1. Foundation First

• First formula, then colour. Make that your mantra, then you can’t go wrong. Look at formulas that cater for your skin type or condition – for oily skin, a mattifying, oil-absorbing foundation, for drier skins, seek out a dewier formula. If you do still shine halfway through the day, don’t reapply powder as this can look cakey. Rather pat the area with an oil-absorbing blotting paper, like the one from Palladio.

 

• Next, decide on the texture: liquid, cream, stick or powder. That is personal preference, but be careful with creams and liquids if you’re oily. Make sure they say oil free or mattifying, or you will end up very shiny.

 

• Lastly, find the right shade…easier said than done. Be sure to test colours from your cheek to your jawline, and not on your hand. Choose around three shades you think look right, swatch them on and let them sit on your skin for a bit. Once they’ve settled you should be able to see which one looks the most natural; the shade that melts into your skin and ‘disappears’ is the one for you.
  
  When testing out shades it’s best to see how they look in natural light as the artificial lighting instore can distort the colour, so always go outside for a final check before you make your choice.
  
  A rule of thumb for South African girls is that they tend to have a yellow undertone, so go for warm-based foundations with a golden hue, not ones with pink undertones as these will go grey on your skin. And if it turns orange (because of the oil in your skin oxidising with air) or ashy (because it has too many chalky pigments), move on. If not, buy it.

 

• Don’t skip your moisturiser. Dark skin can look ashy when it’s dry so make sure that you properly moisturise your skin before applying your foundation. This also helps avoid clumping and uneven application.

 
Pro Tip: If you have trouble finding the perfect shade, you may need to mix two shades to get the perfect fit.

Our product picks:
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Matt And Poreless
Revlon Colorstay Makeup for Combination/Oily Skin. Their warm shades for darker skin tones include Toffee, Toast, Caramel, Cinnamon and Spice. Other dark shades to consider if you have blue undertones are Espresso, Java, Hickory and Chocolate
Yardley Stayfast Foundationfor Combination/Oily Skin.
LA Girl Pro Matte Coverage HD Long Wear Foundation.
Black Opal True Color Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation.

Read More. Want to Find Your Perfect Foundation? Here's What NOT to Do

2. Two-Tone Face Makeup and Glowing Skin

If you have dark skin, your face is may be a few shades lighter than the rest of your body. It’s also likely that your skin tone differs across your face, so how do you get an even complexion when your jawline and forehead are a darker shade than the centre of your face?

The best makeup artist advice we’ve heard is to choose a foundation in a colour that matches the skin tone on the centre of your face and neck, and then blend your foundation from the middle outwards and upwards for the most even toned finish.

Another misconception is that dark skin doesn’t need bronzer, but every skin tone looks amazing with a glow! To add dimension to your foundation, go in with a copper-toned matte bronzer afterwards, applied in a ‘3’ motion on both sides of your face - temples, cheeks and jawline.

Our bronzer product picks for dark skin:
Revlon Skinlights Prismatic Bronzer and Palladio Baked Bronzer in Caribbean Tan.

3. Clever Camo With Concealers

Orange-y concealers are your BFF. Hyperpigmentation, where certain areas of the face are slightly darker than others, is common in women of colour. Neutralise these areas before you put on your foundation to make for a more even finish. A colour correcting concealer with an orange or salmon tint to it works wonders as it cancels out purple tones. And if your skin tone is quite deep, you can even use a red toned colour corrector to do the same job.

Another trick you may have heard of that sounds crazy but actually works for dark shadows under your eyes, is applying a creamy orange-red lipstick. This counteracts any blue-purple tinge and is invisible once you apply your foundation and a skin toned concealer over it.

Our concealer product picks for dark skin:
For colour correcting: LA Girl Pro Concealer in Orange
For concealing: Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Deep and Black Opal Total Cover Spots & Scars especially for dark marks.

Read More. Colour Correctors Are Your New Insta-Filter When Concealers Are Not Enough

4. Face Finishing Touches - Highlighter and Powder

Highlighting is often over-looked as women are worried it will make them look oily. This isn’t true, however, and a little bit of highlighting can add a stunning natural glow to your face. Avoid silver or white toned highlighting products – these look unnatural and ashy on a dark skin. Instead choose warm colours – a rose gold or bronze would be best.

Translucent powder is a great way to set your make up in place for the day, but if you have a dark complexion it can give your look a slightly ashy feel. A banana translucent powder, however, is actually a yellow/golden shade that is very flattering on a warm skin tone. It can be used to set your makeup under your eyes, on the nose, forehead and chin, and under your contour (but not all over the face). If neither of these work for you, choose a powder in the exact shade as your foundation or use a setting spray.

Our product picks:
Highlighters: Revlon Skinlights Prismatic Highlighter, Catrice All Over Glow Tint Liquid Highlighter or for a more subtle all-over glow, try LA Girl Shimmer Spray in Rose Gold.
Powders: Black Opal True Color Soft Velvet Finish Powder in Neutral or Yardley Translucent Loose Powder are great translucent choices for dark skins. LA Girl Pro Setting Powder is available in Banana Yellow if you would like to try this option. For skin toned powders, try Revlon Colorstay Pressed Powder and Yardley Stayfast Pressed Powder.
Setting Sprays: LA Girl Pro Setting HD Matte Finish Spray or Maybelline Lasting Fix Makeup Setting Spray. Make sure you use a proper fixing spray and not a facial mist which won’t set your makeup.

5. Go Bold with Eyeshadow Colour

Women with dark skin can pull off lots of exciting shades on their eyes. Steer clear of white and pastel colours, which will wash you out, and go for jewel tones, bright pops of colour and warm golds and bronzes. If you want a beautiful natural eye, go for natural metallics like golden, coppery or bronze shades. And a little bit of subtle sparkle looks gorgeous on a dark skin.

You could also mix two complementary shades like purple and gold. Using a four- or five-shade eye shadow palette takes the guesswork out of choosing complementary shades if you’re not sure.

Instead of using a basic black eyeliner, go for blackened shades like indigo, amethyst or forest green. Don’t forget your mascara and, most importantly, an eyelash curler to straighten out curly lashes to make them look longer (yes it does that too). Or for an extra glam touch, try false eyelashes.

Our product picks:
Eyeshadow: For a wide variety of different colourways, try Beauty Treats 24 Color Shimmer Palette or Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Palettes. Maybelline Nudes of New York Eyeshadow Palette and Rimmel Magnifeyes Multi Eyeshadow Elecviolet and Bold are also good palettes for dark skinned beauties. The Passion Pro Metallic Eyeshadow range has some gorgeous shimmery metallics for you to experiment with.
Eyeliners: Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil and LA Girl Shockwave Neon Eyeliner have some stunning colours you can experiment with.

Read More. Simple Insider Secrets on Exactly How to Apply Eyeshadow Right

6. Ditch the Black Brows

Because we have black hair, our eyebrows need to be black too, right? Not really, say most top make-up artists. This look can be ageing and make your face look hard. Rather go for a two-step brow, using a medium dark brown and deep brown combo, using the darker shade at the ends of your brows so it looks more natural.

For a natural looking brow, apply a powder or pencil with small feathering motions so it looks like your eyebrow hairs, rather than a hard solid line. Soften the look even more by then brushing the brow hairs upwards and outwards with a clean spoolie.

Our product picks:
Essence Brow Powder Set, LA Girl Brow Bestie Pencil and Rimmel Brow This Way Brow Sculpting Kit in Dark Brown.

Read More. Here Are 5 Easy Steps to Shaping the Most Amazing Brows

7. The Cheek of It – Blushers and Bronzers

Lighter skins may look best with pastel pinks and subtle flushes on the cheeks, but dark skin looks incredible with super bold hits of colour. The colours may look way-too-bright in the pan but against your skin they will just bring your face to life. Try deep mauve or bright fuchsia if you have cool undertones, and an orange-hued or a vibrant golden pink shade if you have warm undertones. Avoid strong yellow undertones as these can wash out on a dark skin.

For a softer shimmer you could also use a bronzer which will brighten things up and give your face a warm glow. Sweep it over your cheekbones to sculpt and add definition.

Pro Tip: For a strobing effect, apply a touch of gold shadow on the top of the cheekbones and on your collarbones, where the light catches, and blend well.

Our product picks:
Revlon Powder Blush in Very Berry and Yardley Stayfast Blush in Safari Sunset or Terracotta.

Read More. How to Use Makeup to Make the Most of Your Face Shape

8. Statement Lipsticks For Dark Skins

The lips are another area where you should totally play around with colour. A bold fuchsia is great for summer, berry tones will warm up your face, oranges add radiance and chocolate-tones are great for every day wear.

Nude lips are pretty much always on trend. To find your best nude, ignore the shade names and just pick a colour which is two shades darker than your skin tone.

Avoid bold lipsticks if you are wearing bright eyeshadow as the two will clash. Offset brighter jewel tones on your eyes with a nude lip or vice versa.

Pro Tip: Use a nude lipliner to outline your lips into a perfect shape before applying your lipstick. This will ensure you don’t have any dark lines on the edges of your lips.

Our product picks:
LA Girl Matte Lip Color and Revlon Colorstay Satin Ink Lipstick for great ranges of brighter colours, Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Ink Lipstick and Black Opal Color Splurge Lip Color Stick for their variety of shades.

Now that you know about all the makeup basics, it’s time to put them altogether. If you need makeup tips for beginners, this video is probably one of the best you will find on You Tube.

And for when you need more inspiration and want to experiment a little, check out these 23 stunning makeup ideas for black women.

View Video. Makeup 101 ➟ How to Get a FLAWLESS FACE for BEGINNERS!