Make-up for Black Skin

Having black is a bless but sometimes it becomes a burden as it may become a bit challenging when it comes to make-up, to say the least. Leaving the typical skin conditions for black skin, wearing the right make-up and applying it right can make the difference between a nice and…well, not that nice face.

There are some steps you need to follow in order to get the best results and put that marvelous black skin under the spotlights.

  1. Choose the right foundation type

Using the right foundation for your skin is fundamental as various types of foundation work with various skin types. You need to take a good look at your skin and decide if it’s oilier or dry before actually getting a foundation.

Chances are you have an oily skin if your breakout fairly easy or your face is always shiny, with rather larger pores.

On the other hand, if your face barely shows pores, presents red and rough patches and you have flaking skin, your skin is definitely dry.

The combination skin is when your face has parts that look oily and some parts that are quite dry.

One with oily skin and larger pores is going to have to use a matte foundation in order to dry op the skin’s natural oils.

First thing to do when you have a dry skin is to moisturize and only afterwards use a creamy foundation. If that’s the case for you, you should stay away from the matte foundation as you want a fresh look for your skin.

Go with a foundation that gives you the end effect that you’re aiming for if you have combination skin. Things are a lot easier for you, anyway.

  1. How to select the right color of your foundation

Matching the foundation to your skin’s undertones is fundamental. Undertones are the base of your skin’s colors and they come in three separate categories: cool, warm and neutral. The foundation color that you go with needs to be in the same category as your skin’s undertones.

In case you don’t know by now which undertones you have, here are some simple tests to figure it all out:

  • The vein test

Take a good look at your veins on the wrist and try to notice if they look blue, green or blue-green. Blue veins mean you have cool undertones, whereas green veins mean you have warm undertones. You have neutral undertones if your veins are blue-green.

  • The white vs. cream test

Get two pieces of clothing- one white and one off-white. Place them near your face and take a good look in the mirror. Which of them complements your skin tone better? Needless to say, you need not to have any makeup whatsoever when doing the test.

You have warm undertones if the white looks better on you and cool undertones if you feel like you look better with the off-white.

If you’re lucky enough for both of them look nice on you, you got neutral undertones.

  • The jewelry test

You need gold and silver jewelry for this one test. You should put on both sets of jewelry and pay attention to which of them compliments you more.

If gold jewelry looks better, you have warm undertones, whereas silver jewelry compliments someone who needs cool undertones.

You have neutral undertones if both types of jewelry work for you.

Finding the right color of foundation may be quite a challenge especially if you’re a dark skinned girl. Most of girls out there are two tones and present a complex color. This is why you should use multiple colors together in order to see which of them match your skin the best.

It’s not uncommon for your skin to be lighter towards the center of your face and a bit darker towards its outer edges.

You may get a natural look while using foundation if you’re going to use two different colors on the various parts of your face, blending them together afterwards.

  1. How to apply the foundation

First thing first, you may want to begin with cleaning and moisturizing your face. Wash it and dry it before you’re actually applying foundation. You should apply a moisturizer if your skin is dry. If you have combination skin you can try moisturizers suggested by thecopcart.

On the other hand, if your skin is oily, you may want to use a face priming gel to prepare your face for foundation later on.

You should also use a foundation brush for applying the foundation. This larger makeup brush with rounded edges is important and effective as it helps you apply smoothly and consistently foundation on your face. Put foundation only on the tip of this brush as you don’t want to overload it.

Keep in mind to always rinse the brush after applying foundation, storing it clean and sanitary until the next use.

Give a good shake to the bottle of foundation. The colors of liquid foundation may separate and cause an uneven tone if you’re not mixing it thoroughly before applying it.

Begin with the center of your face and blend the foundation out and up. Don’t stop until your whole face is covered and blended nice and even.

If you’re using two different colors of foundation, you should start with the lighter tone and end with the darker tone. Use the brush to combine them together where they meet.

Don’t forget about the buffing brush (a sponge will do as well) in order to blend the foundation into your skin.

Use a circular motion to gently brush it, giving you a nice, soft look. Buff around your jaw line and neck as you don’t want to end up with a foundation line.

  1. The eye shadows

Don’t be shy and try some bright colors. Despite of what many may think, women with darker skin may also wear very well very bright colors on their eyes.

Bright jewel tones (emeralds, blue and purple) actually look amazing on dark skin. They do pop against your dark skin, giving you a dramatic (but in a good way) appearance.

You may also use two complementing colors on your eyes to get a fun, rather dramatic look. Why not combine purple and gold- purple on your eyelid and the gold on top, closer to your eyebrow.

If you’re going for a subtler look, some neutral colors are going to work just fine. Neutral eye shadows in shades of nude or brown may actually put your eyes under the lights, giving a natural feel. Mixing multiple neutral colors may create a nice, interesting look for every day.

Try to avoid as much as you can whites and very light neutral colors as they may give you an ashy appearance.

Are you going for the fun looks? Take a leap of faith with some metallic, shimmering eye shadows that actually look great on dark skin as they make a nice contrast to your dark skin color. Eye shadows with shimmer do stand out on a darker skin, becoming the perfect choice for a night out.

Some metallic jewel toned eye shadows are always going to give you a dramatic appearance.

Don’t forget about your eyeliner and mascara as eyeliner makes your eyes look bigger, giving a dramatic feel. You should get black or brown eye liner for a natural look and try the colored eyeliners when aiming for a more dramatic appearance.

Give length and thickness to your eye lashes with your mascara, almost completing your makeup. A good black mascara for daily use shouldn’t miss from your makeup kit.

  1. Let’s not forget about blush

Darker skin girls should get a bronzer as blush. You may use a bronzer or simply apply it over a neutral blush. Bronzer is going to give your cheeks more color, highlighting your cheek bones.

You may also apply the bronzer under your cheekbones, if you’re ready to sculpt on your face.

A bright blush looks amazing on dark skin, as long as it complements the skin’s undertones. Give it a go with some corals or bright pinks.

If your face has a heart shape, you need to apply the blush below the apples of your cheeks, pulling it to the hairline.

A long face is going to need blush right below the apples, but not all the way up to the hairline.

If your face is round, apply the blush on your cheekbones, going all the way up to your temples.

A useful tip for you to try is to combine your bronzer and blush, for obtaining a nice and elegant look. You may very well use a matte blush on your cheekbones, sweeping the bronzer over the blush as the final touch.

Add more bronzer underneath your cheekbones if you want to step up your game with some sculpting effect.

  1. The lips

Don’t be surprised to see how great bright colors look on girls with darker skin. Oranges, reds, and deep purples are an amazing option for dark skin.

You should double check to see if the colors match indeed your skin’s undertones. The yellow undertones should go with warm colors (oranges, chocolate browns), whereas pink undertones may try the cool colors (purples or colors with blue tone in them).

When you’re more comfortable with neutral colors, you need to be sure that the color is close to your natural skin tone. Try to stay away from light-colored nudes (tan, white or pale browns) as they look rather artificial on a dark skin.

Go ahead and use some lip gloss on top of your lipstick for the great finale. The lip gloss keeps your lips moisturized as well. Use an oil (coconut oil is always great) as natural lip gloss or get a clear lip gloss for improving the appearance of your lipstick.