9 Best Foundations for Dark Skin Tones
For African American women, the perfect foundation is an elusive prize. Experts reveal how to research, test and (finally) find your perfect match.
Fun fact: Back in the day, supermodel Iman toted her homemade foundations along to her fashion gigs for 14 years. Why? Makeup artists didn’t have anything in their expansive kits to match her darker complexion. Fast-forward to the present and lines like L’Oréal and YSL have added darker shades to their signature products, but black women are still struggling to find the perfect match. Behind all of the “Caramel” and “Coffee” foundation tones, there’s a basic lack of knowledge about dark skin tones. Many cosmetic companies only produce one or two dark shades with one or two undertones — and this is one category where “one or two sizes fits all” doesn’t work. At all.
Why “Deep Mocha” doesn’t always mean “Deep Mocha”
Cosmetics makers design foundations based on two completely different color palettes — the traditional artists’ palette, which is set up with a pure white canvas in mind, and a cosmetic palette, which uses the fleshy tone of real skin as its canvas. Imagine painting the same exact color on each of those canvases — the difference may be subtle on paper, but when the canvas is your skin, it’s more than just a little noticeable.
To make things more complicated, on the artists’ palette, yellow is always “cool,” red is always “warm,” and blue can be “neutral,” “warm” or “cool”. The cosmetic wheel classifies yellow as “warm,” blue as “cool,” and red can be either “neutral, “warm” or “cool.” Lines like MAC and Max Factor use conventional artist’s palettes, meaning a “Warm Beige” on their swatches have a pinkish tint, while the same “Warm Beige” in Clinique speak, which is based on a cosmetic palette, would have a yellow tint. To avoid looking radiant in one line to completely pallid in other, it all boils down to knowing how shades are categorized, then embarking on a process of elimination.
“Most lines have foundations in certain tone ‘families’ — Iman, Black Opal, Lancome, MAC,” says Mills. Take MAC, for example. Instead of “Deep Honey,” you’ll see tones named NW46 or NW22. The capital letters represent members of a color family.
• C is for Cool (yellow-golden olive skin)
• NC is for Neutral Cool (golden beige skin)
• N is for Neutral (beige skin)
• NW is for Neutral Warm (pink beige skin)
• W is for Warm (pinkish skin)
Next up is the number, which is tied to lightness and deepness rather than undertone, and for many lines that also classify in this system, the higher the number, the deeper the color.
Now, what do we do with this information? “You need to determine what your undertone is first — then it gets easier,” says Mills.
Flip your wrists
If you don’t already know what your undertone is, it’s time to track it down. Start by looking at your wrists — if the veins look blue or purplish, you probably have cool undertones; if the veins look more greenish, you probably have warm undertones; if you see both, chances are you’re neutral.
Still confused? Gargiula agrees it can get overcomplicated, so she offers these helpful hints:
• If you fall into the tan to light brown complexion range, you mostl likely have yellow undertones (like honey)
• If you fall in the medium to deep skin complexion range, you most likely have neutral to warm brown undertones (like coffee with varying degrees of cream). This info will help you track down your foundation when shopping online and hovering over swatch descriptions. If you’re venturing into a store to sample foundations, forget the wrist test. Click ahead to find out why.
Swatch your jaw
If you’re physically testing out foundations, start with a clean, moisturized face and zero makeup, and test on your jawline. “With African American skin tones, faces are lighter than your body, so don’t use your hands or artificial lighting,” says Mills. Start by testing three shades: one slightly lighter, one that looks like it matches your skin exactly and one slightly darker than your skin tone. Apply each one in a line from the cheek to the jawline and resist the urge the blend. Wait about five minutes (10-15 minutes is best, if you have the time). This gives the foundation time to warm up and mix with your facial oils to reveal its true color, says Mills. “The one that “disappears” is the one you should go with.”
Once you’ve found your color family and general tone, Mills also offers a few tried and true tips:
• Black skin tends to skew oily, so try mineral bases along with a primer
• When in doubt, look for warmer bronze shades to avoid looking ashy.
Now that you’re ready to shop, here are our top picks of lines that have the most range of undertones for dark skin tones.
CoverGirl Queen Collection
The brand’s Queen Collection was specifically designed with black women in mind, and contains new formulated products for black women and a wider shade range. CoverGirl Queen Collection All Day Flawless Foundation, $9.79, comes in 14 shades — that’s 14 different variations between the light-medium shade and the darkest shade, which in many other cosmetic lines is only a mere two or three variances. Plus, this product has SPF 20 to counter hyperpigmentation and is a real multi-tasker, fusing foundation, concealer and powder into one.
Iman Cosmetics
IMAN Cosmetics breaks down foundation color into three categories:
Sand: light olive to tan
Clay: medium olive to light brown
Earth: medium brown to deep ebony
“Within these three categories, shades either range from light to deep or are in numerical order,” says Giugliano.
The Iman Cream to Powder, $16, and Iman Stick Foundation, $16, both carry the most options, with 14 shades. Once you’ve used the categorization system to find your perfect match, Iman’s website also has a nifty “Meet Your Match” section that suggests Sand, Clay and Earth tones if you wear similar shades in Black Opal, MAC, Revlon, Fashion Fair or Black Up.
Fashion Fair
Fashion Fair True Finish Refining Mineral Foundation, $28, comes in 18 shades between the lightest medium beige all the way to the darkest deep brown. What also makes this brand a standout: when you mouse over each shade on the brand’s website, you’re given a helpful summary of the present undertones (i.e. “Dark brown with a red undertone”) to take more guesswork out of ordering online. Fashion Fair also takes blotchiness and hyperpigmentation into consideration with Fashion Fair True Fix Foundation , $29.30, which pairs 30 shades in 15 compacts with duos women can blend together to create an even skin tone.
MAC
MAC is known for it’s impressive color range and the brand doesn’t disappoint in the foundation field. Many lines may offer 20+ shades, but this typically means there are 10 to 15 shades on the light to medium end of the spectrum and a few dark shades tacked on the end. MAC, on the other hand, has products like MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15, $27, which comes in a hefty 35 shades to hit every complexion — from the lightest shade (3.5) to the deepest, which clocks in at 58.
BareMinerals
Although it’s not touted as a specialized skin care line, BareMinerals offers one of the widest ranges of skin tones on the darker side of the spectrum compared to others on the market. BareMinerals READY Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20, $29, comes in 20 shades, a whopping half of which fall on the medium to dark range. Better yet, each swatch comes with a descriptive summary ranging from “rosy undertones” to “subtle yellow-olive undertones” to really help you nail your shade.
Black Up Cosmetics
Established in 1999, this French makeup line was one of the first created by makeup artists specifically for women of color. The swatches for Black Up Cream to Powder Foundation, $41, show the brand’s expertise in capturing the subtleties of dark skin. The foundation comes in a range of 16 shades with one of the darkest swatches on the market, and a new creamy formula enriched with mattifying powders curbs oil buildup for a velvety finish.
Clinique
Clinique doesn’t specialize in makeup for African American women, but Even Better Makeup SPF 15, $27, comes in 30 different shades. This well-balanced range has eight shades in both its “Medium” and “Deep” categories (along with seven shades in both “Very Fair” and “Moderately Fair”) making it a great option for all ethnicities. This pick also contains citrus extracts to help even skin tone and diminishes age spots with each wear, making it extra beneficial for black women who are prone to hyperpigmentation and uneven patches.
Black Opal
Black Opal not only offers a wider range of shades for darker skin tones, but the line also serves them up at affordable prices. The Black Opal True Color Stick Foundation SPF 15, $9.50, comes in 10 shades and a portable stick that makes it perfect for touching up hyperpigmentation spots and getting an even skin tone on the go. The hypoallergenic formula won’t clog pores or contribute to breakouts and comes with built-in SPF for sun protection you won’t even notice.
Bobbi Brown
Makeup artist Bobbi Brown is known for advocating for shades that look natural on a wide range of complexions and her namesake line lives up that ideal, specifically Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15, $48, and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Compact Foundation, $46. Both products come in 20 shades, half of which range from tan to espresso and offer six variations in the darkest shades.
