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It's 2020, and finding the right makeup as a medium to darker-skinned Indian is still a struggle as the market caters to the small percentage of the Indian population that has lighter skin.
It's important to remember that everyone's skin is unique. Brown skin is not homogenous— there's a lot of variety in the shades. Darker skin is incredibly versatile, and there are a lot of makeup products and looks that will flatter it! Here's how to approach choosing makeup if you have darker skin.
1. Begin by prepping your skin before you apply makeup.
2. For light to medium skin, pink primer is ok. But for deeper skin tones, yellow or orange primer works best. Note that primer is a "good to have," not a "must-have." It mattifies the skin, minimizes the appearance of lines and pores, and helps makeup latch on better. Always use only a minimal amount, ideally just on oily areas like your T-Zone. And if you have very dry skin, skip the primer.
3. When picking the right foundation, choose a shade with orange undertones that blends into your natural skin tone. To select the perfect shade, no matter your skin tone, always go a tiny bit lighter because most foundations oxidise and become a shade darker when they do.
4. Although most makeup is marketed towards women, people of all genders can use all makeup products. Mensxp Mud Natural BB Cream is marketed towards men specifically.
5. Choose the right shade of concealer to conceal pigmentation and blemishes. For most pigmentation and blemishes (like dark circles or acne scars) an orange or even reddish concealer works well for correction. If you have very dark skin, the foundation and concealer shades used are typically the same undertone.
6. Most setting powders are white or translucent, but they can look ashy on some people. A yellow setting powder (or banana powder) is most flattering for darker skin.
7. To correct very dark pigmentation or dark circles, or to fix blemishes on very brown skin, a deep orange, almost-red corrector will do the job.
8. A lesser-known trick is to spot-correct any redness with a green corrector - ₹260
9. Contour should always be a couple of shades deeper than your skin tone. Blend well for a more natural effect.
10. While light blush colours are more widely marketed, it's brighter blush colours, like bright coral and bright pink that look most striking against dark skin. Try it, and you'll see the difference for yourself! Make sure to blend well.
11. Shimmering blush in shades of pink, gold and bronze can overwhelm paler complexions, but will make anyone with a darker complexion look like a glowing goddess.
12. Just as you reach for the yellow powders and primers, a rule of thumb is to go for champagne and golden highlighters rather than silver highlighters. Some of the shimmering blushes above can also double up as a highlighter.
13. Choose an eyebrow pencil with a spoolie brush in the colour that most closely matches your hair colour. Alternatively, a light brown, reddish tinted colour will also pop against medium to dark skin.
14. For eye primer, avoid pinkish primers. A clear or yellow or slightly orange primer works best.
15. Invest in an eyeshadow base, like the M.A.C Paint Pot - ₹2400 in a colour that matches your skin. It can be used as an eyeshadow, or as a base for other eyeshadows instead of a primer.
16. Colourful eyeliners are trending right now, and look amazing on dark skin, so don't be afraid to experiment with new looks!
17. Balmain showcased metallic cat eyes at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020. Recreate the look with gold and silver eyeliners or this metallic eye pencil-cum-shadow.
18. Bright and neon colours are easy for you to pull off, so there are no excuses not to try bold, on-trend matte colours!
19. If you want to dip a toe in the pond of experimenting with new looks, but don't want to go full neon, white eyeliner also looks incredible on deep skin.
20. If a classic look is more your style, use shimmering neutral eyeshadows. Shimmer stands out against darker skin, and bronzey gold tones are very, very flattering. You can also combine them with colours of your choice. Jewel tones— plums, emeralds— are especially flattering.
21. If you have a very fun, experimental sense of style, try colourful mascara.
22. As far as lip colours go, the world is your oyster! An absolute must-have is a lip liner that suits your skin tone. This extremely affordable brown lip liner (it's just ₹65!) from Miss Claire suits most deep skin tones. You can use it to define your lip shape before applying lipstick.
23. Another must-have is a nude lipstick. Lipsticks labelled "nude" are often targeted to much lighter skin, but in reality, the right nude lipstick is whatever is closest to your unique skin tone.
24. This may sound counter-intuitive but to achieve that delicate, feminine light pink lipstick look, reject the cool-toned pinks that are marketed to suit lighter skin tones. Instead, go for a peach lipstick. Peach is basically a warmer shade of pink, and it will look beautiful (and quite pink) against the natural orange undertones of darker skin.
25. Bright reds and pinks as well as classic wine and plum shades will look super flattering on dark skin!
26. Clear, high-shine gloss is universally flattering and also very trendy right now.
27. Invest in the M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish compact - ₹3100, available in a variety of shades, for setting makeup and for touch-ups later.
28. Spritz fixing spray to mattify makeup and keep it in place. M.A.C Fix Plus (₹1800) and Swiss Beauty Makeup Fixer (₹138) are both great options at different price points.
29. For special occasions, use champagne-coloured or golden body shimmer on highlight points of your body like collar bones, or in a straight line from your elbow to the wrist of your forearm, or from the knee to centre of foot. For an everyday body-highlighting look, you can even use Vaseline on these points to reflect light.
