Part of celebrating who we are includes getting to know ourselves. We all have different skin types, tones and features, and a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work.
Everyone has their favorite features – the ones that when accentuated correctly, make you look and feel beautiful!! My goal is to celebrate the skin you’re already in, not mask it. Your “most beautiful” self is already there, empowered and confident.
One of the things that make my heart do a happy dance is the fact that I’ve made my beauty mark on the industry by being exceptional at working with dark skin tones and Asian features. My approach is very simple:
I focus on enhancing and creating symmetry.
Other than that, my advice is to forget about any rules that might throw you off or stifle your creativity. Next, it’s very beneficial to have a good understanding of the color wheel. If you’re working on your own makeup or someone else’s, you may want to ask yourself:
- What are complimentary colors?
- Which colors are warm? Which ones are cool?
- How can I apply this knowledge to either my own face or a client’s?
A solid understanding of the color wheel is incredibly helpful when choosing what best compliments someone’s eyes or skin tone. From there you can explore the important and fundamental world of: undertones.
Your knowledge of the color wheel will help you select the best foundations for yourself or your clients. You’ll know what to pair with undertones that are more yellow, olive, peach, or red. Keeping this in your back pocket will help you create a beautiful and flawless, natural looking appearance. For more, keep reading to learn about a few of my other favorite inclusive makeup tips and products:
Know the Skin You’re In
Because certain parts of the body are exposed more than others to direct sunlight, the face may be a bit darker than the neck and chest. This can be due to the natural contours of the body and face and/or the use (or lack of) sunscreen. It’s nothing to “worry” about per se, but does pose the challenge of balancing and evening out skin tone. My go-to technique here is to use an in-between color (that is, between your face-neck-chest). This will depend on if your face is lighter than your chest or darker than your chest. For dark skin tones, it is important to correct before we conceal any dark under eye circles. To do this, use a red or orange based corrector depending on skin tone.
Corrector is great for addressing discoloration without adding a bunch of unnecessary foundation.
Then finally, I love creating a highlight by mixing concealer with a gold shimmer eye shadow or a cream shadow. This really brightens the under eye area and cancels out any ashiness. And to finish, applying a peach or orange as blush will give you the BEST sun-kissed look…like you’ve been at the beach all day, except you know, without all the sun damage.
Golden Skin Tone Technique
The key to a natural look when applying makeup for golden skin is:
Keep things monochromatic.
With a monochromatic color scheme, you have the ability to create a more natural look or a bold statement – all by your color choices!
Golden skin tones are considered warm, so choosing shades in that family will result in a look that says “effortless beauty.” For a subtle highlight without shimmer, I love using a slightly peach toned concealer. I generally stay away from cool pink foundations. They can turn out ashy on golden skin. However, this is more of a warning than a technique…and having said that there is a time and place for playing it cool.
For example, if you want to use a pink cool tone, you’d achieve a more noticeable effect on your cheeks and people will focus visually more on that part of your face. On the topic of cheeks, NARS makes an iconic blush called “Orgasm.” This color pretty much looks beautiful on everyone because they combined a cool pink tone with gold shimmer. Let’s just say everyone loves it!
The Eyes are the Window to YOUR Soul (and No One Else’s!)
If I have to choose a favorite feature to enhance, it would definitely be: the eyes. I loooove making them visually stand out. That’s why I have a big Asian clientele! There are many techniques for playing up those beautiful, almond, Asian eyes. Symmetrically speaking, they are the “ideal shape.” My favorite way to create and enhance their natural beauty is by making the eyes the center of attention. I do this by gently applying a nude shadow on the lower lash line, then feathering outwards and up. Repeat the same steps with a darker brow color. When you start the application of eyeshadow here, it helps bring the appearance of the eyes up, and not downward which causes a droopy effect.
Using the first step as your guide, begin adding color to the upper lid’s lash line, again using the “up and out” diffusing technique. When applying makeup on my clients’ eyes, I have them look straight at me, eyes open rather than kept closed. With open eyes, the color is visible without having to be shut.
Depending on the look we are going for, I will sometimes line the upper lash line and the bottom 1/2 or 1/3 outer corner lash line with a dark brown or black liner and gently smudge it. This gives the eye some added depth. I finish things off with a pair of lashes applied to where the center or outer corner is longer than the rest.
Eye Makeup Tips for Brown Eyes
When a person has dark eyes, this is a perfect palette for applying eye makeup. You have the ability to have fun with many colors. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the eye shadows, etc. you choose should be complimentary to your skin’s undertone. This is where that color wheel knowledge comes in handy. But wait, don’t put it away just yet…
Say it with Your Lips…Stick
Remember that color wheel? Those with olive skin tones look awesome with plum based and berry lip colors. These shades bring light to the face and accentuate this beautiful skin color. Skip out on those orange based colors as they tend to be less flattering.
Yellow skin tones work very well with purple based as well as cooler lip shades. You can also opt for a red lipstick that has a purple undertone for a really lovely, bold lip.
I hope this was helpful for you no matter what skin you are in! Whatever color, tone, or type, always remember that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. It can be difficult to find inclusive products or techniques. That doesn’t mean that you need to conform to what is available or mask the features that are rightfully and naturally yours. Features to be proud of! With an understanding of your skin type, tone, the color wheel, and hopefully what you learned here…the possibilities are endless! Keep an eye out on my blog for the next post where I will fill you in on my inclusive skincare and makeup faves.
And of course, I stick to what I said at the beginning, a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t work. If you have any specific questions for me, please reach out to me on IG.
I’d love to help you get ready for your big day and help find the best look for (an already!) beautiful you – get in contact with me here.
Leave A
Comment