bailey bee

beauty, home and lifestyle blog

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.

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

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.
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.
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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.
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Until then,
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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SOME PINK GOODIES

I’ve been inspired by some beauty accounts I’ve seen on Instagram lately and decided to try to make a flat lay of my own. Here are some pink beauty grabs I’ve picked up recently and/or have been loving!
flat lay of pink products like warby parker glasses, frank body scrub, glossier lip gloss, becca lip gloss, viktor and rolf flowerbomb

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TINTED BROW GEL FACEOFF: GLOSSIER ‘BOY BROW’ VS. BENEFIT ‘GIMME BROW’ VS. MILK MAKEUP ‘KUSH’

Happy pre-Thanksgiving! I’m so excited about today’s post because I feel like I am finally organizing all of these thoughts that I’ve had in my head for the past few weeks and publishing them down in a concise, easy-to-understand manner. Let’s get to it!

Today I wanted to compare three similar, mid-range tinted brow gels that are out on the market currently. We’re looking at the Glossier Boy Brow, Benefit Gimme Brow, and the Milk Makeup Kush brow gel.

Starting with applicators, they are all very similar. Each applicator is decently short, which allows you to fine tune your brow gel application and not get it on surrounding hairs or skin. Boy Brow is a bit more compact and dense of a brush than Milk, which is more compact and dense than Gimme Brow. I believe this does make a difference in applications. See below!

The three shades chosen were all mid-toned brown offerings from each of the brands. That being said, each brown is not created equal. Glossier’s Boy Brow in ‘brown’ is the lightest of the three, MIlk Makeup’s Kush in ‘Dutch’ is the darkest and Benefit’s Gimme Brow in ‘3’ was in the middle.

Okay, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

One of the highest rated brow gels on the market right now is Glossier Boy Brow in ‘Brown’. I have owned this product in the past and have genuinely enjoyed it but due to Glossier’s limited online availability I never picked up a new one until I was creating this post. It’s different than the other two gels listed here in that it’s more of a pomade than a gel– meaning that it feels like it doesn’t truly dry all the way down. That being said, it does lend a more natural appearance and feel to your eyebrows. I find that Boy Brow is the best of the three products for making current hairs appear fuller (aka needing to fill them in less or using BB as a replacement for fill-in products!). If you have a decent shape to your eyebrows and just need help to get that extra mile, Boy Brow is your product.

Truly my “OG” in this category, next up is the Benefit Gimme Brow in ‘3’. I have absolutely loved this product for years and have repurchased numerous times. The reason that I like Gimme Brow is that you get the tint, you get the hold and you get the slight volumizing of your hairs. I’d say Gimme Brow does not volumize your hairs as much as Boy Brow but the formula of the product does allow it to dry down and not feel as pomade-like throughout the day. I also prefer the Gimme Brow brush the best over the others– it’s easy to use and doesn’t get product all over your face.

Milk Makeup Kush brow gel in ‘Dutch’ is the newest product for me in this trio. It is the most “brow gel”-like in the group, meaning it holds your brows in place the best. The ‘Dutch’ shade was a bit too dark and cool for me personally, but that is no fault to the actual product. One thing that I do find as a fault, though, is the brush. I can never seem to apply Kush without getting product all over my small facial hairs. If you’re looking for a brow gel that applies a tint and holds your hairs in place (ala Anastasia’s tinted brow gel) though, this is your product. If you’re looking for something that will assist your hairs in looking fuller, the other two products mentioned are yours!

I prefer the Benefit Gimme Brow the most, followed by the Glossier Boy Brow and the Milk Makeup Kush. I think I may buy that Milk one in clear to use as a brow setter instead 🙂 LMK your favorite tinted brow gels in the comments below! I did not include the Anastasia Beverly Hills gel because I personally use the clear and use it for a different purpose than these.
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CHARLOTTE TILBURY HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY HIGHLIGHTER + CONTOUR WANDS

Today we are chit-chatting about some fancy products. Specifically, some Charlotte Tilbury products.
 

These are the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Highlighter and Contour Wand in Fair/Medium. Both are tubed liquid products with a sponge tip applicator. Many have an issue with the applicator while I, personally, don’t really care. They aren’t the most hygienic of tips but that’s never stopped me from loving a product before (um, hello Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer, my love).

 
The contour product is beautifully matte and semi-sheer, allowing you to layer as needed for depth and/or coverage. I have the lighter shade of this contour wand and find it to be very flattering on my skin tone. If you have a deeper complexion than me you may benefit from trying out the Medium/Deep shade. It really is sheer, though, so expect to build up a few layers to get solid payoff.
 
The highlighting wand is just…….. disco ball perfection. I wanted this highlighter for so long but put it off because of the price ($38 USD) and availability only at Nordstrom. That was until my fiancé finally bought it for me last Christmas!!! I’ve been using it religiously ever since. The best part about reading about these Beauty Wands now? Charlotte Tilbury is now carried in Sephora so you can rack up those Beauty Insider points by buying them. Solves any issue I had prior when I was holding off on picking up. I would not consider this highlight to be fully “glossy” (i.e. no base pigment and just reflectivity) and would say it’s partially metallic but when applied properly (a little goes a long, long way), it will look extremely beautiful as just an amplified, natural highlight.

Here’s a before, during and after photo. For the contour I applied two or three layers to get the result you see and just one for the highlight.

If you’ve tried the medium/deep shade, let me know if it is just as sheer as this shade appears to be! If I had to pick a favorite out of these two Beauty Wands, I would absolutely go for the highlighter. That being said, if you’re willing to drop the $$ on both, do it. These are high-quality face products that will surely become staples in your makeup routine.

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EYELINER FACEOFF: FENTY ‘FLYLINER’ V. KAT VON D ‘TATTOO’ V. STILA ‘STAY ALL DAY’

Oh my goodnesssssSsss

Today’s post has been a WORK. IN. PROGRESS. lemme tell you. I could give you a short blurb why or I could just get into the post. Let’s just get into it. Today I’m comparing three very similar mid-range eyeliners:

Kat von D Tattoo Liner

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner

and Fenty Beauty Flyliner (new!)

tips of stila fenty kat von d eyeliners stay all day flyliner tattoo
As you can see, these liners are all felt/brush tipped and they’re all fairly equal in tip length.
My go-to for years and years (seriously. repurchase after repurchase) was Stila’s Stay All Day. If you look back on old Beautymunson posts you’ll see just how much I used it. I eventually replaced it with Kat von D’s Tattoo liner because of how quickly the Stila one dried out. I’ve been gung-ho on the KVD liner for years now but with the recent anti-vaxx debacle and the societal cancellation of her brand, I was curious what else was out there. Around the same time, Fenty Beauty dropped their Flyliner. The idea for this blog post was then born.
on-arm swatches of stay all day tattoo and flyliner stila kat von d fenty
Each product is very black, for sure. That being said, these were all BRAND. NEW. liners and I was very confused by the Kat Von D swatches. That is a liner I have been using for a long time up until today and it’s never been that translucent before– I can only assume the batch I received is off or the formula changed? It was translucent when I applied it on the eye, too.
As for the Stila and Fenty liners, they were pretty even. Fenty’s was super duper inky, though. I consider that a positive. Stila’s, on the other hand, is more like a felt-tipped thin marker.
kat von d tattoo applied on eye
Please pardon the inconsistency in the lighting of the “test run” photos. I clearly took them on different days and it’s been rainy and dark this weekend/week!
Starting with Kat von D’s Tattoo eyeliner– again, it was not opaque upon first application but you can easily layer up two or three layers to get a deep black. What I personally dislike about the Tattoo eyeliner is the Satin finish but many of you may find that to be a good thing! It brings a little bit of life into your eye look. The Tattoo liner applicator is different than the other two in that it is more of a brush than a felt tip and I think that helps with its longevity. Tattoo liner lasts significantly longer than the other two– giving you a better value. (of course this is assuming for the Fenty liner but I can already tell it’ll act similarly to the Stila option)
stila stay all day applied on eye
Next is the Stila Stay All Day liquid eyeliner. This one is black, opaque and extremely easy to use. The only downside is the life of the product itself. It does dry out but will still give you months of solid performance. I really like how sharp the tip is because it makes it very simple to draw out a perfect wing. They even have a MICRO tip Stay All Day if you want an even more precise application.
fenty flyliner applied on eye
Last up is the product that I am currently conducting the hype train for– the Fenty Beauty Flyliner. It’s SO dark and opaque and applies beautifully. It’s as if the product just flows into a line on your eyelid. I was nervous when I purchased because a lot of the reviews state that it transfers but I assumed correctly when I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem for me because my lids don’t usually have transfer issues.
All three of the eyeliners are good. I appreciate that they aren’t thick or clumpy and don’t flake. I like this style of liner pen because it saves your lashes from getting all goopy right before applying mascara.
Now, I have a question. Have you “cancelled” Kat von D? If so, what product(s) have you had to find replacements for? If not, let me know what your favorite eyeliner is! It doesn’t have to be in pen form like these. Have a great day and I’ll talk to ya in the comments.
I have done a handful of face-offs, check them out here:
MASCARA | BRONZER (coming soon!)
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