Makeup Buying Guide for Women of Colour
Are you sick of buying makeup product after makeup product and they just don't work? If you have a sneaky suspicion that there are less makeup products on the market for those with darker skin, you'd be correct. However, there are plenty of products (and even complete lines) out there that will suit your beautiful skin perfectly. They can be difficult to find, so we took out most of the guess work for you. Get ready to stop the frustration and start building a collection of makeup in your cosmetics case, not your garbage can.
Tips
- Darker skin usually produces more oils, so look for oil-free products unless you have dry skin.
- The most important makeup product for you is also the hardest to find-- foundation. It's important to find a good foundation that matches your skin tone, but some products focus so much on being "invisible" that they actually look, well, invisible on your skin. You're going to need makeup with stronger pigments. When searching for foundation or concealer, it's best to look to makeup lines that specialize in African American complexions.
- Figure out your undertones. Rich ebony complexions usually have cool undertones, while brown and caramel complexions usually have warm undertones. Those with cool undertones will look great using colours in the blue family, especially around their eyes. If you have warm undertones, look for golden colours to highlight your eyes.
- Don't feel like you just have to buy makeup from lines that solely focus on providing makeup for women of colour. While these are great, especially for finding foundations and concealers, they can be limited in options. Larger makeup lines, such as MAC Cosmetics and NARS, have plenty of eyeliners, eye shadows, lipsticks, and other cosmetics that will look wonderful on you.
- Blush. Oh, blush. It's so easy to do completely wrong, and probably is the makeup product that is most often done completely wrong. You want to look for golden shades that are higher in pigment than your skin tone, but not so high that you might as well just use paint. Steer clear of pinks! Plenty of people say that if you choose a pink with a high enough pigment, it'll work. However, it's important to make sure it's a golden pink, or a brown-pink, not a Barbie pink, hot pink, or pale pink.
- Look for oranges, golds, golden browns, brown-pinks, berries, golden plums, bronzes, and cinnamons for cheek, lips, and eye makeup.
Foundation
Concealer
Blush
Eyeshadow
Lipstick
Popular Makeup Brands
These makeup lines either completely target women of colour or contain plenty of products that have high pigments that aren't just pale pinks.
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