Briel Adams-Wheatley is the kind of creator that will make you stop scrolling for two reasons: the makeup is fire, and the process is nothing like you’ve ever seen a beauty influencer do before. She doesn’t just post pretty makeup looks and GRWM videos, she shows us the whole reality of living and thriving without arms or legs, but with a great sense of humour and zero drama.
We love that her videos aren’t about getting sympathy or shock value, they’re just very realistic and practical. You see exactly what life looks like for a person born with a disability, how she problem-solves, what tips, tricks, and techniques she uses, and what problem-solving looks like when you’ve got a can-do attitude. Briel also opens up on her social media about her identity, visibility, representation, love, and what it’s like working in an industry that doesn’t exactly make space for disabled or trans people.
Who Is Briel Adams-Wheatley?
Briel Adams-Wheatley is a Brazilian-born American influencer and makeup artist. She’s widely known across social media for her unique GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos. In these videos, she demonstrates how she applies makeup, prepares for her day, and navigates life as a disabled person. She’s known for her positive attitude, sense of humour, and fabulous style.
Her Childhood Story
Briel was born in Brazil with Hanhart syndrome, a rare congenital condition that affects limb development. As a baby she was placed up for adoption by her mother, who realized she couldn’t afford all the support and medical bills for her child. Briel was then adopted by a Mormon family in Utah. Her adoptive mother wanted to make sure Briel would be as independent as possible, so she encouraged her to do everything by herself, from getting around the house and learning how to go up and down the stairs on her own, to joining school dances. In her interviews, Briel admits that her adoptive mother was tough on her, but only because she knew it would pay off in the end.
What She’s Known For
Briel isn’t just known because of her makeup skills. It’s all about what makeup means to her—autonomy, creativity, and self-expression. She learned to do makeup by watching YouTube videos, trying things on her own, testing out different approaches, and slowly leveling up her skills and her setup.
At first, Briel used to post her makeup tutorials with the camera only showing her from the shoulders up. And she would get a lot of questions as to why the viewers can’t see her hands. However, when she began sharing videos in which her arms were clearly visible, it significantly changed the landscape.
People really responded to her and her social media career took off. It wasn’t just the fact that her makeup looked great, but also people going, “How is she doing that?” It’s already impressive when an able-bodied makeup artist creates a flawless makeup look, but when you have to arms or legs—that’s a whole other level. The viewers were inspired and impressed by her skills, her “I’ll figure it out” mindset, and her problem-solving solutions.
What They Post About: It’s Not Just Makeup (It’s The Whole Life)
On the surface, Briel’s content might look like a regular “beauty influencer,” but she is so much more nuanced than that. She does beauty routines, get ready-with-me videos, cooking videos, mubangs, married life, parenting, disability visibility, and so much more.
Her day-to-day life as a transgender woman with a disability is just so full and interesting that it’s impossible to look away. You’ll want to keep scrolling and keep seeing more of Briel and her incredible personality.
Relationship Status: Very Publicly In Love
Briel is married to a man named Adam and is very publicly in love. She often posts photos and videos with her husband and proclaims her love for him. Her relationship is a big part of her story, and she shared her opinions and experiences with dating apps, fetishisation, and how one good first date led to years of happy marriage for her.
Why People Stay “Sweet Peas”
Briel calls her followers “sweet peas,” and there’s over a million of them on Instagram, about the same on YouTube and over 5 million on TikTok and all of them stick around not only because of Briel’s makeup skills but also because of who she is as a person and how she manages to share her life in a chill, fun, humorous, yet inspiring way. Her attitude, her sense of humour, and her perspective of “this is my life, my body and I’m going to be confident and cute no matter what—it’s addicting to watch.
