Beauty that Survives a Double Shift with Diaspi Beauty

What happens when a level-one trauma night shift meets a clean beauty lab? We sit down with clinical scientist and founder Diana Santiago to trace a remarkable path from calibrating analyzers to crafting high‑pigment, vegan, cruelty‑free lip color built for nurses, techs, and anyone chasing endurance over a double shift. This is a story about performance under pressure—on the unit and on your lips—and why affordable, ethical makeup can make a real difference in the chaos of care.

Diana shares how quiet “field research” in hospital corridors revealed the biggest pain points: products that fade fast in cold, dry air; formulas that irritate; and prices that don’t respect a healthcare paycheck. Her answer? Hydrating glosses and liners powered by castor oil, noticeable color that sets quickly, and a tight lineup designed for speed before a 5 a.m. clock‑in. We dig into the chemistry behind clean formulations, from avoiding carmine, BHA, and BHT to focusing on comfort that plays well with scrubs, masks, and constant water breaks. With five liner shades, nine glosses, and a locker bag, the collection meets the real world without wasting time or money.

Beyond beauty, we spotlight the often‑invisible labor of clinical scientists: quality control, linearity checks, instrument standards, and the unforgiving precision of blood bank work where minutes and correct crossmatches save lives. Diana’s candid story from a brutal night—simultaneous bleeders and a teammate pushing through dangerous blood pressure—underscores why small rituals of self‑care matter. We close with brand values rooted in perseverance and compassion, a playful live demo of nurse‑named shades, and where to find the products across the website, social platforms, and Amazon.

If you believe self‑care should be practical, ethical, and made to last, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a lift, and leave a review to help more healthcare pros find tools that truly support their shift.

To submit your stories & comments, visit: https://simplenursing.com/podcast/

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:02

We got a code round. Welcome to Bedpan Banter with me, Nurse Mike. Can I get a Bedpan over here? Welcome to Bedpan Banter, the official podcast of Simple Nursing, where we talk about the human side of healthcare. I'm your host, Nurse Mike, and today we have a very special guest, Diana Santiago, a clinical scientist with nearly two decades worth of medical experience and founder of Diaspia Beauty.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Hi, Mike. Thank you for having me here today.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

So, Dana, you've got an incredible background with nearly 20 years as a clinical scientist.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Correct.

SPEAKER_03 0:37

I don't meet a lot of clinical scientists. This is really a treat. And that's not really a usual path for the founder of a beauty product.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Correct, yes.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

So tell us in the audience a little bit about uh your work in the lab and really what that looked like and how you made the transition, really the jump from science to skincare and makeup.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Okay, I started my career like almost 20 years ago. Um I started like a as a lab assistant. And then after that, um I complete my education. I got a bachelor in biology, a master's degree, I got a certification, and the state license. And I was able finally to work as a lab medical technologist or medical scientist. Then I work in all the areas of the lab. There are like five areas like blood bank, hematology, chemistry, cellology, and micro. And then after that, I always have that feeling with me that I want to do something for me, like I have my own business or something like that. So after the pandemic, I started thinking what I can do that is not directly related with the medical field, but it's for the healthcare professional community. So I start doing my research, like looking around what I can do, you know, something that I really like or enjoy. So one day I was in the middle of the core lab and I started looking at all my coworkers. And by that time, the hospital that I was working, like around 80% of the medical technologists were females. So I started looking at them and I noticed that the majority of them were wearing makeup. I kind of identified with them because I always have been using makeup so I start my career in a professional way, of course, not like going to a club or something like that. So I started doing like my undercover research, you know, which I didn't want to tell anybody that I was doing, like I was planning to do something. So I started talking more about makeup with them, asking them what they like, why they didn't like.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

And you were talking to nurses, healthcare workers.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

My co-workers in the lab.

SPEAKER_03 2:36

Okay.

Researching Makeup Needs In Hospitals

SPEAKER_01 2:36

And then after that, I start paying more attention to the nurses that were visiting the lab for point-of-care certification, for pick up blood for blood bank, then walking to the cafeteria, start looking around and doing my internal research. And I found incredible that most of them use makeup to go to work, you know. That that was like, wow, I was very surprised that almost 80% of them use makeup to go to work. So it was something that they really enjoyed. They were combining the makeup with the scrub, with the hairband, with the nails. And I was like, I really like this. I identify with them. So then that is how my idea for Diaspi beauty starts.

Problems To Solve: Durability And Cost

SPEAKER_03 3:15

So you describe diaspia as beauty for people who care for others, like healthcare workers. So, what kind of challenges did you want your product to solve for, let's say, nurses or even healthcare pros?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

One of the challenges is durability. We don't have time to be retouching or putting makeup every half hour, or every an hour. Like you want something that hydrates your lips, or do you feel comfortable for a long period? That is the first one. Then you want something simple. You don't want to spend like an hour doing your makeup to go to work because honestly, we don't have time. That sometimes we start chief at 4 a.m., 5 a.m., 6 a.m. We don't have time for that, you know. And then uh good quality of product, you know. We are in the medical field, of course. I'm not going to put a product that is uh full of toxic ingredients or something like that.

SPEAKER_03 4:01

That's one thing I respect a lot about this brand. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

And one other thing is affordability. Like when I was doing my internal research between my coworkers, and the main complaint was affordability. They didn't want to spend$25 or$35 in a lipstick. Like for them, that was like, no, it's not what we want to do.

Clean Ingredients And Formulations

SPEAKER_03 4:20

All right, so let's take a look at a few of these products. Okay. Um, one thing that I was reading on your website was the hydration for the lips. And let me tell you, 12-hour shifts and a very cold hospital.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Your lips do definitely get yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Uh, these formula have castor oil that provide a lot of hydration for the lips. That's very natural, too. Very high pigmented because if you don't mind, it's high pigmented because I was looking for something that you really can notice. You know, I didn't want a product that is just like a little bit of shine, and that's it. I was looking for something that is really like noticeable.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

I I just put a heart, sorry. I'm not an artist, but I can smell the casserole on here, which you know it doesn't smell chemically, that's great. Um, I believe you said it's vegan and also cruelty-free.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

It's vegan, it's cruelty-free.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

Preservative free as well.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

We don't use uh animal byproducts, you know. Uh some in uh other products include like lipids from liver of sharks or really carn mine from uh crunching insects to for to create color. Like we don't do that. Like that is something that I would never do.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Now that's that's hard to do to keep prices low and quality high.

Shades, Products, And Pricing Choices

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Yes, it was a very it was a challenge for me to do that, but that is one of my commitments because I know that that was one of the complaints that uh my co-workers have, and I completely understand. I identify with them.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

Now, right here we have the lip liner, and I just did lip gloss. How many shades are we talking here in terms of color?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

For the lip liner, I have five different shades, and then for the lip gloss, I have currently nine different shades.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

So you mentioned about the other chemicals in other makeup brands.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah, like carmine. How can it be damaged to like the sulfate uh can create irritation, can create irritation in the skin or allergies? So that is something that I avoid to add to the formula. Uh carmine is for a bright red color when you want those very red, red lipstick. Right. That is uh animal bio uh bioproduct.

SPEAKER_03 6:23

Animal byproduct by product.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

So I will not use that, it's not cruelly, even it's not non-cruelty free. So I will not use that neither.

SPEAKER_03 6:31

So, what are the two ingredients again? BHA?

SPEAKER_01 6:33

BHA and BHT.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

BH.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Those are chemicals and antioxidants that are compounds that are not uh healthy, especially for the lips or for the face, and can cause cancer.

Purpose-Built For Long Shifts

SPEAKER_03 6:47

Now we love that these products aren't just pretty products, but they're actually purposeful. They're made specifically for nurses in the trenches for those 12-hour shifts, just like you said, that don't have time to touch up their makeup everyone, hour or 30 minutes. Um now you've worked in healthcare for a number of years and you've seen just how hard nurses and clinicians you really push themselves. So we're gonna have some rapid fire questions real quick.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

So are your products only exclusively for healthcare workers?

SPEAKER_01 7:13

No, like um everybody can use makeup, so any makeup lover can use it.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

All right, so I'm gonna use a lip liner right now. No. Okay, what's one product in your line that every nurse should have in their little toolkit or make a bag?

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Say like the oncle gloss.

SPEAKER_03 7:30

The which one?

SPEAKER_01 7:30

The uncle gloss.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

The uncle gloss. Yes. Is this one right here?

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Is that one over here?

SPEAKER_03 7:33

Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

That is the name, uncle gloss.

SPEAKER_03 7:36

Why would you say this one?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Because that one has uh long-lasting hydration and also have is high pigmented. So if you are looking for color that lasts a little bit more than an hour, then uh that is the correct product for you.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

And how long does it typically last?

SPEAKER_01 7:51

It depends. Everybody's different. Sometimes people like to bite their lips or like to uh scratch their lips, or they drink a lot of water during the day. So I cannot say a specific amount of time because everybody's different.

SPEAKER_03 8:03

Now, speaking of the line, how many different types of products do you have?

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Currently, we only have three products. We just launched last December, so we are little by little growing. Uh, we have the lip liner, the lip gloss, and we also have the locker bag.

Rapid Fire: Who It’s For And Must-Haves

SPEAKER_03 8:18

The locker bag, too. I love it. Now, the brand looks amazing. I love the color scheme. Are you working on anything new that we can share with the clouds?

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Yes, currently we are working in something new that is coming maybe on January.

SPEAKER_03 8:29

Really? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

But it's a secret. So is it a secret?

SPEAKER_03 8:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

I'll give any information.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

All right. So if you can't tell us about the secret new product coming down the pipe, can we do a giveaway?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Of course, yes.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

All right, what should we give away to our nursing audience? We have a lot of things here.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

We can give a couple of the encoded gloves and the lip liner.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Now, everyone loves a discount, especially all of our nurses. So they can use the code SIMPLEBUTTY.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Simple Beauty for 20% off.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Simple Beauty for 20% off. Now we'll leave everything in the description below, and we encourage you guys to go support this woman-owned science-backed brand, which I really love because I feel like a lot of nurses um can benefit from this. And I love that it's um that it's clean and holistic and just very natural. Um, I think it's gonna redefine uh self-care as nurses and even for all healthcare workers.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

I hope so. It's something different and it's specific for our healthcare community.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

So maybe I'll get some for myself. I really like the slip liner right here. So, as we know, healthcare workers often neglect self-care. Um, was there a story that you you saw that made you focus on helping?

Product Line, Roadmap, And Giveaway

SPEAKER_01 9:34

Yes. Um, one time I was working my eight-hour shift in chemistry, gymnastic chemistry. And then after my eight-hour shift, I pick up extra hours in blood bank because they were short. So I picked up six hours more, and I went over there. And I used to work in a hospital that was a trauma level one hospital. You know that those hospitals are very, very busy and big. And we were only three blood bankers. Uh that day, that shift was very like rough on me because we were only three. We were having a labor and delivery bleeder, we were having an open heart bleeder, and a liver transplant that was not going well. So we were only three, so one for each case. So every we managed, everybody was okay. But at the end of the shift, I have a coworker that has high blood pressure.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

And he did the entire shift having high blood pressure, working with that stress environment that we were working. So I was like, no, no, no, you have to sit, you have to take, you know, take water, calm down. And even myself, I was so stressed out. Like even after my shift, my 14-hour shift, because I did a 14-hour shift, I couldn't even go to my house to sleep. I was so like nervous. But uh, that is how uh intense is this environment sometimes for us as a co-uh healthcare workers.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

So we we love that your brand is rooted in compassion and evidence-based science. Can you tell us more how Diaspe the name was born?

Self-Care Story From A Trauma Center

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Okay, the main the name of Diasp is a combination of my name as a founder and my grandfather. My grandfather, we used to call him Gaspi. And then he is, he was, because he's not here with us anymore, but he was an excellent example of commitment, uh, perseverance, hardworking. And those things, uh his quality inspire me. And those are the core values that I would like to have in my brand. And that is what the aspi represents for me, like the hardworking, commitment, uh, perseverance. And I know that uh a lot of healthcare workers, we are like that. I identify with that because we are hard workers, we work hard. Uh, we have commitment to us, to our patient, to our community, to our uh profession. And those are the kind of values that I really like.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

I love that the brand was inspired by your family and inspired by hard work and dedication and compassion. But switching gears to clinical scientists, um, I don't meet a lot of clinical scientists. So, what does a day in the life look like for you as a clinical scientist?

SPEAKER_01 12:03

That is a good question because a lot of people they don't know what we do. Even when we have doctors' residents in the lab, they don't know what we do. They say, Oh, lab results.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

Yes.

Brand Values And Name Origin

SPEAKER_01 12:12

To be able to have those lab results, we have to do a lot of work. Like we have to work with equipment, quality, control, uh, correlations, linearity, uh, standards, procedures. It's just a whole different word that people don't know. They just see the results in the computer, but they don't know what we have to pass through to have to be able to have those results for you guys, or for the nurse or for the physician.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

And it happens a lot where you know, nurses just call the lab or the lab's calling the unit saying, like, oh yeah, your blood's hemolized.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 12:43

Redraw it.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

And they think that we are hemolized by the blood. It's just like, no, it's just hemolized, you know, like that's it.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

But it's a lot of work, is uh, we are behind the scene, but it's we do a lot. Uh without us, the doctor cannot give a proper diagnostic to the patient. Of course, because we all are waiting for the results. So it's my field is very interesting, and it's a shame that some people don't know what really we do over there.

SPEAKER_03 13:06

I know. That that that's a big disconnect. Um for nurses, we don't really understand, uh, just like providers do, you know, uh what you guys do in the clinical.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

And it's different departments that we do chemistry, we do hematology, coagulation, serology, micro, blood banking.

What Clinical Scientists Actually Do

SPEAKER_03 13:23

So and it's everything that we need as you know, the labs we've you know, live and die on the labs as assessment findings as nurses. So it's very critical.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Even point of care. Point of care is part of the lab. So for you to be able to use the glucometer, you have to have a certification. And that is through a technologist that is in charge of the point of care department.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

So, how do you go about becoming a clinical scientist?

SPEAKER_01 13:46

I started my first job, like real first job here in the United States, like a lab, has a lab assistant. And I love it. I started working in the lab and I really love the environment. I like uh everything that I saw that day for me was like, wow, wow, I want to learn more. And that is how I started my education, growing my education to be a lab technologist.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

What made you start in the lab as a you say a lab assistant?

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Uh by that time, I was having I was completing my bachelor in biology. So it's not much that you can do with a bachelor in biology. So I started applying and they called me from one of the hospitals, and I went to the interview, and they asked me, Are you willing to do a lab assistant job, even though you are not a phlebotomist? And I said, sure, why not? And then that is how I start in the lab.

SPEAKER_03 14:35

All right, so you mentioned you started as a lab assistant. Yes. Um, you got your uh bachelor's in biology. And then how do you how did you bridge the gap between there and becoming a clinical scientist?

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Well, for that, uh, I have, like I said, I complete my bachelor's degree in biology. Then after that, I have to apply for a certification, state certification.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

So I start to study to do the board certification, and once I pass that, I apply for the state license.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

And so you have to take a state, okay?

SPEAKER_01 15:03

You have to take a state license. Without license, you cannot work.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

Interesting.

Training Path And Career In The Lab

SPEAKER_01 15:07

And then once you have your license, you start applying for a job and you get your experience.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

And and where did you spend the most of your time in your 20 years? Is it was the hospital?

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Was it um I like the hospital setting? Yes. So I enjoy the hospital setting. I know that it's busy and it's stressful, but I really enjoy the hospital setting. Um, most of my career uh is in the chemistry department.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

In the chemistry? Inside the hospital. Yes. And it's so funny because nurses, we we rarely understand like what goes in into that.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

You guys think that uh the lab is just one department?

SPEAKER_03 15:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

No, we have different departments. Um, I used to work in blood band, like I mentioned in the story before. I did it for four years, but it's too stressful.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

I think blood bank is stressful, it's very stressful. Really?

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Especially when you work in a hospital that is a trauma level one. Oh you have liver transplants, you have all the traumas from all the regions, you you see uh different kinds of things.

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

And it's very stressful.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

What do you think makes it the most stressful uh department in the in the lab?

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Bloodbank.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

But why is it because everybody is uh the patient is depending on the product that you are going to supply to him. Okay. So if you don't supply that product on the correct time, that patient can die. Plus, if you do a wrong cross match, you can kill that patient as well. So you have to be careful with what you are doing.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Yeah, because as as nurses, we need another nurse to verify what's on the blood.

Inside Blood Bank Pressures And Safety

SPEAKER_01 16:27

We need another tech to verify our cross match to be sure.

SPEAKER_03 16:31

And then if the patient is dying, you have to do that in um seconds or not seconds, minutes, you know, is there ever a scenario where there was the wrong cross match and they gave it to a patient?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Not in my career, like no, no, not during my uh blood banking years.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

So no, before we wrap this up, I'm gonna do a demonstration and not for my hand anymore. It's gonna be the actual lip liner. Whoa, there you go. I've never uh used lip liner before. Diana, you are a part of the makeup team at Simple Nursing here.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Okay, let's see. We are using here romantic rose.

SPEAKER_03 17:02

Romantic rose. Oh, okay. What do I do I go like this? Or how do you girls do this?

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Like just relax.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:10

I've never had this, I've never been touched this way before. It's hard to get me to stop talking. Oh, sorry. Oh, tickles. Oh man, I don't want to itch it or scratch it. Itch it scratch it. Okay, here we go. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

Okay, I think that that will be okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

Just like that. Very cool. Well, it's very light, it's refreshing.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

It's a smoothie.

SPEAKER_03 17:52

It's very smooth, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

It's a smoothie.

Live Lip Liner And Gloss Demo

SPEAKER_03 17:54

Doesn't feel heavy on my life. I've never had lip liner before. Do I look like a like a beauty star here? So no beauty is complete without the lip gloss. Okay. So let's see, which colors do we have? We have the after hours bloody red. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

We have what's sleep. What is it? What's sleep?

SPEAKER_03 18:10

What's sleep? Oh, okay. Soft pink.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

We have coffee break.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

Coffee break. Yeah, these are all like nursing lingo. This is really cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Call out.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

Call out. What is call out? Oh, clouding shift. I love this.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

This is the name. All right.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

And that one's the code branch. No, no, I'm checking it.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Double two.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

Double shift. Man, this is really cool names. I like this a lot.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Happy day because we all need happy days.

SPEAKER_03 18:33

You have a lot of colors for this lip gloss.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

Uh-huh. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

All right, time for lip gloss. What uh we have a live feed going on. We're gonna be voting right now. No, I'm just kidding. Um, which one should we do? Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

What is because you have the base of pink, so let's do the pink.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Let's do it. So we have a lot of colors here to choose from. I think uh I think the pink would be really good as it, you know, it's an accent piece for the blue scrubs. So I'm just gonna first off, pink is my color. Let's try this out. This is my first time. Actually, a second time. No, okay. Okay. Tickles.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Tickles.

unknown 19:17

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 19:18

Only that, right? That's not idea. That's okay. So let's see. Oh, yeah, look at that. Yes, this is great.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Okay, let's wear it right.

SPEAKER_03 19:31

I want to do my lashes next, isn't it? All right, let's do the red now. Here we go. Blood red.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Bloody red.

SPEAKER_03 19:43

It doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything, really. Like this is that you guys do it.

unknown 19:52

Okay.

Where To Find The Products And Closing

SPEAKER_03 19:54

Does it make me look like uh, you know, pretty girl vibes or joker vibes? Thank you, Diana, for being here. Thank you for the glow up looking fabulous. This is my color. So where can our listeners find you?

SPEAKER_01 20:11

On diaspebeauty.com and also on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

And TikTok as well. Wow, all of them. Okay, and also Amazon.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Yes, we are also in Amazon.

SPEAKER_03 20:23

So thank you so much for being here. And again, thank you for the glow up.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Thank you for the invitation.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

So hugs and kisses to you. And always remember, guys, don't be scared, be prepared. I'm a little scared right now, but don't be scared, be prepared. Thank you so much for watching Bedpan Panzer. And as always, don't let the Bedpans fight.