Foundation Tips For Women of Colour
How Fenty Beauty Changed the Way I Choose Foundation — For Better or For Worse
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To whom much is given, much is required, right? That's how the saying goes, yet never in a million years did I think it would apply to my foundation. Case in point: last year, Rihanna — the global pop star who gave us our favourite good-girl-gone-bad hits like "We Found Love," "Umbrella," and "Work" — launched Fenty Beauty, which changed the game by introducing 40 inclusive foundation shades. Finally, a makeup line we — people of colour and all skin tones — could wear. You would think all my cosmetic nightmares would be put to bed, but instead, my discernment in choosing just one shade to match my complexion grew weary.
For the sake of greed, and finally being able to order numerous tones from a single cosmetic line, I got antsy and ended up ordering four varying foundation shades.
On one end of the spectrum, I was elated that WOC now have multiple options to choose from like everyone else. On the other, it was tricky navigating this space because it's completely foreign to me. All of a sudden, what I demanded makeup-wise was far greater than what I could've imagined a year prior to the birth of Fenty.
Even though the brand's website does a considerable job matching colours to pictures of 40 diverse skin tones of models, I could not determine online which Fenty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation was for me. I got picky. So for the sake of greed, and finally being able to order numerous tones from a single cosmetic line, I got antsy and ended up ordering four varying foundation shades.
Between pigments 380, 390, 400, and 410, I didn't think any of them resembled me at first. As the days went on, I took fancy to the colours and began to love my options. Some days I reveled in hue 400; on others, it was 380. In the Winter, I tend to look lighter, and when I travel, I get tan. However, I knew dabbling between four foundations was impractical — it's too much to swatch all four bases in the morning and travel with them on trips — and that I needed to edit down for money purposes (the bottles go for $34 a pop, which adds up to $136 for me) and also my sanity.
Not sure where to start, I reached out to celebrity makeup artists to figure out how they navigate this new space of beauty. Do they stick to one foundation or blend multiple? How do they match their clients' skin tones on the regular with one makeup kit? Keep reading to see what they had to say about their favourite products for people of colour, plus tips on how to wear them.
1 Nadyne T. Hicks
Expert: Nadyne T. Hicks is Black-ish's makeup artist
"The face is my canvas, and my main goal is to even the skin with a light foundation application. I strive to enhance the face, not change it, so I don't apply heavy foundation unless the goal is to alter the face."
2 Ben Nye Royal Spatula D-34
"When working with a client, I look at their skin undertones and begin my blending process from there. One tool I must have is a wooden handle bendable spatula to mix (sold at Nigel or Frends beauty supply in Southern California)."
3 Beautyblender
"I dabble a few products on a pallet in the same undertone family and blend with the spatula. I apply slowly by stippling (a pat drag process) with The Original Beautyblender ($20) sponge."
4 It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7
"I became a blender because I realised that skin has an undertone and that was not being represented in foundations for women of colour. A few of my favourite makeup brushes are It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 ($48) and NYX Pro Dual Fibre Foundation Brush ($19)."
5 Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation Invisible Cover Foundation
"Foundations used to make [women of colour] look ashy, grey, or green, and I didn't feel comfortable having a client in front of a camera like that. However, I also use foundations by Make Up For Ever like the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation Invisible Cover Foundation ($43), RCMA, and It Cosmetics."
6 Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15
"I like the Bobbi Brown foundations like the Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15 ($46), and I love what Rihanna has done with Fenty Beauty. I like these two because it seems like they considered the undertones in the skin of women of colour."
7 Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 25
"Once I see the undertones, which are usually yellow or red, I then choose the foundations accordingly. I like Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 25 ($60), Revlon, True Match, and NYX."
8 Face Atelier Ultra Foundation Pro
"Face Atelier Ultra Foundation Pro ($36) is a great product because it has the primary colours and I can customize foundations by adding a drop of red or yellow into the base that I am using to create the perfect shade."
9 Visiora Compact Powder
"I love Visiora PC, Compact Powder, 105 Dark Warm Brown ($50) for contouring and shading."
10 E.l.f Fan Brush
"I use a fan brush, like the size and shape of the E.l.f Fan Brush ($4)."
11 Aaliyah Jay
Expert: Aaliyah Jay is the makeup artist to Nicki Minaj and a YouTube beauty vlogger.
"I love blending different foundations, and I love blending them with a beauty sponge to get a flawless canvas and have amazing pictures when the flash hits."
12 Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation
"I love Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation ($25) as contour sticks because they have a large shade range."
13 Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation
"I like to wear foundation that matches my skin perfectly, like the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation ($8)."
14 L.A. Girl Pro Coverage Liquid Foundation
"L.A. Girl Pro Coverage Liquid Foundation ($9) in White makes any foundation lighter. To darken your foundation shade, I suggest you mix a bit of dark concealer or any formula you use for your contour on the back of your hand."
15 Maybelline Facestudio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter Makeup
"Maybelline Facestudio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter Makeup ($10) works on every complexion, but it's the best for girls of colour and is super inexpensive."
16 Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
"Always match your foundation to your neck. I love the Giorgio Armani Foundation ($64)."
17 Camara Aunique
Expert: Camara Aunique is the celebrity makeup artist to Ava DuVernay, Yvonne Orji, and June Ambrose and is a beauty expert for Juicy magazine.
"Blending is a part of the art of makeup. If I don't blend the makeup, it won't sit on the skin properly. I want my clients to not look heavy, and blending allows the makeup to finish like skin."
18 MAC Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer
"I do not mix foundations and concealers to get the right colour, but a favourite concealer I'm using now is MAC Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer ($22)."
19 Kevyn Aucoin The Etherealist Foundation
"Foundation normally works best by itself, or the formula will change and it'll become very heavy. I use the Kevyn Aucoin The Etherealist Foundation ($58)."
20 Danessa Myricks Vision Cream Cover
"I love Danessa Myricks foundations ($28). The colours range from warms to neutrals so I can find the right colour for any person in my chair."
21 CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Bronzer
"For the money-savvy person, I love the CoverGirl Queen Collection Bronzer ($13), and for the person who can spend, the Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder ($53)."
22 MAC Studio Conceal and Correct Duo
"The MAC Studio Conceal and Correct Duo ($26) makes a great colour corrector."
23 Nars #23 Wet/Dry Blush Brush
"I love Cozzette, Nars brushes (like the Nars #23 Wet/Dry Blush Brush ($42), and the Beautyblender. I can do an entire face with a blender."
