bailey bee

beauty, home and lifestyle blog

PIXI BEAUTY EYE REFLECTIONS PALETTES IN ‘NATURAL BEAUTY’ AND ‘REFLEX LIGHT’

Overview of Pixi Beauty's Eye Reflections eyeshadow palettes in 'Reflex Light' and 'Natural Beauty'

Before we begin, I must state that I received these palettes courtesy of Pixi Beauty. That being said, as always, the below opinions are entirely unbiased and my own!

I’m pretty stoked to write this review because I have truly fallen in love with the Pixi brand in the past couple of years. I swear by their Glow Tonic and the highlights they released with Aspyn Ovard were UNREAL. Soooo smooth! I knew I was in for a treat when I got these palettes in the mail.

They sent me their two newest Eye Reflections eyeshadow palettes in ‘Reflex Light’ and ‘Natural Beauty’. ‘Reflex Light’ is made up entirely of shimmers while ‘Natural Beauty’ has five shimmers and seven mattes. Pixi really knows how to do shimmer powder products and the formula of every shimmer shade here is on point. They blend beautifully, apply well wet and most importantly don’t blend or fall away throughout wear. The matte powders were a new experience for me, though. They are just as good. They blend well and hold pigment through blending and don’t apply patchily. Even the darker shades!

 
Opened-up view of Pixi Beauty's Eye Reflections eyeshadow palette in 'Reflex Light'
The palettes are housed in plastic and one of the shimmers ‘Bronze Gleam’ was slightly damaged when I received it. It has thankfully held up since arriving. I’d say the only downside to these is the packaging!
 
If you’re looking for a palette that you can solely take with you despite the fragile packaging, ‘Natural Beauty’ will be your winner because of the shimmer and matte combo. If you just want to add to your collection and will be applying your makeup at home with other products at hand, having the range of shimmers in ‘Reflex Light’ is a must. They work wonderfully as inner corner highlights and as a pop of light in the center of a halo eye.
 
Below are some on-arm swatches of each palette:
 
On-arm swatches of Pixi Beauty's Eye Reflections eyeshadow palette in 'Reflex Light'

There is one other Eye Reflections palette called ‘Mixed Metals’ that I have yet to try but it leans berry and is mostly shimmers with two or three matte shades. After loving these two palettes, I’m certain I’d like that one as well.

Each Eye Reflections eyeshadow palette is $24 and you can buy Pixi products on their website, www.pixibeauty.com or at Target.

To shop these palette, click through on the widget below:

HOW TO FILL IN GAPPY EYEBROWS

Happy Monday, friends!
Today I wanted to take you all step-by-step on my current eyebrow routine. One of my eyebrows is much ehm, *needier* than the other.. read: it’s thin and sparse in the most important area– the arch.
I’ve been team brow powder since the first day I ever filled mine in. I prefer powder soooo much to anything else and every time I try something different, I always come right back. I used to religiously use Urban Decay’s ‘Secret Service’ eyeshadow but I’ve also now added Anastasia Beverly Hill’s brow powder duo in ‘Medium Brown’ to my arsenal.
Although I love powder, I have had issues filling in my needy eyebrow with only powder and having it last and also look crisp. Over the years I have started using alternative products JUST where they are needed in order to create a more sculpted, balanced brow. This post will show you just how I do that!
Firstly, here is my wacky left eyebrow. It is missing the all-important arch and is also fairly short in the tail.
The first step in my process is to define the gapped area with either a brow pen or pomade. In the above photo, I used this brow pen in ‘Dark’ by Stila. I switch between that pen and Anastasia’s Dipbrow pomade in ‘Soft Brown’ depending on my mood.
The most important thing to do after applying your intense defining line is to brush the product out with a clean spoolie. Be aware of what direction you are brushing so the product doesn’t migrate beyond where you are intending it to be. If it gets a bit fuzzy, use a makeup wipe (if you do your brows first) or some foundation or concealer (if you do your brows last) to clean things up.
After I have defined the necessary spot, I fill in the rest of my eyebrow with my usual powders. With the brow powder duo, I use the lighter shade towards the front of the brow and the darker color on the tail end.
Finally, set with a brow gel. Sometimes I use a tinted one, sometimes a clear (like in the above photo) and sometimes I even use a thickening pomade. None of this makes a huge difference in the gappiness of the eyebrow since you already solved the problem with either the brow pen or pomade.
I hope this helps some of you out in the brow department! I know I’m always disappointed when I think I can simply run a thickener through my brows to create symmetry and end up lacking but I just make sure that any time I do my makeup, I also do this eyebrow routine so I’m looking put! together!
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NEW FENTY BEAUTY MATTEMOISELLE LIPSTICKS IN ‘BALLERINA BLACKOUT’, ‘THICC’, ‘PUMPKIN ROSE’ AND ‘FLAMINGO ACID’

Oh. MY GOSH.

GUYS

Fenty released their new Mattemoiselle shades. You BETTER BELIEVE I ordered them the morning they launched. I was so so so so tempted to buy the 10/10 set but held out because I only wanted a few shades out of those ten and was just hoping the shades would be released individually. Lo and behold… here we are.

Here are the four shades I picked up: Ballerina Blackout, Thicc, Pumpkin Rose and Flamingo Acid.

on-arm swatch fenty beauty mattemoiselle ballerina blackout, thicc, pumpkin rose, flamingo acid

And most importantly, on-lip swatches on my Fenty 110/120 skin tone:

on-lip swatches of new fenty beauty mattemoiselle lipsticks in ballerina blackout, thicc, pumpkin rose and flamingo acid on 110/120 or NC15 skin
Here’s my quick breakdown by shade…
I decided at the last second to purchase Ballerina Blackout because my go-to lipstick shade is a bubblegum pink but I had a feeling this wasn’t going to work out and, well, I was right. It’s much too white-based and leans too blue for my liking. I don’t see this one being a universal favorite for anyone, really. It reads very 2000’s mod pink ala MAC’s ‘Pink Nouveau’.
The one shade I was most excited for was Thicc and yet another disappointment. Unfortunately for me, Thicc does not show up as pink on me like it does on other skin tones that I’ve seen so I’m not sure I’m even going to keep it. Formula-wise though, Thicc is one of the “good ones” and is very silky
‘Pumpkin Rose’ is riiiiiight up my alley. I love a good yellow-orange. This shade is described as a “marigold” and on the promo photos appeared almost like a mustard tone but on me? A super poppy orange. I freaking LOVE this shade. I thought I loved Saw-C from the debut release of Fenty’s Mattemoiselles but I prefer Pumpkin Rose to Saw-C now for sure. The formula is nicer this go around, too. Less chalky and more like the rest of the shades.
Lastly, another random addition to my cart, Flamingo Acid. This shade is the winner of the lipsticks I purchased. It is soooOOo pigmented and really, really flattering. This will easily be a universal favorite– I will call it right now! The formula is on point; it leaves a LASTING stain on the lips and has one swipe coverage.
I was also intrigued to see Pumpkin Rose compared to Saw C and Lime Crime’s ‘Squash’. Pumpkin Rose is pretty much Squash in the Mattemoiselle formula. Saw C is more vibrant/neon and slightly redder. Clearly, as I mentioned, I have a thing for orange lippies.
side by side swatch comparison of fenty beauty mattemoiselle in pumpkin rose versus saw-c and lime crime squash
Overall, I am pleased with this second set of additions to the Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle line. I appreciate the funky color options and will most likely purchase some more down the line. For now? Catch me rocking out with Flamingo Acid and Pumpkin Rose on my lips every single day.
Feel free to shop this post below if you’re interested in trying any of the 24 shades:

MY HOLY GRAIL MAKEUP BRUSHES

Hi guys! I hope you all had a lovely holiday, whichever it is that you choose to celebrate. If you’re reading this the week I’m posting it, rest assured that I have exhausted myself by moving my life to another state!!!! I can’t wait to share my new home with you and adventure the state of  North Carolina.
Until then,
I wanted to talk about my holy grail makeup brushes. I have been playing with makeup for many, many years. About 13 years so far. That brings me back to 7th grade where I specifically remember rocking this L’Oreal shadow duo daily. Yes, really. That is when I learned that I loved yellow eyeshadow and that purple shadows were difficult to formulate. Here’s photo proof of young Bailey rocking a yellow lid much like I still do nowadays.
Anyway, my point is that I’ve worked my way through a lot of makeup and thus, a lot of makeup brushes. The ones I am about to list are not only all dependable but also affordable and long-lasting. I don’t own any high-end brushes so I hope this collection will be useful for all, no matter the budget!
my favorite makeup brushes lined up with labels of what they are
First is my eyebrow brush. I rely on a brush to do my eyebrows because I utilize powders and pomades, not pencils. This Anastasia Beverly Hills #7 brush is stiff enough and a decent enough length to get eyebrows done quickly yet precisely. The bonus spoolie on the end is always useful, too.
Next is the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush. This is a more recent favorite of mine and I like it because I can apply a decent amount of product on the outer crease-to-brow bone area to build depth. My eyes are deep set and I have to use a lot of shadow to show continuity between my eye and my outer crease and this brush gets it done quickly. I usually use another blending brush to blend the product after applying it down.
The Benefit Hoola brush was something I didn’t know existed until this year. I was skeptical to buy a brush from a company that really doesn’t make or focus on brushes but I was very pleasantly surprised.  I have now replaced my previous bronzing brushes with this guy. It fits into the contour of the cheek very nicely and the rounded shape allows you to define while simultaneously blending out edges.
I didn’t start wearing foundation until this year and although I don’t wear it every time I apply makeup,  I wear it often enough to need to understand how to properly apply it. The world of foundation brushes was so foreign to me and I really thought I could get away with just using my Beauty Blender for all applications. Well, that proved difficult as my foundations dry down and make blending out evenly quite difficult with just my blender. I decided to trust the good reviews on this Real Techniques Expert Face brush and pick it up. I now use this to evenly distribute product around my face before melting it into the skin with my blender. What can I say, I love the thing. But this Real Techniques brush is the perfect partner-in-crime!
The Real Techniques Setting brush is quite possibly my favorite brush that I own. It’s intended use is to set under the eyes which, let me say, it is incredible at. In addition to setting the undereye, I also use this as a highlighter brush. It is the PERFECT size for the tops of the cheekbones and fits under the browbone and in the inner corner, too. Three seconds of swirling will get you glowing seamlessly.
When I was a freshman in college I splurged and purchased my first proper makeup brush set. In that set was the Sigma E40 which would quickly become my go-to blending brush. Although I loved this brush, I always felt a bit out of the loop as the rest of the beauty world was utilizing the Sigma E25 religiously. Years later I decided to buy said Sigma E25 and you know what? I prefer the E40. It’s a bit rough on the eye but the shape of the brush blends shadow SO beautifully into the crease. You barely have to do any work at all. The E40 is superior to all other Sigma blending brushes!
One of the first makeup brushes I owned was this Sephora Collection Shadow and Smudge brush. Ask me why and I’ll say I have no idea because I remember this brush being $18 which was UN-IMAGINABLY expensive for young me BUT this brush is so soft and so dense and makes packing product onto the lid a breeze. It’s dual-ended and the soft packing brush is paired with a short, stiff lining brush that has created sooo many liner looks for me throughout the years. Unfortunately, this brush is no longer available but I had to include it because it has survived the test of time and has remained a favorite of mine for over a decade.
Last but not least is the Sigma P88. This is my most recent brush purchase– I got it in a set from Marshall’s BUT I was days away from buying it full price! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found it discounted there. I love love love this brush for cleaning up an winged shadow gone awry on my outer corner/crease region. I pick up my concealer and carve out a straight line and it immediately pulls a look together. When I don’t feel like blending out my concealer with my finger, I use this brush for that as well.

I hope I’ve inspired you to pick up one or some of these tried-and-true brushes. If you have any questions or have opinions you’d like to share, please feel free to below.
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GIORGIO ARMANI BEAUTY A-LINE CONTOUR LIQUID BRONZER IN ’21-COOL’

Happy Tuesday!

I’m not sure what’s with me and liquid contours lately but that last one seemed to go over prettttttty well so here’s another review and demo! Today I’ll be discussing the Giorgio Armani Beauty A-Line Contour Liquid “Bronzer”.

In the above swatch, it looks like the product is bleeding (and it is) but it does not bleed on the face and it doesn’t really matter since you blend it out anyway.

woman with liquid contour before during and after application

Pictures really do say a thousand words, don’t they?

I’ve had this contouring liquid in my ‘loves’ list on the Sephora app for weeks and I finally decided to give it a go during Sephora’s recent 20% off promotional sale. The shade I purchased was ’21-Cool’.

After I dusted off the initial SHOCK of how tiny this bottle is………. it’s like, smaller than my palm…….  I was able to demo it out and I concluded that I do really like the stuff. If you’re scared of contouring, this is a great beginner product for you because it blends very, very easily. I personally prefer highly “blendable” cheek products because I don’t have a very precise way of applying face makeup. Anytime an item can blend itself out well and not require too much specific attention, it’s a winner in my book. Additionally, this contour doesn’t look dirty on the face as some cooler-toned contours can appear. The one down side? The $38 price tag.

I’ve been applying this liquid contour/bronzer with either a brush or my Beauty Blender. I do not recommend using your fingers as things can get a bit streaky.

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