Hey dolls. Let me introduce you to this beauty…Brigette Ramos, She was born and raised in Hawaii and currently resides in Austin, Texas. She has always had a fascination for makeup (like those Roll-On Lip Smacker Lip Glosses from her childhood years) but her love for artistry began during her first semester in college. Throughout her college years, she established herself as a freelance makeup artist and self-proclaimed beauty junkie. With the encouragement of her family and friends, she decided to pursue a career in the makeup and beauty industry. Since then she’s worked for Sephora as a Certified Makeup Artist, worked on a few films in Austin and is now working for Givenchy Beauty. She also has her own beauty and lifestyle Blog. ❤
Q&A
What is your favorite high-end brand?
I don’t know where to begin! I guess it depends on the product… If I had to pick a few brands, my favorite high-end brands would include: Givenchy, YSL, Guerlain, Hourglass, Giorgio Armani and Marc Jacobs. Phew, that was a hard question because I love so many brands! I also love a ton of mid-end brands that I can go on and on about but I’ll save that for next time. 🙂
What are 3 makeup items you couldn’t possibly live without?
Hmm, I don’t think I can without: BROW STUFF – I fill in my brows every single day and will not leave without them! I have brows that are barely there so I need something to frame my face. EYELINER – I have a winged liner everywhere I go! Eyeliner flatters my eyes more than having no mascara. FOUNDATION – Totally essential for evening out my skin tone and I can double it as a concealer when it’s needed.
What’s your favorite drugstore brand?
My favorite drugstore brand is a tie between Maybelline and Revlon! I love a ton of drugstore products but Maybelline and Revlon has products I use almost on a daily basis which is why they are my favorites.
What type of beauty product do you buy the most of (mascaras, concealers, lipsticks etc)?
I seem to collect lipsticks or lip products because I have an addiction to lip products! I usually try a lip product first in a brand before anything else. If I love the lipstick I’d be more willing to try something else from the brand. I hope I’m not the only one who does that… Plus, lipsticks are a staple in my daily makeup routine, it gives my face life!
What is the most common makeup faux pas that you see?
Unblended makeup! I typically don’t like to judge peoples makeup skills because I know they’ll improve with practice but I do see and know when makeup is supposed to be blended. Harsh lines of makeup on the face is not flattering for most people and there comes a place and time for them (like for fashion or photo shoots).
Do you have a “beauty budget” or do you spend freely?
I think I should give myself a beauty budget because sometimes I can go a little overboard and purge on new products that come out. There are some months where I try to use products in my collection that has been sitting for quite some time and some months I spend freely. I guess it just depends on my mood and what is the “high-coveted” makeup products in the market at that time…
What’s your favorite lipstick?
Whoa, this is a hard question because I love lipstick and I have so many favorites! If I had to choose one, it is going to be all MAC lipsticks! I mean, MAC lipsticks are hands down one of the most phenomenal lipsticks in the market. They are cult classics, extremely pigmented and smell amazing. A lot of my clients also enjoy MAC lipsticks… If you haven’t tried any MAC lipsticks yet, you need to try it at least once and you’ll understand what I mean!
Describe your everyday makeup look.
My everyday makeup look is pretty basic in terms of artistry but may seem like a lot for people who barely wear makeup. I usually have a whole face of makeup on a daily basis.
I always have my skincare and sunscreen on before I apply any sort of makeup. I prime my entire face with face primer and then my eyes with eye primer then I apply all of my liquid/cream makeup (foundation and concealer) and then set it with powder. I add a little contour, blush and highlight to the mix after that. When my face is done, I start on my brows and then complete my eye makeup (usually neutral colors on an everyday basis) with a winged liner and mascara! Then I go about my day… Ha! I told you I usually have a full face.
What’s your favorite mascara?
I love Too Faced, Make Up For Ever, Lancome and Maybelline Mascara’s but my current obsession is the Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara. It’s extremely volumizing and gives my lashes that false-lash look while I don’t have much lash to work with. It’s so amazing!!
Is there any celebrity that you get your makeup inspiration from & why that celebrity?
There is no specific celebrity whose makeup I find inspirational! I can get inspired by people I interact with on a daily basis, people on TV, on a magazine or on social media. I get inspired by everyone and I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to makeup. ❤
Do you have some favorite beauty gurus? If so, who?
I love watching YouTube but my favorite beauty gurus are MakeupByLeinaBaaaby, MakeupbyRenRen, GossMakeupArtist and LisaEldridge because they are all working makeup artists and I definitely find all of their tips and tricks helpful!
If you could leave the house with only ONE makeup product, which would it be?
Lipstick! If worst comes to worst, I can use the lipstick on my cheeks as a blush too. Like I mentioned in a previous section, lipstick gives my face life so that is why I would leave with lipstick.
Are there any brands that you try to avoid?
I am open to trying all brands because I am always on the hunt for the latest and greatest no matter the price. I also do reviews on my blog which is why I am open to trying brands. If I were to pick why I would avoid a brand, it would be because they ARE NOT non-comedogenic. I haven’t found a brand that isn’t yet so I cannot tell you what to avoid…
Do you usually “haul” or buy items here & there?
I do both. It just depends on what’s new and what interest me while I’m shopping. There are a few times I don’t buy anything for weeks and months at a time and many times I go on a splurge and get all of the new stuff. It just all depends.
What’s your favorite skincare brand?
Yay! Skincare is essential for having the best makeup application. My favorite skincare brands consist of NUDE Skincare, Caudalie, Algenist, Fresh and Amore Pacific. All of the brands I have mentioned have worked wonders for my skin and are some client favorites. When you invest in quality skincare your skin will thank you!
What is one beauty tool/brush that you’d recommend to anyone?
I love makeup brushes but if I had to choose ONE tool to recommend to anyone it would be a Beauty Blender Sponge. Just dampen the sponge and you can use it to apply all of the creams, liquids and loose powders. It’s an amazing tool that anyone can love and use on a daily basis. It’s a universal tool and is great for blending and applying makeup.
What is one beauty product that you’d recommend to ANYONE & why?
Concealer! Concealer can be used to conceal any imperfections under the eyes and all over the face. You can also use concealer as a eyeshadow base, highlight on the brow bone, inner tear duct, nose bridge and the cupid’s bow. You can use one versatile product like a concealer in many areas to give the face life and dimension without having to use a billion products
If you had to give up one makeup item for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Eeeek! This is a very hard question… It would be probably be mascara. Since I typically have a strong winged eyeliner on a daily basis, my eyelashes are typically nonexistent unless I layer 2-3 coats of mascara. Also if I gave up mascara, I would still be able to use false lashes to give my eyes that oomph that it needs. 😛
What is your absolute pet peeve when it comes to other people’s makeup?
I wouldn’t call it a pet peeve, I just want to educate them because most of the time people don’t know how to apply makeup. People just have to realize that not everyone is a makeup artist! BUT I cringe when I see people with 10 different colors (well, maybe I’m exaggerating) that are not harmonious with one another or doesn’t have a color story. I guess that’s the makeup artist in me to think that way. People just need to get educated on color theory and what colors complement others. It will make a whole lot of difference in a makeup look but there will come a place and time where they look back and think “what was I thinking?” like we all do when we see old photos of ourselves.
Share a beauty tip/trick/hack.. whatever you’d like to call it. Lol
Whoa, there are a lot of tips to share… One of my favorite tips would be to use your fingers to apply your under eye concealer. The warmth of your fingers will help blend the product under your eyes without leaving a heavy or “cakey” texture.
I can go on and on about tips and tricks that I have learned over the years of doing makeup but I’ll save that for next time. 😉
What’s the best way for future clients to reach you?
There are many platforms in which clients are able to reach me via social media but check the following links to reach or connect with me.
I hope you all enjoyed and found my Q&A’s helpful. I cannot wait to connect with you! ❤
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless ($6-8)
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