Colored Me: A Makeup Quickie

I got this sweet comment on my last Hairplay post and thought I would share it with you all.

First I must say that your makeup is fantastic, you look so beautiful. I'm
about the same shade as you but I feel like a clown when I try to wear it. I
was wondering if there was a special brand you use and if you could point me
to some books or websites on how to apply it properly so I don't end up
looking like Bozo.
Chante~

On occasion I get questions from people regarding my makeup and what products I use and I thought now would be a great time to share my techniques. I don't have many as I'm still a newb myself but whatever I have I'm willing to share. But first, let me go on a tangent.


Keep it simple and slow and always stay aware. For me it's always about keeping things simple. I don't have time for much else. Plus I get bored easily and have a tendency to waste money on stuff I don't need if I don't pay attention. Makeup is one of those really dynamic arts that you can easily get lost in. For blushes and lips, start slow by picking colors that are close to your complexion but with just a hint of color and branch out from there. For eyes, try colors that look good on your skin in clothing form.

As with most things - stay aware. Treat makeup counters as you would grocery stores. Never go to them hungry or in need of a pick-me-up. The artists will eat you alive, pitching all sorts of stuff that would work best on the set of Girlfriends and not in real life. Also, when you are in need, you can't always readily tell that Sunbasque and Margin are practically the same color and that one is just a little cooler than the other. Makeup companies are always trying to get you to buy the latest greatest shade of this, formula of that, etc. MAC is notorious for offering new collections with only slight color variations in the shades or repackaging last year's colors to make them look new and fresh this year. If you stay on top of your personal collection you'll avoid having four of the same color.

But to answer your question, I used to feel the same way when I had just started wearing makeup. The key for me, I've learned, is to stick with shades that are similar to my undertone. I have warm undertones. Women of color can easily wear pretty much any color under the sun, we just have to make sure we wear the right hue (shade/tint). Every color comes in a spectrum of cool and warm shades. For example take pink. Within pink you have the coolest blue-pinks (similar to Barbie pink) and you have the reddest-pinks bordering on hot pink and Fuchsia. I stick to the warmer shades. The cooler shades wash me out and make me look bland. I could go on and on and show you a color wheel but quite simply, I wear a lot of warm hued colors such as gold, copper, reddish pinks, purples, deep teal blues, lots of different greens, and even oranges.

Anyhoo, so I did a great video for you but my PowerDirector crashed. **Sobs** so until it can get some act right I've subbed a video from Scandalous Beauty. I'll be back on Friday with my personal product choices and hopefully a video.





Websites I love:

Ateyaa's Channel
Clumps of Mascara
The Style & Beauty Doctor
Temptalia

My fotki for makeup looks

Books I adore:





Kamika coloring outside the lines