty companion that blends technology, education, and creativity to make makeup more approachable and community-driven.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank my parents for being my biggest supporters. Gracias Mami y Papi, por su gran esfuerzo, sacrificio y amor incondicional. Todo lo que soy y lo que he logrado es gracias a ustedes. Ustedes son mi mayor inspiración, y este logro no es solo mío, sino de ustedes también. To my sister Jenny and my brother Bryan, even though you both can drive me crazy sometimes, I wouldn’t trade you for anything. You’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders, pushing me forward and reminding me that I can do anything I set my mind to. I love you both more than you know. To my friends, classmates, and professors, thank you for walking this journey with me. Your encouragement, patience, and support helped me overcome the many obstacles along the way. I’m grateful for every late-night study session, every word of advice, and every laugh we shared. And lastly, to my boyfriend Luis, gracias mi amor. Aun en los días buenos y en los no tan buenos, siempre has estado ahí para mí. Hubo momentos en los que dudé de mí misma, en los que no sabía si podría seguir adelante, pero tú nunca dejaste de creer en mí. Tu amor, tu paciencia y tu apoyo constante me dieron la fuerza para seguir adelante. Gracias por estar a mi lado en los momentos más difíciles, te doy mil gracias y mil te amo. Thank you all, We Did it!
Thank you!
Credits:
Wendy Sarmiento