interloper- wants advice for MUA

[claresauntie]

Hi, all. I'm a NW-20 lurking on your boards. I am working to become a makeup artist and since I have the most familiarity with my own skin thought I'd be bold and ask ya'll what are the most important things for me to know about working with/making-up darker skin? Anything you wish to share would be great.

I have 2 sis-in-laws with dark skin (one Native American and one from India) and several friends who are African American, but I just moved out of state away from all of them and don't have access to their "canvases".

I intend to specialize in "real women" and teaching them how best to accentuate their own beauty... maybe that's somewhere you might want to start? For example, what do you wish someone had told you when you first started with make-up?

Anyway, if you are so kind as to answer a struggling MUA wannabe, I thank you in advance!

 

[ladydangerr]

First, if you're planning to match them with a MAC foundation you need to decide if they're pinkish based or yellow based which you can normally tell by looking at them. Then you know whether or not to use a NW or NC. Also, if they're really red in certain areas and want to neutralize that you may want to also go with an NC instead of the NW (neutral cool instead of neutral warm). Then make sure to ask what type of coverage they want because MAC has different formulas to fit different needs. Then you have to find out what skin type they are (oily, combo or dry). This is important because you don't want to match them for a foundtation thats going to dry them out or make them break out. For example, if they want med-full coverage but they have dry skin, you may want to show them studio moisture blend instead of studio fix fluid. The reason for this is because SFF is a matte finish foundation which has ingredients that help your skin to not produce as much sebum (skin oil). So once you figure out which foundation type to use, you match their color.

This may take a few trys at first, and after a while you will get better at guessing. All you can really do is eyeball it based on how much darker you think they are compared to someone who is an NC or NW 20. Then you go from there. Also, a lot of people that some to the counter will be reluctant to remove their make up, but since the skin changes color in different areas you will need quite a bit of surface area of clean skin to get a correct match. And always make sure the color blends in with the neck.

You will also get clients who are tanning or planning to get darker, and want you to give them a foundation that is a shade darker. In this situation, tell them that it is imperitive that you give them the correct color because you don't know how their skin will react to the tanning and that they should just get a bronzer to use until they tan. Same goes for those who want a darker foundation to look darker.

I hope this helps...If I didn't answer your question enough, feel free to ask me anything more specific.

-Amy

 

[ebonyannette]

For me the most important thing to know is that we are not afraid of color. my pet peeve is that some MA's assume we want something toned down, but darker girls really do love color. Some dont like color because no one has ever showed them how great it can look on them.

So that would be my number one piece of advice, second after that is the bases, thats how your gonna get the color to pop on dark skin. Shadesticks and Paint are my friends

Good luck with your venture!

 

[claresauntie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebonyannette my pet peeve is that some MA's assume we want something toned down, but darker girls really do love color. Some dont like color because no one has ever showed them how great it can look on them.

Well, maybe I'm gonna be good at this, because I so want to play with color on darker skin! To me dark skin makes such a fabulous canvas!!! I can't wear many colors because they are just too intense on me.

I did a wedding for a friend and we did some really great colors on her. I was jealous.

Thanks for this feedback. That helped!

 

[claresauntie]

Thanks, Amy. This is great advice all the way around!

 

[ladydangerr]

Yeah, anytime! Good luck, I know you'll figure it out.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

Another thing you should know, is that many darker skinned women are two different colors on their face. We tend to be lighter in the middle of the face and darker on the perimeter. You may end up using 2 shades of foundation on a woman of color. Or you may decide to match darkest part (not the best idea IMO), or they may not need coverage at the perimeter, so you'll do okay to just match the very center of the face, and apply outward and fade at the perimeter. That way they don't that crazy mask look.
And i 2nd what ebony said, we're not afraid of color. In fact most brighter colors look better on darker skin. None of my "unethnic" girlfriends can wear trax without looking like they've been punched, but it shows up such a pretty color on myself and my black friends.

Also, most women of color have two toned lips. My top lip is brown, my bottom lip is pink. I have a faint "natural lip liner" around my lips, so I have to match that, no matter what lipcolor I go with, or else it looks off. So i definitely recommend, especially for a try at a nude lip, to match the top lip. Trying to lighten the top lip can look absolutely horrifying, it's easier to darken the lighter lip than it is to ash out the darker one.

HTH!

 

[claresauntie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 Another thing you should know, is that many darker skinned women are two different colors on their face. We tend to be lighter in the middle of the face and darker on the perimeter. You may end up using 2 shades of foundation on a woman of color. Or you may decide to match darkest part (not the best idea IMO), or they may not need coverage at the perimeter, so you'll do okay to just match the very center of the face, and apply outward and fade at the perimeter. That way they don't that crazy mask look. And i 2nd what ebony said, we're not afraid of color. In fact most brighter colors look better on darker skin. None of my "unethnic" girlfriends can wear trax without looking like they've been punched, but it shows up such a pretty color on myself and my black friends. Also, most women of color have two toned lips. My top lip is brown, my bottom lip is pink. I have a faint "natural lip liner" around my lips, so I have to match that, no matter what lipcolor I go with, or else it looks off. So i definitely recommend, especially for a try at a nude lip, to match the top lip. Trying to lighten the top lip can look absolutely horrifying, it's easier to darken the lighter lip than it is to ash out the darker one. HTH!

GIGANTIC SMOOCHES: MUAH!!!!!!! MUAH!!!!!!!

Thanks. That was really helpful.

*jen

 

[ladydangerr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 Another thing you should know, is that many darker skinned women are two different colors on their face. We tend to be lighter in the middle of the face and darker on the perimeter. You may end up using 2 shades of foundation on a woman of color. Or you may decide to match darkest part (not the best idea IMO), or they may not need coverage at the perimeter, so you'll do okay to just match the very center of the face, and apply outward and fade at the perimeter. That way they don't that crazy mask look. And i 2nd what ebony said, we're not afraid of color. In fact most brighter colors look better on darker skin. None of my "unethnic" girlfriends can wear trax without looking like they've been punched, but it shows up such a pretty color on myself and my black friends. Also, most women of color have two toned lips. My top lip is brown, my bottom lip is pink. I have a faint "natural lip liner" around my lips, so I have to match that, no matter what lipcolor I go with, or else it looks off. So i definitely recommend, especially for a try at a nude lip, to match the top lip. Trying to lighten the top lip can look absolutely horrifying, it's easier to darken the lighter lip than it is to ash out the darker one. HTH!

Very good advice. Thank you. Also, I wear trax all the time and I'm NC20. Weird.

 

[MAC_Pixie04]

some of my friends who bitch about trax are more pink, maybe that's why. i noticed it looks a bit better on NC tones than it does on the pinker ladies.

i love it! its a great color, i dunno why it doesn't get much love.

 

[ladydangerr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAC_Pixie04 some of my friends who bitch about trax are more pink, maybe that's why. i noticed it looks a bit better on NC tones than it does on the pinker ladies. i love it! its a great color, i dunno why it doesn't get much love.

SO true. People are just sissys.