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There’s a reason why Rihanna’s debut of Fenty’s 40 foundation shades was big news. The beauty industry isn’t known for being skintone inclusive. Chocolate, mocha, coffee and all the other deep skintones are often left out of the shades brands and beauty stores carry. Even brands that have a deep shade or two often overlooked the fact that there are a range of dark skintones and are limited in their offerings. So, when a celebrity addressed these discrepancies with a broad range of foundations and ‘nude’ lipglosses, it made BIG news. One positive from all of this is that many mainstream brands took notice and began expanding their color range. Even sustainable makeup brands that once felt exclusive became more skintone inclusive too.
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As a dark-skinned female, I know that it hasn’t always been easy to find natural makeup that looks good on my skin. So, when I do find a brand whose shadows don’t come with a greyish overcast or whose foundations are just warm enough for my dark chocolate skintone, I cling to them for dear life. Below, are 5 vetted, tested and loved brands for their products and inclusive shades.
Illia: Clean Skin-Centric Beauty
This brand combines potent skincare ingredients with makeup formulas in a range of colors and shades that feel and look good.
Environmental Impact: All materials used by this sustainable makeup brand are sourced to be safe for us and the planet. Packaging is recyclable and customers are encouraged to return empty containers to be recycled to create a zero waste cycle.
Tried & Loved: Multi-Stick ‘A Fine Romance’ $34. This moisturizing cheek and lip tint adds a shimmery pop of color that flatters various skin tones with just a light swap. A little goes a long way, so this is a good stick to build up from a barely there glow to a pop of glam.
Super Serum Skin Tint ’17’ $54. It’s your skin, but only lightly camaflouged and nourished with a blend of ingredients that I swear have improved my skintone after 2 weeks.
rms: Beautifully clean formulas
Transparency is king if you want to be one of the best sustainable makeup brands out on the market. RMS has not only won awards for its products, but it also lists every ingredient used. Certified organic oils and extracts are blended with natural pigments without silicones or parabens.
Environmental Impact: Glass containers are used and paper boxes are made from 80% post-consumer recycled fiber.
Tried & Loved: “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation $52 I always swore that I’d never trade in my trusted BB cream (from a brand I won’t mention here) until I walked home with a sample of this foundation. Never has my skin looked so much like my skin, only a little more luminous. A little goes a long way and the formula is lightweight and slips on more like a good moisturizer.
Elate:Ethical Ingredients
This brand uses skin-saving ingredients like hyaluronic acid for that ‘lit from within’ glow. And, each bamboo piece is bottled with the idea that makeup is for our own personal enjoyment and not to please others.
Environmental Impact: Glass bottles, recycled plastic, and bamboo are the sustainable materials that used in the packaging to ensure that this natural makeup brand is kind to the environment. You can compost or recycle various parts of the packaging.
Tried & Loved: Refresh Foundation RW8 $32. This foundation was moisturizing and had a nice coverage. Best for gals that love a full-coverage foundation and warmer skintones will benefit from the red undertones.
Juice Beauty: Natural and Organic Ingredients
What began with a green apple peel that has a cult following has blossomed into a powerful beauty line boosting impactful ingredients. With softer hues, think of it more as skincare with a dash of color.
Environmental Impact: Certified organic ingredients are used in Juice’s range of beauty and skincare products. The brand has a few sustainable initiatives, but one of its biggest ones is that in 2019 all of the packaging from their bestsellers were changed to recycled plastic.
Tried & Loved: Stem Cellular CC Cream $39. With a limited range of colors, I was skeptical at first that the Deep shade would be a match. But, after sixty seconds the cream blends in offering sunscreen protection and a little blurring action to smooth out discolorations.
100% Pure: Fruit Pigmented Makeup
With a tagline like ‘fruit pigmented’ this brand easily built its following of like minds who care about the environment and all the 2 or 4 legged begins roaming it.
Environmental Impact: The ingredient list is all natural and begins with fruit extracts and minerals for their bold colors. The brand also partners with several charitable organizations to ensure that for every purchase made, 1 tree is planted.
Tried & Loved: Fruit Pigmented Eye Shadow $20 These mini shadows are non-irritating and colors like ‘Bronze Gold’ and ‘Bamboo Charcoal’ compliment dark skintones instead of coming off of as ashy.
