A few years ago, rapper ASAP Rocky told The Coveteur that you have to have a “fair complexion” to get away with wearing red lipstick. There was a ton of backlash, of course, especially since that’s just straight up false. If you need any evidence, uh, just look at this brown skinned mug of mine rocking red lipstick like a champ.
To be honest, I don’t really get the point of makeup rules. Most of them are just ridiculous and they only seem to limit people’s creative freedom, or rather, how they want to express themselves. So for example, one popular rule is that you can’t have bold eyes and bold lips at the same time, because apparently it’s too overwhelming. But you know what? If I had a dime for every time I’ve seen someone successfully pull off that look, I’d be filthy rich right now. (Okay fine, maybe not filthy rich, but you get the idea).
Anytime a website or magazine features a nude clothing item, I can’t help but groan.
Nude, for them, is a weird off color beige or light peach. But guess what? I’m black,that’s not what my skin color looks like. My skin is brown, so my nude products should be, too. But go on your favorite clothing website–hell, go on Google–and type in “nude heels” or something. Spoiler: You won’t find anything brown. You won’t even find anything tan colored. This is just one of the many ways that the world we live in reinforces the idea that white is default, and those of us who aren’t white just have to deal with it.
Um, how about no?
I’ve struggled with skin issues on and off ever since I was a teenager, and, frankly, it blows. While my breakouts have never been incredibly severe, I have lasting scars from picking at zits, discoloration from impacted whiteheads (ew), and uneven skin tone. Yeah, skin problems are no damn joke. But what I’ve noticed over time–the hard way, honestly–is that acne solutions are often treated equally even though they shouldn’t. For example, did you know that dealing with acne if you have darker skin is going to bring on a whole set of challenges that people with lighter skin don’t experience? As someone who is black, I really wish I knew this earlier!
I’m a black girl who is relatively light skinned, and I’m going to be honest: when I heard that a documentary called Light Girls (a sister film to a documentary called Dark Girls that aired in 2011) about the plight of light-skinned black and biracial girls was going to air earlier this week, I rolled my eyes. I rolled my eyes, scoffed, and rolled my eyes some more.
Even though I could technically identify with these light girls, depending on who you ask, I was still skeptical about the documentary, and I wasn’t alone. Growing up, I never noticed whether or not I was light or dark. As one of the token black kids in my grade almost every year, the only thing I really noticed was I was black and everyone else wasn’t. But perhaps it is this lack of awareness that solidifies the fact that I’ve had the privilege not to have my shade pointed out, something that darker skinned girls definitely can’t say...
Getting all dressed up as someone–or something totally different is the best thing about Halloween. But when you need some extreme makeup and face paint to do the trick, this can be a difficult process if you have a darker skin tone. You might not be able to just pick up a face paint kit from the dollar store and call it a day because the color might not be pigmented enough to show up properly on your skin! Total waste of money! So, here ya go.
10 Makeup Brands That Are Great For Dark Skin
From drugstore to high-end, here are 10 brands that you can depend on to have a color that won't make you look washed out.
