Meet Brittany Whitfield, ARDELL’S Beauty of the Week. Brittany is Silly, Delish, a Mama Bear and is sharing her beauty secrets with us!
AR:
Tell us about yourself.
BW:
I'm Brittany, born and raised in Harlem, NYC. I currently live in LIC with my husband and two kids. I've been a working makeup artist for 12 years, originally beginning in fashion and segued into the celebrity space in 2018. I'm absolutely a people person first. I love the intimacy and social aspect of work! There is also no greater feeling than a client looking in the mirror and thinking "damn, I'm a bad b*tch!" A hidden-ish passion of mine is comedy writing. I've written for Viacom years ago and pitched several series pilots with a partner over the past few years.
AR:
Describe your earliest beauty memory.
BW:
My earliest beauty memory, interestingly enough, was when I was in high school. For the longest time I refused makeup. I swore I didn't need it! Until I got my glam done for a close friend's birthday party with her and realized it was completely reinventive and an accessory more than a necessity. That's when I opened up to the idea of makeup. Secretly, I enjoyed watching my aunts put it on. My Aunt Dominique would perform at balls and watching her get bedazzled was always so incredible to me. My mom is and always has been an avid red lipstick wearer and for a woman of dark skin and a killer smile she FLEXED TF out of it! My other aunts were the quintessential uptown girls with the black lip liner, nude center, thin brows, and fake mole. To watch them get ready to go out was really my everything even though I didn't experiment until much later. I'm always so grateful my friend forced me to get my glam done that day. It helped me embrace something I was clearly itching to do.
Photos provided by Brittany Whitfield
AR:
Who had the biggest beauty influence on you growing up?
BW:
I'd say my aunts for sure. One aunt, my Aunt Christie, has since passed but when I started to pursue makeup as a profession I was so excited to tell her. She modeled, was a singer, gorgeous and with a strong personality. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to tell her she influenced my decision to work in glam but I took it as a sign to push through to make her proud. She and I shared being a Leo and she was that to a T! I would prance around in her shoes and leopard robes. She always had a thick perfume scent with a faint cig note (LOL). But that smell was so intoxicating and.... mature. As a kid, I imagined this is what movie stars smelled like!!!
AR:
What is something that you no longer believe about beauty that you once did?
BW:
Beautiful, dark skinned women are the majority representation in my family. So I remember feeling unsure about wearing red lipstick for example because I didn't feel it looked good on my complexion. Keep in mind this is 18 year old Brittany, not me at my Big Ole Age. But -- I remember I snapped out of it QUICKLY when my mom scoffed, like Girl, Bye. ANYONE can wear red. It was so empowering coming from her and my aunts because duh, commercialized mainstream beauty in America very rarely showed Black women. But yes, there's red lipstick for anyone just like there's a blonde for everyone.
Photos provided by Brittany Whitfield
AR:
How do you define beauty today?
BW:
I think beauty is and should always be extremely personalized to what looks hot to them. I know that's so cliche but with the influx of our personal lives placed on public forums available to be judged and criticized by strangers, it's best to just do WTF you like. If you wanna overdraw, sis do your thing. If you want to wear gems on your brows or false eyelashes that touch your eyebrows, go for it. Beauty is individualism. It's so Hallmark but there is nothing more fire or beautiful than someone being unapologetically them.
AR:
Do you have any favorite beauty practices that you swear by?
BW:
I love my NuFace Trinity! I have absolutely NO JUDGEMENT against surgery, botox, or fillers but I'm not there yet with exploring those options. It's the one thing I feel I can do in a non-invasive way daily that I notice a difference. Additionally, I'm heavy on massaging my face (I'm a licensed esthetician). Nothing excites me more than rolling those knots out of my jawline every night.
“I'm absolutely a people person first. I love the intimacy and social aspect of work! There is also no greater feeling than a client looking in the mirror and thinking "damn, I'm a bad b*tch!"” – Brittany Whitfield
AR:
What’s your go-to makeup or skin care routine?
BW:
Woops, just gave away a part of my skincare routine, LOL! My ritual changes depending on the season. Right now I'm obsessed with Naturium skincare products, Dr. Barbara Sturm balancing toner (LOVE THIS ALL YEAR ROUND), The Inkey List Bakuchiol Serum, and Weleda Skinfood Light to finish (NOTHING better than this moisturizer). Lots of massaging and my NuFace Trinity in between. As far as makeup goes -- My NEWEST OBSESSION (honestly) are the Ardell Texture Eyes lashes #583. This are all I need in my life and in my kit.
AR:
What is the best beauty tip you’ve ever discovered?
BW:
My best beauty tip is to stamp black eyeshadow so tightly against the top lash line to accentuate and give definition to hooded lids. It's such a no-brainer but it's forgiving and can be layered but opens the eyes in a flattering way. Also much easier to toss a flick at the end with powder than a denser product like a gel or liquid.
AR:
What is your favorite beauty trend right now?
BW:
I love that we're embracing color! I feel like neutral colors had us in a chokehold and obviously it's fool proof, so it's refreshing to see everyone enjoying bolder glam choices.
AR:
Do you listen to music when you get ready? If so, who is on your playlist?
BW:
With two kids running around, doing my glam is legit my sanctuary. I'd prefer silence, LOL. If not, The Office, Seinfeld, or The Golden Girls are the soundtracks to my life and tend to be on in the background during glam.
AR:
In addition to making people feel beautiful, how do you like to spend your free time?
BW:
I am a busybody professionally and always need to be moving or I don't feel productive. But as of late I've been truly enjoying being cozy and relaxing in the house with my family. Especially because work can be so intense for weeks and then slow down for weeks. So free time can often mean catch up time. I also co-own a photo studio in Dumbo so I'm also likely doing a fun creative shoot with my friends there (when I feel my creativity needs a spark), podding with Queen Amber, or hella dates with my husband.
AR:
What would someone never guess about you?
BW:
I've played contemporary piano since I was 5 years old. The last few years I haven't had a piano in the house but we're getting one for Christmas this year and I'm so excited to tickle the ivories.
AR:
What is one of your favorite inspirational quotes?
BW:
It's a quote by Rose Nylund -- "The older you get, the better you get... unless you're a banana."
Photos provided by Brittany Whitfield
AR:
Describe what the perfect "day off" looks like to you.
BW:
Sleeping noise free for 10 straight hours without guilt, LOL.
AR:
What’s next for you?
BW:
Really excited for the 2023 rollout of our A&B Conversation Podcast. We tap heavily into the grooming space and want to share that with our audience as it seems to intrigue them the most. Really love this journey with Amber and can't wait to see where it leads us!
RAPID-FIRE: ARDELL BEAUTY QUESTIONS
AR:
What are your favorite ARDELL lash styles? Why?
BW:
TEXTURE EYES 583 - Bar NONE!!!! looks good on every single human on this planet. Please send me a boatload!!!! LOL
AR:
What keeps you coming back to ARDELL lashes?
BW:
Ardell just gets it. There is something for EVERYONE. There are magnetic lashes, gaudy lashes, modest lashes, clips, clusters, and individuals. Allllll of the things.
AR:
What is the trick for the perfect ARDELL lash application?
BW:
Using a handheld mirror tilted to see my lash line is *chefs kiss.*
AR:
Best ARDELL lash style for an everyday look
BW:
I like to cut any Light As Air lash in half and use it on the outer corners everyday. OR the Texture Eyes 583 (sorry, but I really stan LOL).
AR:
Best ARDELL lash style for an all-out Glam look
BW:
Personally, I would stack the Wispies 701 with 583 to keep it sexy and flared in all the right areas.
