As a dark-skinned woman, it is sometimes incredibly hard to find makeup that is best suited for my skin. Sometimes, I mix and match products just to get a colour that will suit my tone of skin.
Due to the launch of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty; we are shedding light on makeup brands that cater for dark-skinned women and are made by people of colour.
Fashion Fair
It was founded by Eunice W. Johnson, the creator of the Ebony Fashion Fair, with her husband John H. Johnson, the publisher of Ebony and JET magazines. Eunice W. Johnson was backstage at a fashion show when she found makeup artists mixing foundations to get the perfect match for models of colour. Now, Fashion Fair is the largest black-owned cosmetics company. She created this line to better serve the women in her life. It started off as a mail-order company and grew exponentially to what it is today.
Black Opal
What happens when a Jamaican descendant, a chemist, and a Board-Certified dermatologist come together? You get Black Opal Beauty, whose products specifically address the beauty concerns of black women. Take your beauty and makeup game to a whole new level with Black Opal. Black Opal caters to all ranges of deep skin tones but also offers skincare products including moisturizers and exfoliates for dry and oily skin. While Black Opal is known for ranges in their foundation and concealer selection, they have a wide collection of lip products as well. With their collection of lipsticks and lip stains, you’re able to find a lip colour to match you perfectly.
Juvia’s Place
Created in celebration of the many tribes and cultures in Africa, the brand’s founder ChiChi Eburu made it a point to deliver super-pigmented eyeshadow for darker skin tones because she was so sick of trying to find ones that existed. The Saharan eye palette features 12 opaque shades that, in one swipe, deliver maximum colour payoff.
Iman Cosmetics
At 61 years old, Iman—supermodel, activist, and wife to the late, great David Bowie—is one of the most stunningly beautiful women on earth, so it makes sense that she’s the founder and CEO of her own cosmetics line. Fed up with having to bring her own foundation to runway shows and photo shoots — because the makeup artists didn’t have any to match her skin tone — supermodel Iman decided to create her own collection of products. In 1994, her line of foundations, concealers, and lipstick made for and by women of colour came onto the market, and has been making strides ever since. Never skimping on quality, the brand was one of the first to come out with BB creams and bronzers specifically for women with darker skin tones.
Shea Moisture
This brand is best known for their hair care systems for curly and natural hair. Shea Moisture has entered the world of cosmetics by creating a line for Black women. One of the most raved about products are the many shades of the foundations and powders. It also helps that their makeup is infused with natural ingredients, perfect for those that struggle with allergies, skin sensitivities, and acne.
Beauty Bakerie
Beauty Bakerie was founded by entrepreneur and breast cancer survivor, Cashmere Nicole. The brand started as a way to counteract the ‘bad girl’ image that was being portrayed by the media. They pride themselves on offering makeup line that is 100% cruelty-free and vegan. Their biggest selling point are their smudge proof, waterproof lip whips that keep selling out. Keeping in line with the “bakery” theme is their brownie brow products, flour setting powder, eye shadow and highlighters
Sacha Cosmetics
Sacha Cosmetics Ltd. was founded in Trinidad and Tobago in 1979 by Kama Maharaj. The company manufactures makeup for women with various skin tones of different ethnicities- African, Indian, Latin, Asian, Mediterranean, etc. It is a brand that specializes in perfecting shades for medium to dark complexions. Its products include lipsticks, shadows, foundations, and more.
black Up
black|Up is the first French beauty brand dedicated to women of colour. The Paris-based line is known for its range of professional-quality makeup that is developed by women of colour and answers the specific needs of darker skin tones. black|Up develops a true expertise answering darker complexions’ specific needs and offers products that pair professional quality and pleasure of use: velvety effects, mat or powdery finishes, perfect coverage, ultra-vibrant colours, 100% non-ashy finish. black|Up has become a key player in the makeup world that seduces black and mixed women as much as all the makeup addicts of the planet.
