Pretty: Making Up Dark Complexions, Fuss-Free

This week's question comes courtesy of my beautiful friend Dele who was born in Nigeria and has a gorgeously dark, even complexion. (I can't not mention that she is completely and naturally wrinkle-free at 47 years old!) She doesn't like to wear layers of makeup on her face and so is asking how she can make herself up for a night-time look by forgoing the foundation and powder, yet still look polished.

As Dele is a local friend of mine here in England and Corinne, our resident makeup expert, is in Canada, I took the opportunity to make up Dele myself. It was a spontaneous thing, we were on a girls' spa weekend and this was before I had the benefit of Corinne's advice or a full kit.  So I went with my instincts and applied a bit of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (a personal favourite for refreshing my look) gave her some  rich berry colour on her amazing lips and eyes, a bit of mascara on her upper lashes, and in lieu of proper blush for her complexion I used a light pink I had which gave her cheeks an irridescent glow. She's wearing no concealer, foundation or powder on her face - we should all be so lucky to get away with this and look so great!

As it turns out, Corinne's recommendation closely matched what I did (phew!).

Here she offers alternatives to a fully made up face with dark complexions in mind, though anyone can benefit from her tips and techniques:

The darker the skin, the easier it is to skip wearing foundation and powder.  If you have blemishes, consider spot concealing, covering only what's required.  Black skin tends to be oilier and therefore looks more hydrated and younger (sorry to my lighter skinned friends), thus the need to add foundations, etc. to help the skin look better isn't required.

Play up your skin's natural beauty by enhancing its sheen with products formulated to add a sublte glow. If you are looking for more coverage, consider a mineral base.  I happen to love Jane Iredale's pressed mineral base.  They have a wide range of colours for every skin tone.  This product is a concealer, base and sun screen all in one, so you'll get the look of coverage without the layers.  With an SPF of 20, you also cut out that layering step and the finished result is beautiful, glowing, flawless skin.

Blot papers are a great option to keep oily skin at bay.  Keep them with you and blot as required, focusing on your t-zone.  This will keep skin looking healthy and fresh and give you a polished look without makeup.

Lastly, choose your focus. Find your favourite feature and play it up!  This is a good way to bring the focus to your lips or your eyes.  If you love your lips, choose a bright red or fuchsia and go with it!  If colour isn't your thing, bring the focus to your eyes by highlighting them with shimmery shadows.

A good rule of thumb is always 'less is more',  so no matter which option you choose, be sure that your face is balanced, you never want to overdo it!

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Comments

[Emma Pite]

Did you always type in capital letters? I don't think you did. Sorry to say but I'm finding it really distracting and so now am just looking at your beautiful pictures, not what you've written....

It comes across as shouting.

[Denise @ Swelle]

Emma - I'm very confused! The post hasn't been written in caps and neither have any others, I'm not sure how it would be possible for you to see it that way but please let me know what browser you're using.

Is anyone else seeing caps?

Thanks, D.