Makeup Tips For Women With Dark Skin
10 Top Beauty Bloggers Reveal Their Best Makeup Tips For Women With Darker Skin Tones
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Women of color often have a hard time finding the perfect makeup to complement their diverse skin tones. Either the undertone is off or the pigment payoff is poor, making them look ashy or gray. And what's worse, it's a challenge to discover trusted outlets that will suggest what's best for their varied complexions. So, to help them get their melanin poppin', we've rounded up a bevy of our go-to beauty gurus — from international YouTube stars to up-and-coming influencers — who help women of darker complexions slay every day. Start following this community of multi-hued beauties and get into their beat.
1 Deepica Mutyala
Blog: deepicam.com
Instagram: @deepicam
YouTube: youtube.com/deepicam
Snapchat: deepicam
With fewer than two years under her belt, Deepica is the enfant nouveau on the scene. As a #browngirlwhorocks who loves beauty products, she’s making it her mission to simplify the process for the everyday girl. Have you seen her viral video hack on masking dark circles using an orangey-red lipstick? If not, you should.
Beauty Tip: "Layer a powder blush over a cream blush to really add that pop of color. Becca Cosmetics has a gorgeous range of rich pressed ones called Luminous Blushes that are stunning on darker complexions," says Mutyala. "And, just because your skin tone is deep, it doesn’t mean that your blush necessarily has to be an extra bright pink. My favorite shade is Blushed Copper — it has a bronze-y highlight to it but with a subtle hint of pink."
Deepica's Beauty Pick
2 Jackie Aina
Instagram: @jackieaina
YouTube: youtube.com/lilpumpkinpie05
Snapchat: jackieaina
This West Coast YouTube goddess is known for her sass as well as her cosmetic bad-assery. Tap into her channel for her up-front commentary. She’s not afraid to give the real skinny on what doesn’t work for darker-skinned lovelies.
Beauty Tip: "If you buy a foundation that is one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone, mix it with your favorite moisturizer. This will help break up the richness of the foundation and make it a little lighter. Note: This is for emergency purposes only. Nothing beats using the correct shade for your complexion," advises Aina.
Jackie's Beauty Pick
3 Huda Kattan
Blog: HudaBeauty
Instagram: @hudabeauty
YouTube: youtube.com/hudabeauty
Snapchat: realhudabeauty
The Dubai-based beauty blogger is probably the most legendary one in the game. As a trained makeup artist, she wants to empower women — regardless of their skin tone or ethnicity — to be comfortable in the skin they’re in. Not only has she been mesmerizing the Middle East and the West with her insane beauty hacks, but she’s the governess of her own beauty empire, Huda Beauty, sold through its own site and Sephora.com.
Beauty Tip: "Extra-dark skin tones sometimes find it difficult finding a contouring powder that adds definition to their complexion. Try using a highlighter to get a natural contour instead," suggests Kattan.
Huda's Beauty Pick
4 Shayla Mitchell
Instagram: @makeupshayla
YouTube: youtube.com/Makeupshayla
Snapchat: makeupshayla
This snatched stunner is known for her impeccable contour and highlight skills. So much so, that makeup brand Tarte tapped her to collaborate on a limited-edition contour palette.
Beauty Tip: "Bronzer is a great way to set your foundation and to get a great glow," says Mitchell.
Shayla's Beauty Pick
5 Irene Khan
Blog: irenesarah.com
Instagram: @irenesarah
YouTube: youtube.com/geekchic01
Snapchat: Geekchic01
Follow photographer Irene Mahmud Khan if you’re a women of color wanting to incorporate bright shades into your routine. We love peeping her Insta for her fearless display of vibrant hues as well as for her envy-inducing travels.
Beauty Tip: "Protect your skin from the sun and wear sunscreen! Not only is skin cancer a real concern, but women of color are prone to hyperpigmentation problems like dark spots and scars, which might take months to fade. But choose wisely — not all sunscreens are right for our tones. Look for sheer sunscreens that don’t leave an ashy, white cast," urges Khan.
Irene's Beauty Pick
6 Iris Beilin
Instagram: @irisbeilin
YouTube: youtube.com/irishcel507
Snapchat: Irisbeilin07
This café-complected Latina cuts a mean beat each and every time. From understated looks to glam finishes, she serves us nothing less than flawless perfection.
Beauty Tip: "It’s a fallacy that darker skin tones can’t wear blue shadows. Look for blue hues with a high color payoff, so they don’t look gray on your skin. First prime your lids so the shadows stay on. Then use dark navy on your lids and the lighter shades in the inner corner of your eyes for a bit of pop," advises Beilin in one of her most popular YouTube videos.
Iris's Beauty Pick
7 Samira Mohamed
Instagram: @DoseofSamira
YouTube: youtube.com/DoseofSamira
Snapchat: samiraaa_v
Though the hijab may play a role in what she does, the Toronto-based Muslim makeup artist doesn’t let it stop her from displaying her cosmetic wizardry. She believes when it comes to makeup, we all share a common interest in wanting to look fabulous, regardless of religious beliefs.
Beauty Tip: "If you have lots of discoloration going on your face, a great way to hide them is by using an orange color corrector. One brand that I love using is L.A. Girl Pro concealer in Orange. You can get it for about $3 at your local beauty supply store. Once it dries and sets in place, apply your foundation and concealer per usual," recommends Mohamed.
Samira's Beauty Pick
8 Danielle Gray
Blog: The Style and Beauty Doctor
Instagram: @stylenbeautydoc
YouTube: youtube.com/styleandbeautydoctor
Snapchat: stylenbeautydoc
We flock to this ebony-hued blogger’s site for her fresh, girl-next-door vibe. Her accessible approach to beauty plus easy-to-follow makeup tutorials never steers her fans wrong.
Beauty Tip: "Get the base right. Finding foundation that matches deeper skin tones can be a challenge but not impossible. You have to get it right in both the color and undertone of the foundation. Some brands that have a good range for deeper skin tones include Cover FX, BECCA Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Bobbi Brown, Black Opal, SheaMoisture, Anastasia Beverly Hills (just to name a few). Since a few brands seem to cater more to certain undertones (some go very red, some very yellow, etc), be sure to try a variety of brands in natural light before settling on your base. Also, because of the variances in our natural coloring, one foundation shade may not be enough," says Gray.
Danielle's Beauty Pick
9 Zahrah Aliyah Makdum
Blog: Zahrah Aliyah
Instagram: @zahrahaliyah
YouTube: youtube.com/ZahrahAliyah
Snapchat: zahrahaliyah
This Sydney-based beauty influencer of Fijian-Indian heritage didn’t start wearing makeup until late in the game (at 19, if you must know). That didn’t stop her from creating her own channel where she shows brown girls like her that if you have someone showing you the ropes, makeup can be an amazing avenue for creativity.
Beauty Tip: "Bake your undereyes using the Ben Nye Banana Powder to prevent creasing. This powder is the perfect yellow shade to help highlight and bring forward the undereye area on darker skin tones. I prefer this one over others because it's so finely milled that it doesn't make you look cakey," suggests Makdum.
Zahrah's Beauty Pick
10 Eileen D.
Blog: Miss Whoever You Are
Instagram: @misswhoeverur
YouTube: youtube.com/misswhoeveryouaretv
Snapchat: misswhoeverur
Known for her honest reviews, this NYC-based beauty blogger is like your best friend on a beauty shopping spree. Follow her for what works, what doesn’t work, and why.
Beauty Tip: Nude (or brown) lip liners are a gift. If you have naturally pigmented lips like I do, you know that nothing is worse than applying a lipstick and having it look like a completely different color than what's in the tube. So line and fill lips with a lip liner that matches your skin tone. (I want to say nude but we know not all nudes are created equal.) This will create a blank canvas. Foundation works as well but can be drying. ColourPop's BFF 3 lip liner is my favorite.
