I've said it many times before and I'm saying it once again: It's hard out here for a dark chick! What I'm talking about is makeup in general and lipstick in particular.
If you are a darker skinned woman, like me, you know that it can be a little tricky finding makeup that doesn't clown you up or wash you out. I'm not hating because I rarely wear makeup. But I do
always wear lipstick. Always. Made my teeth look whiter when I was a smoker; not it's just a habit: brush teeth, apply lipstick.
This is a really helpful link for figuring out your own undertone.
This talks about skin colors in too much detail. Gave me a little bit of a headache.
This right here gets too deep into the subject for me. I just want to find a good palette of cosmetics, but in case you are interested...
Being a black woman with cool undertones (I look better in red and silver, and, yes, I can see that my veins are blue), I have trouble finding lipstick that suits me. I'm not like my sister or niece, who will look great in pastel lipsticks and clothing. I like my deep reds for my lips and white for my clothing. I have to say (and hope that it's not vain or ignorant-sounding) that I LOVE my dark skin. I love the way it looks and feels and... Okay, that's getting to a be both vain and ignorant so I'll stop.
Problem: Finding a red lipstick that doesn't look "orange-y" or too plum-like. Red, people, just gimme the red!
Solution 1: Buying a black lipstick (yes, I've done this) and blending it into one of the above "reds" to get a passable shade. That is such a freaking hassle - costly, messy to apply and really a pain to
re-apply...
Solution 2: Find that one
good shade once in a PINK moon and buy a bunch or hang the heck on to it for life.
(You've seen my pic over there to the right. That's me, no makeup -good lighting and a forgiving webcam- and in my fairly true skin color. I'm dark, yes ma'am. As James Brown said, "I'm black and I'm proud," but I can be pissed when shopping for lipsticks.)
In the past year and a half, the moon has shown shockingly pink twice and reluctantly rosey once. I found this one in (I believe) Walgreens...
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Cute & simple case |
...and this one (for sure) in Walgreens
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RevLON!!! |
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Shade: Black Cherry |
I adore the Pinot Noir shade. It's something I can put on with lip gloss for a subtle look or (and, face it, I'm
not a subtle woman) just slick it on for that deep, deep,
deep red that I love. Makes me feel all glamorous, amorous, hot-to-trot and just bad-to-the-bone. I also like that the texture is nice and smooth - not sticky at all. For a matte look, I just blot the first application and let it set, then apply and blot a second glide. I usually like the moist look. Actually, I really like to add this gloss to all my shades
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L'Oreal's Color Riche Shade: 281/Queen's Shine |
That brings me to my tip for getting a shade right: if your liptick is almost-but-not-quite what you need in shade, trump it with a gloss. The L'Oreal gloss by itself is a nice day-look, but added to my other least-favorite shades, it kinda sorta balances things out for me.
This is a shade I do like a lot, when I want to look like I'm
not wearing lisptick (and still want a polished appearance)
It's great for church, interviews... that kind of thing. When I want to switch gears
after church or the interview, I add some of that gloss. It's cool.
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Shade: Blackberry.
Cost: $0.99 from Sally's Beauty Supply |
This is something I keep in my purse
all the time. Easy to put on and it's a lot more defining if you tend to (like me) be sloppy applying lipstick without a mirror. I always make sure to apply it over a balm. It can be a little bit drying.
Anyway, that's my little rant on lipsticks. I did a post some time back that had links for cosmetics for
various skin tones On a less serious, but more personal note, I did a look back at my
Mama's days with cosmetics.
Let me know if you hear or know of any reasonably-priced cosmetics for those of a darker hue.
Peace
--Free