Firstly, I hope you all had a great February. January, as always, was 6 months long so thankfully we are officially through and out of the “blues” that sometimes comes after Christmas and New Year. As a person who gets these blue feelings, it was nice to try out a gorgeous new beauty regime to lift my spirits heading into the rest of the year! I am a former model and you wouldn’t believe it but, I don’t wear makeup!
One of the reasons is that I think I have a short attention span, so when I see routines on Instagram I think, “Wow, that looks so good” but by the time I figure out what to use, I am already knee-deep into the stresses of the everyday! The other reason is, when I was allowed to wear makeup as a teen, I was given a treat at a beauty counter. I had a makeup artist do my face. But after an hour or so, I was almost in tears because I looked like I was on my way to a circus to entertain kids. In the 80s brown skin makeup was pretty much non-existent.
So again, I couldn’t find what I was supposed to use on my skin tone. So I never really bothered wearing makeup. In this article, I will show you some gorgeous beauty products that are brown-skin friendly. Let’s start!
Watermans
Waterman is a company whose main focus is hair loss. It is also a company that is run by 50% women of colour. That is a great start in the search for makeup for people with my skin tone. The Lashology Powerful Eyelash Growth Serum in Black Mascara is a gorgeous mascara with two functions. It is a gorgeous black mascara and it also is a serum that helps your lashes grow. It is used for 6-8 weeks and it enhances the growth of the lashes! It contains Black Castor Oil, Apigenin, Amino acids, Biotin, peptide complex, Kelp, Grape Seed oil, Aloe vera, and Sunflower Oi.
When I tried it, it gave volume on the first instance. I am a couple of weeks into using the product, so I will report back soon to see the difference. If you can’t wait the 6-8 weeks, Watermans also have gorgeous invisible lashes that come with a magnetic liner.
The Invisible Magnetic Lashes are 10 in the box. The sizes vary from discrete everyday lashes to lavish full-over-the-top lashes. After applying the magnetic liner, the lashes are easily placed onto the eyelids. It was so easy for my 14-year-old, who was my make-up artist expert, she managed to put the lash on me with no fuss which is rare for false eyelashes usually with sticky glue etc.
3INA
This beauty brand is all about embracing diversity and cultural differences. I love their website! Fresh, fun and vibrant! Like their actual products. The 24H Cream Eyeshadow is waterproof and lasts 24 hours! It has a soft texture, but the colours are extremely pigmented. There are 19 shades available.
The colours work very well on my skin and little goes a long way. The Eye Primer is my daughter’s favourite. Yes, she has taken a few bits out for herself during this process, but her opinion matters because I was her age when I fell out with makeup. Luckily for her, she has an array of beauty products to suit her skin tone.
The primer moisturizes the eyelid and is a great way to set the makeup. 3INA has a lot of products that suit our skin colour including lip pencils, lipsticks etc. The goal of having a variety to choose from has been fulfilled with this makeup brand. I’m also noticing these brands that are geared towards darker shades have great stories of their brands. The next brand’s gorgeous tagline is “beauty for everyone from ages 19 to 99” and I like that!
19/99
It is great to read the ethos of the brand called 19/99. They are a vegan brand and promote being cruelty-free and the use of recycled materials. OK and here is where I admit that I am clueless about makeup but really am a keen learner. 19/99 has a gorgeous, high-shine gloss. I can manage a bit of shine on my lips without any tuition, but I had no idea that it could be used on the cheeks and eyelids!
I am sure there will be one other person who reads this who can relate. I hope lol (palm to face emoji). Take a look at the 19/99s website. It is very diverse and full of gorgeous looks to try.
BE3
Next up is a brand that thinks below the makeup, Be3. Be3 Sunscreen comes in 3 increments of SPF. This product moisturizes your skin while protecting you from sun damage. Be3 also has the Absolute Mascara. This mascara is creamy and flake-free. It’s been dermatologically tested and lasts 24 hours. Both products from the brand are also produced ethically.
Monat
Another way to protect your skin from the sun is with Monat’s BB Cream SPF tinted moisturiser. I don’t have a foundation in this article but this moisturiser gives a sheer and light coverage. Combined with protecting the face from the sun, this product is right up my street for ease for a person like me.
ByTERRY
The Brightening CC Serum is infused with rose stem cells. This product illuminates the skin, evens out the skin tone and gives the skin hydration. The serum comes in 8 shades each providing a glow that pertains to the specific skin tone. This product works for me because I can just use the serum to add a bit of life to my face before heading out.
Emolyne, a gorgeous vegan brand
There is no mistaking that this brand offers a diverse range of makeup for all cultures. I was drawn to this brand because being of African descent the names of the products gave me a nostalgic feeling. Emolyne is a vegan brand. They have won lots of awards and their website is very user-friendly including a shade finder to match your tone to their products.
Being Nigerian, I had to get the Lagos and Nigeria kits. Lagos is a stunning bright red and Nigeria is a sexy deep magenta. The kits consisted of lipstick, lip liner and nail polish, with another kit which also had a lip gloss included. Other shades include Mozambique, Marrakesh, and Casablanca which suit my skin tone. These were great kits as a starter base for an entire look and with only 3-4 products I could glam up instantly.
