Product Review

ELF Bite Size Palette: Budget Friendly Beauty

March 3, 2021 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Does Budget Friendly Beauty Exist?

If you’re a beauty on a budget, you may be looking for makeup that won’t break the bank. I love premium brands as much as the next girl, but their price tag can be painful. Is it possible to find gorgeous palettes that cost less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks (or your coffee house of choice)?

As a makeup lover, it’s very difficult to have too many eyeshadow palettes. You need a wide variety of shades to create the looks that your imagination dream up. At $18-$40 per moderately priced palette, adding to your collection can get pricey very quickly.

I was in Ulta and decided to try out this small $3 palette from E.LF. Yay for fiscal responsibility. Now let’s get into this budget friendly makeup!

Budget Friendly Beauty-ELF Bite Size Palette

Budget Friendly Beauty- Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette — Hot Jalapeño Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette

E.L.F. sells “Bite-Size” eyeshadow palettes with four shades. I purchased Hot Jalapeño. It has various shades of green and yellow. Two of the four shades are matte, the other two are shimmer. The color payoff isn’t amazing. Expect to add a lot of product- especially when using the lighter matte green shade. The shimmery colors were decent. I was able to get better use of them by spraying my eyeshadow brush with my Farmasi mineral water spray before pressing my brush into the shadow.

Despite the slightly chalky formula, I was able to make a gorgeous eye look using shadows from ONLY this palette. We’re calling this look “She’s Spicy”

I’m loving this look and I can honestly say, none of the eyeshadows in my collections could have created this look. It was definitely worth the $3 to add some variety into my collection. It’s worth noting that this palette is 0.12 oz. In contrast, one of my favorite palettes,”Breakfast In Bed” by Beauty Bakerie, includes nine .05 oz pans (.45 oz in total) and retails for $38. The E.L.F. palette is a comparative steal.

Read further for more makeup deets!

I wanted to complement this bold eyeshadow look with a neutral color palette. On my skin tone, that means browns, muted reds and orange tones.

“She’s Spicy” Makeup Look

I started by priming with my Farmasi VFX Pro primer. I find that it helps my foundation go on more smoothly (aka, my skin looks like butter!). Then I use a flat head kabuki brush to apply my foundation. My current go-to is Farmasi’s VFX Pro Camera Ready foundation. I wear the shade Latte.

My concealer of choice these days is Revlon Candid. It’s so easy to blend. A little goes a long way. I apply it to my forehead, under my eyes, nose bridge and chin to highlight places light would naturally touch my face.

The dark, chocolatey shade from BeautyBakeries‘ Brownie Bar makes for an excellent contour for my skin tone. I like subtle contouring. I apply my contour under my cheekbones and at the top of my forehead. After blending, I use the orange/ terracotta shade from the Brownie Bar as a blush.

For my lips, I used Savage from The Lip Bar. The shade is a rusty brown, not quite nude. If you re-create this look, and you’re not close to my skin tone, I’d recommend choosing a lipstick that is nude. It might be a bit too intense of a lip and eye combination on lighter complexions.

And now the eyes! I used the Hot Jalapeño Bite Size Eyeshadow from E.L.F. This look is super simple but so HOT! I started with the dark green shade. Put the dark green in your crease and BLEND. It is dang near impossible to over blend. A slightly fluffy brush is an awesome tool for this. I took a less fluffy brush (really technical…I know, right?!) to pack on the lighter matte green color on my eyelid. I blended out the color on my lid into the crease shade.

My Farmasi Mineral Water Spray really helped my shimmery shades stand out. I sprayed the mineral water on a dense, flat eyeshadow brush before dipping it into the light green shimmer shade. This color went on the first 1/3 of my eyelid, slightly past my inner eye.

I finished my shadow look with the shimmery yellow. I grabbed my fluffy brush and lightly applied the color under my eyebrow arch. So spicy!

I couldn’t call a look “She’s Spicy” without turning up the heat with some lashes. I used my newest magnetic eyelashes from OpulenceMD Beauty. The Lust style lash is thick and voluminous mink. It screams luxury and is anything but shy.

I took my liquid magnetic eyeliner and applied it as close to my lash line as possible. I like to apply 2 coats. I adjust the lash to ensure the magnets are sitting as close to my lash line as possible. Just like that “She’s Spicy” and *in my Tiffany Haddish voice* “She Ready!”.

Have you tried any of E.L.F.’s Bite Size Eyeshadows?

How did you like them? I’d love to see you recreate this look. If you do, use the hashtag #thatspicybeauty and mention me @thatbreezybeauty.

Proof Is In The Puddin’ Eyeshadow Review

January 27, 2021 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Proof is in the Puddin’ palette from Beauty Bakerie

Eyeshadow can completely overhaul your makeup look. I absolutely love bold, bright colors but quality palette of neutral tones is essentially for creating beautiful blends and gorgeous everyday eyeshadow looks.

Beauty Bakerie is a black-woman owned independent makeup brand which I’ve been a fan of for the past few years. I recently got its “Proof Is In The Puddin’” eyeshadow palette on an insanely good BOGO deal.

The eyeshadow colors are named after various puddings. Shades like Rice Pudding, Warm Cocoa, and Almond Jelly allow makeup lovers to create a variety of looks. In total, the palette includes 9 shades that range the spectrum from beige, tan, and brown. The palette typically retails for $38.

As a woman with deep brown skin, it’s super important that neutral eyeshadow colors be exceptionally pigmented. If they’re not, they simply don’t show up well. I was skeptical about shades like Rice Pudding and ‘Nana Puddin’ working for me at all. I was pleasantly surprised.

Swatched shades (listed from top to bottom): Rice Pudding, Chia Pudding, Bread Pudding, Butterscotch’d, Spiced Caramel, Mango Pudding, Nana Puddin’, Warm Cocoa, Almond Jelly

Check out this eye look featuring The Proof Is In The Puddin’ Palette:

I used Warm Cocoa, Mango Pudding, and Spiced Caramel. I sprayed my Farmasi Mineral Water spray on my shadow brush before applying Spiced Caramel. I finished the look with my magnetic gel eyeliner and magnetic lashes from OpulenceMD Beauty‘s limited edition Warrior Lash set.

Overall, I’m pleased with this palette. The color pay off was better than I expected. The palette has enough variety to make a beautiful look by itself or combine with shadows from other palettes. Price-point wise, the palette provides a great value. Approximately $4.22 per .05 oz shadow pan.

As I mentioned previously, the brand is still independently owned and was founded by a black woman who refers to herself as “head baker”. All the products have fun whimsical packaging based on sweet treats. It’s adorable and worth checking out if you like supporting independent businesses, minority owned businesses, or are just fan girl-ing over its superb branding.

Have you tried the “Proof Is In The Puddin’’ palette yet? How did you like it? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this look and the “Proof Is In The Puddin’” palette. Let me know what you think!

CURLS’ Wash and Go Gel on 4A Natural Hair

September 22, 2020 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Curly girls, where you at? Let’s talk about CURLS’ new wash and go gel.

If you have textured hair, like myself, you probably know how challenging it can be to achieve the perfect wash and go (a style that highlights your natural curl pattern by using curl defining stylers and gels). My go to gel for years has been Eco-Styler Gel. It does an amazing job of defining my curls and coils, but it leaves a hard, crunchy gel cast that can’t be scrunched away.

A friend of mine shared a discount/affiliate code for the CURLS brand. I’ve used a few of their products in the past and was curious about its recently launched series of styling gels. I grabbed all four.

The green bottle was formulated specifically for “wash and go’s”. The company calls it the B n Control Sculpting gel. It’s supposed to have a firm hold without flaking or having drying alcohols.

Is it worth it?

Read more to see an in-depth assessment of this gel. We’re getting into the nitty gritty. Everyone knows us curly girls are PARTICULAR when it comes to our products.

Smell

Neutral to bad. This is not one of those products that makes passersby admire the scent of your hair. While I didn’t think it stunk, the mixture of ingredients was slightly unpleasant.

Price

This gel retails for $5.99. I used a discount code so I paid a little less. Even without a discount, the price isn’t bad for 10 oz of product. If you’re ingredient conscious, this is a good affordable option.

Ingredients

I mentioned that this is a decent choice for ingredient snobs on a budget. TRUE… but I still had to side eye an ingredient or two. It has silicones in the formula, something I generally try to avoid.

That being said, redeeming ingredients include aloe vera juice, shea butter and jojoba oil and does manage to omit drying alcohols.

How Much Product I Used

A LOT. I didn’t measure or anything like that, but I can comfortably say I used at least an ounce of product, and it’s not that my hair is that long. I probably should have used less but I felt like I was using enough for it to define my curls. So I used more. (More on that to come).

My Results

Unfortunately I lost my day one results, as I switched phones that day. I do have a picture of “day two hair”. This is after spritzing (liberally) with water and fluffing.

One great thing I can say about this gel is that it didn’t make my hair take forever to dry. Even with my liberal usage. My hair dried in under 3 hours which for me is almost miraculous. Unfortunately, I think it failed to define my curls. I can achieve a fluffy wash and go’s without gel… so I going to rate this product as fairly ineffective on my hair type.

I’m almost sure that this product was meant designed for curl patterns 2c-3c, despite the company advertising it for all curl types. One size fits all is not typically a real thing in the natural hair world.

If you’re a type 4a-4c natural and have given this a try, let me know how you liked it. If anyone with looser curls has tried it, let me know how you liked it.

Are Magnetic Lashes Worth the Hype?

August 20, 2020 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

First Impression and Product Review

Let’s talk about magnetic lashes. I’ve been enamored with the world of beauty for years. I love the creativity and the glamour. Despite loving fairly bold, adventurous looks, I would seldom top it off with the “piece de resistance” aka a pair of perfectly curated lashes. The reason has little to nothing to do with my aesthetic preference.

I love the look, but putting them on right has always been a major pain in the rear end. I would get messy lash glue on my eyelids and still struggle to get them to securely adhere to my lash line. Constantly riding the struggle bus, I was never comfortable and confident wearing them. I gave up years ago.

Recently I started seeing lots of ads for magnetic eyelashes. It seemed kinda tech-y and I was intrigued. This spring, I saw a cheap set of magnetic lashes on Amazon. For 10 or 12 dollars, I was game. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, I was still waiting for my package a month and a half later. ANNOYING. I canceled my order and almost gave up until a stumbled across a company called OpulenceMD Beauty. They are a magnetic lash company, owned by a black woman eye doctor. The company believes that using magnetic lashes are healthier for eye health than traditional eyelash extensions.

My Magnetic Lashes

Freedom Lashes and Liquid Magnetic Liner in Case- from OpulenceMD Beauty

The lash style I received was called the “Freedom Lash”. It’s not available as a regular item on the website. Here’s my quick review of the “Freedom Lash”, OpulenceMD Beauty and magnetic lashes in general.

The “Freedom Lash” is a very dramatic style. It’s so long! When I open my eyes wide, my lashes touch my eyebrows. I WAS NOT READY! It definitely took me a while to adjust. This length is not for the faint of heart. If you don’t love super long lashes or don’t want to use it to accentuate a specific editorial makeup look, this one may not be for you.

Bri modeling Freedom Lashes
Lashes by OpulenceMD Beauty
Magnetic Lashes from OpulenceMD Beauty
Magnetic Lashes From OpulenceMD Beauty

Thankfully, that’s not the only style the company has to offer. I have yet to buy my 2^nd pair but I plan to. I have seen beautiful ladies rock many of their other styles. If you’re looking for something demure, there are other options.

Length aside, I enjoyed and am enjoying my lashes. Included in my set was liquid magnetic liner (OpulenceMD Beauty also sell a magnetic gel liner) as well as the lashes and a plastic case. To apply I took the liquid liner and smudged it into my upper lash line. You can also apply the liner the same way you would traditional eyeliner. I didn’t want dramatic black eyeliner on, so I smudged. It’s important to pay special attention to the placement of the magnets, and make sure you have sufficient liner on those areas.

It was easier than I anticipated. The lashes are super lightweight. Once the liner was on, I popped on the lashes. Don’t place the lashes on the inner corner of your eyes. You’ll want to start approximately a ¼ of the way in from the corner of your eyelash. The end of the lash should line up with the outer corner of your eyes. I blink a few times after I put them on to make sure they are secure.

The lashes range in price, premium synthetic lashes being much less expensive than the standard cruelty free mink option. According to the website, their premium synthetic lashes can be worn up to 25 times, while the mink lashes can be worn up to 45 times. They also offer a Platinum Membership program. It’s a lash club that sends members a lash of the month, and grants them a 20% site wide discount for $30/ month. This brand had already secured a spot on my wishlist when an ad popped up for a limited time promo (I’m unsure if they’re still running it). I got a trial pair of lashes for free, but was responsible for shipping costs.

They have a lot of staying power. In fact, when I first demo’d them for my VIP beauty group, I tested the liner on the back of my hand, and stuck on an eyelash. It stayed put while I put on my makeup. I honestly forgot it was there.

Overall, this was a great first experience with magnetic lashes. I’ve worn my set 3 or 4 times at this point. I can confidently say it was lightweight and that the application process was far easier than what I’ve experienced with traditional lashes. I like the staying power that magnetic lashes offer.

To date, I have nothing but good things to say about the company I bought these from, OpulenceMD Beauty. The product worked. I didn’t have issues with processing. Shipping took quite a while, but I can’t hold that against them. Most companies are facing the same challenges as they navigate logistical impacts caused by accommodation that allow social distancing in workplaces. I’m not gonna pressure someone to be unsafe so I can have eyelashes faster, so they have my complete grace on that one. I love that the company was founded by a black woman doctor. Being able to support a small black business and a female entrepreneur is a bonus that makes me smile.

Would I buy this again?

I would not purchase the “Freedom Lash” style again, BUT I fully plan on purchasing more lashes from this company. More pros than cons for me at this point in time. I’ll make sure to update, when I get around to getting another style.

If you want to give OpulenceMD Beauty a try, you can shop here! The pretty teal liner in one of my “lash selfies” was from Farmasi.