I get a lot of questions about makeup for "brown" women. This includes African-Americans, Africans, Hispanics, Indians and a myriad of beautiful women who have a mixture of two or more of the above heritages.
In today's cosmetics market, there are more choices than ever for women of color. From drug store choices like Loreal's Hip, to the department store mega trend, MAC, pigments are brighter and colors are truer on brown skin than ever before.
This is both good and bad. Here's why. More pigment means the colors show up better on the skin and don't look ashy or washed out after a couple of hours. However, deeper pigments require better application skills.
Blending becomes key. Especially with eye shadows.
Bright colors, layered with mega doses of mica (high shimmer/glitter) that aren't blended properly can look anywhere from dated (think 1980s!) to clownish (think Bozo!).
A light, feathery brush with soft bristles works wonders with deep tones. The whole idea is to look good without looking like too much effort was made.
Overly bright colors draw the eyes away from a woman's beautiful eyes, sculpted lips or chiseled cheekbones. Even though I'm a makeup artist, I believe when it comes to human beauty, it's more important to notice the canvas than the strokes.
Women of color, like all women, should strive to enhance, not cover their natural beauty. If bright colors are a must, then opt for a bright lip or one bright eye shade and let everything else speak softly.
The best compliment one of my clients can get is, "You look beautiful," not..."Your makeup is great."
