Bree Barber Feature

I met Bree in the weirdest way possible, we live in the same neighborhood !!! I never knew she was a makeup artist and did looks for BFTE. We didn't meet in person until just recently but I knew there was more to her than meets the eye. She is such a talent and her work just amazes the heck out of me. Sit back and enjoy my feature on Bree. My name is Bree.  I'm what you would call a "FREELANCE" makeup artist.  I've never actually had a paying gig, but I mostly do it for the LOVE of makeup.  Anything from a neutral look on my mom, to a prosthetic, zombie look for a Haunted House, I LOVE makeup.

For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in art.  Drawing, painting, creating have been a passion.  When I was two years old, I drew a picture of a clown on a unicycle.  I've always been artsy, so it was only a matter of time before I would end up with a makeup brush in hand.

I of course, wore makeup in high school and college, but didn't know proper application.  Back then, Youtube tutorials weren't the "IT" thing, and let's face it, dial up internet wasn't the best for any type of video watching.  But I still at least tried with some mild, toned down colors back then.  Lots of neutrals and of course, lip-glosses were my best friend.

It wasn't until I got married, started paying my own bills and got cable internet, that I discovered Youtube tutorials.  It was in 2007 when I discovered that my face was actually a REUSABLE canvas!  Xsparkage was my very first Makeup Guru that I learned a lot from.  In fact, to this day, she is my GO TO guru.  I learned from her, that brushes are a NECESSITY!! Also, that's when I found out about the wonders of MAC and it became my Holy Grail, but money was tight, so, I had to make due with drug store brands.  Which was fine.  It was fun finding MAC dupes.  Also, I wasn't able to afford MAC brushes, so Revlon and other Wal-Mart finds became my tools of the trade.

Late 2008/Early 2009 is when I started really playing with colors.  Makeup became more of a hobby, than just a fashion accessory.  I started experimenting with color, and moved away from the neutrals and into the bright, FUN colors.  I then discovered Coastal Scents and E.L.F. brands. Coastal Scents' 88 Palettes and a few of their cheaper brushes began to be used in my everyday regimen  and E.L.F. brushes became my "GO TO" brushes due to their One Dollar price tag.  Rainbow eyes in different variations became my experiments. Smokey eyes were a fun challenge, and I say challenge, because yes, there are right and wrong ways to apply it.

In 2008, Xsparkage uploaded a few videos using Beauty From the Earth makeup.  I went over to the link she posted in the information bar, and what once was MAC, my Holy Grail changed.  BFTE Cosmetics has become my GO TO brand now.  In my own PERSONAL opinion  they have some of the best makeup out there.  With over 400 colors to chose from, and a lot of OTHER BRAND dupes, they are right up there with those brands.  The customer service is amazing as well.  And the prices are very reasonable, so there's no wonder why they are my all time favorite brand.

2011 came around, and I decided to go to the Zombie walk.  Once again, a scowared the internets trying to find good Zombie makeup.  So many tutorials to chose from, but I finally went with something Petrilude did involving toilet paper and school glue!  I also used some BFTE in my look for shading and shadowing. It was awesome, and so my love for SFX makeup grew.  I was even asked by multiple friends to do their Zombie makeup for the walk.  One of my friends even ended up winning an award for hers.  And won an award for her's again at the 2012 Walk as well. 

In 2012, I started a Facebook page, AtomicBombshell2005 (Named after two of my favorite BFTE colors, Atomic Teal and Bombshell) and a personal blog.  They are both makeup and beauty product reviews, first impressions and other fun tid bits.  I really enjoy trying out new products and giving my opinions on them.  A lot of my close friends depend on my input for products to use, so I thought I'd give them something they could check up on from time to time.

My interests in makeup have kind of moved more towards the SFX side of things as the years progress, but I still love to play with color on my eyes, and so do make up for friends and family when asked.  I can see makeup being in my life for a very long time, and I hope to pass down my skills to my daughters.