How to Apply Make-Up for the African American Woman

Women of Color

There are actually 39 recognized shades of "black" skin tones. For the purpose of this article I will not include the various other skin tones considered to be "colored" but will concentrate on the three major shades of black skin tones.

Things You'll Need

• Make-up depending on your shade of color (read article)

Instructions

1. First you must determine your skin tone. If you are dark you will tend to have reddish hues under your skin as is common with the darkest of skin tones. Therefore red, mauve or magenta colors are best suited for this skin tone.

   A light black tends to be more olive/yellow much like those who are of Mediterranean descent with a dark tan. Earth colors, like browns, beiges and even certain greens are well suited for this shade of skin.

   The middle ground, where most black women fall, is well suited for blue and red colors.

2. Once you have determined your skin shade you also need to take into account your skin type. If you are oily you should consider powders which will help to minimize the oily look and any shine. If you have dry skin then mixing your foundation with some moisturizer can do the world of good. Average skin types can use any type of make-up so long as it does not irritate.

   Buying foundation is very important and takes a lot more patience with black skin than with white. White skin is basically catered to with foundations of every tone easily found even in a supermarket or drugstore. Darker skin requires a trip to the local mall and a browse through the make-up counters. When picking out a foundation you should use the sample to match it to your skin then try some on your face and see how well it blends. It is very important to get a color that matches your neck so that you do not have that tell-tale line at the jaw. If you cannot get a shade that matches your neck then another option, if you must have foundation, is to get a shade that matches your chest/decollate as closely as possible and then use a mixture of a mositurizer and the foundation and apply to the face and neck slowly blending out at the decollate.

   For those with oily skin while you can use foundation, a simple powder may be more appropriate. Otherwise you can apply your foundation and then lightly brush some baby powder over the face. This will absorb excess moisture and should not have too much effect on the foundation.

3. Black skin tends to have more discolorations and will tend to show acne more than white skin so it is important to have a cover stick for those "difficult" areas. This too should match your skin tone "around" the imperfection.

   For the eyes I suggest you use the colors recommended for your skin tone. You may also wish to use the "smokey" look which is a dark black eye shadow and dark black eye liner. This look suits all shades of black skin and will give a very dramatic evening look.

   Blush should be red for all skin tones but not layed on too thick, especially on very dark skin. Brush the blush over the "apples" of your cheek. Finally you will want to have dramatic lips. One benefit of having black skin is that typically you will have nice full lips and white teeth. To highlight your lips you may just want to use a dark lip liner with some lip gloss. If your skin is lighter you may in fact opt for a pink or light shade. If your lips are dark you may want to apply a white or shimmery lipstick to accentuate your lips and minimize the color disparity.

Tips & Warnings

• Because of the multitude of shades we all come in you need to experiment with different make-up to see what best suits you. The suggestions here are just general guidelines as to what make-up artists find suits black women best.