There’s no doubt about it, ethnic skin is stunning. There are a few great tips to remember when working with darker skin tones that can bring out the best features.
SKINCARE
- Darker skins often have a to tendency to look ‘ashy’. To help in preventing this, products that are AHA based help to exfoliate and make it look brighter. Doing this once or twice a week can help significantly in the appearance of the skin.
- Its recommended to use products that are oil-free as darker skin generally tends to be more oily.
FOUNDATION
- With darker skin tones it can often be common to need more than one shade of foundation. This is because certain areas on the face, including around the mouth and hairline, can sometimes be a darker pigment. To even this out you may need lighter foundations in these areas than you would on the rest of your face.
- To stop darker skin looking ‘ashy’ (a grey cast to the skin) you need to make sure you correctly match the undertone. There are two types- Cool/Pink/Neutral for skins with a rosier complexion and Warm/Yellow for skin with more olive tones to it.
CONCEALER
- No matter the skins undertone, always use a yellow based concealer as this gives the most natural look.
- Dark under eye circles can be difficult to conceal however using a peach coloured corrector can help to neutralise them. Once you have used a peach coloured concealer you can then go over with one appropriately matched to your skin tone.
BEST COLOURS FOR CONCEALER:
Olive skin tone- Warm beige
Deep tan skin tone- Sandy neutrals
Dark skin tone- Caramels
Very dark skin tone- Cocoas
BLUSH AND BRONZE
- Any blusher or bronzer with a golden shimmer instantly brightens the face and gives a beautiful glow.
- When selecting colours for the cheeks try to select warmer tones as these are most flattering to the skin.
BEST COLOURS FOR BLUSH
Olive skin tone- Apricot, Peach or Coral tones
Deep tan skin tone- Deep pinks, Roses or subtle Cherry
Dark skin tone- Shimmery bronzes, terracotta, subtle orange tint
Very dark skin tone- Deep Berries, crimsons or gold shimmery plums
BEST COLOURS FOR BRONZE
Olive skin tone- Yellowish browns or honey
Deep tan skin tone- Golden bronze
Dark skin tone- Golden bronze and browns
Very dark skin tone- Metallic copper and deep bronze
EYES
- Warmer shades are more flattering on the eyes and the darker the skin, the darker the colours need to be.
- For the brows, its better to opt for a charcoal or dark brown as black can often look too intense.
BEST COLOURS FOR EYES
Olive skin tone- Deep forest greens, golds, bronzes and browns, purple
Deep tan skin tone- Plums, off-golds, bronzes and browns, emerald green, grey
Dark Skin tone- Greys, deep blues, bronzes and browns, charcoal
Very dark skin tone- Copper, bronze, antique gold, black
LIPS
- Applying gloss on the lips makes them appear bigger so for fuller lips a matte texture might be more complimentary.
- Bold lipsticks can really brighten the face and darker skins can get away with more intense colours.
BEST COLOURS FOR LIPS
Olive skin tone- Golds, warm corals, reds, hot pinks
Deep tan skin tone- Bronze, browns, orange, reds, pinks
Dark skin tone- Maroons, deep reds, purples, bronzes, hot pinks
Very dark skin tone- Reds, bronzes, deep purples, pinks, burgundy
Brands that have great ranges for ethnic skins are MAC, Bobbi Brown, Iman and Fashion Fair.
OLIVE SKINS-
Kim Kardashian Jennifer Lopez
DEEP TAN SKINS-
Beyonce Rihanna
DARK SKINS-
Supermodel Tyra Banks Model Emanuela De Paula
VERY DARK SKINS-
Supermodel Alek Wek True Blood actress Rutina Wesley
Stay creative,
