Makeup for Dark Skin

Use the correct makeup for dark skin to look great for any occasion. Learn about your options here.

Dark skin is very beautiful and with the right make up can look stunning. Dark skin contains more pigment than lighter skin so can withstand stronger make up colors.

It does, however, show up layers more than fair skin does, so blending should be done with care. There are many great make up products available in the shops for darker skin these days.

Base

A water-based liquid or creamy foundation is best. Test colors on your jaw line. The one that matches your skin color perfectly is the right one. Avoid a foundation lighter than your natural skin tone. If you prefer lighter coverage, you can mix a few drops of water on the back of your hand with your foundation and then apply it.

Use a concealer which is slightly lighter than your skin tone if necessary. Follow this with a light powder. Even baby powder can be used, to give the skin a healthy sheen. Dust off any excess so the effect looks natural.

Blush

Rose, red and bold pink are good shades to pick for a blusher if your skin is medium dark. If your skin is darker, plum and bronze are pretty. Avoid anything brown or peachy.

Highlighter

Highlighter can be use around the eye area, above the cheek bones, on the bridge of the nose and on the upper lip, to gently enhance the contours of your face.

Eyes

You can darken and define your eyebrows with a brown or black pencil to match your hair shade. Blue or purple eye shadow looks good on darker skins, as do dark, metallic colors. Very light or white eye shadow is not usually flattering. For a night time look, lining your eyes with a silver or gold eye liner can look beautiful. Mascara can be black for day time or colorful for the evening. Don’t be afraid to experiment with very bold, bright colors because these can look really stunning on dark skin!

Lips

Since a lot of women with darker skin already have full lips, a lip pencil is often unnecessary. Try dark lipstick, perhaps plum, or use colored lip gloss depending on the look you want.

As with any skin tone, the most important thing to do when dealing with makeup for dark skin is to play around with colors, experiment with blending different shades and see what suits you the best.