Page 94
When Will the Beauty Industry be Inclusive of Everyone?
No Shade but We Need More Shades.
Words Shemaiah Gold
Alexa play Beyonce — Brown Skin Girl or Dave — Black ….or Underneath by Ramz. Okay, I can't decide...but finally, we're having this conversation and it's truly beautiful to see how black skin tones are being celebrated and appreciated in music videos, red carpet looks and amongst makeup brands.
I honestly find it difficult to believe that the beauty industry has still not adjusted completely to catering for ALL. We're just about getting started with the new range of darker foundation shades, but what about the other essentials? Blushes, lip pigments and even eyebrow pencils that are dark enough to be visible on a darker skin tone. We've still got a long way to go, and we need to continue to have this conversation in order to ring the alarm bells of what should be the norm by now. There has, without a doubt, been a vast change in the last couple of years with The Fenty Beauty 50+ shade range of foundation kick starting the trend of makeup brands producing foundation shades that cater to darker skin tones. Recently we've seen major brands such as L'Oreal, Estee Lauder and Dior increase their shades and come out with new campaigns to promote inclusivity and diversity.
My standpoint within beauty has always been and will always be to love the skin you're in and embrace your own features - Yes! It sounds very cliché but so often I see bloggers and makeup artists whacking on layers of makeup… I often see dark skin women using lighter foundation (usually, because it's the darkest shade that's available) or i'll see caucasian pale women using a foundation colour that is way too dark attempting to create a warmer tanned look. It's easy to always want to look like 'someone else' but I think that inner peace and confidence comes from just loving and accepting you.
I know you've heard it many times, but your makeup is just supposed to embrace your look. Juvia's Place and Fenty Beauty are amongst some of the major beauty brands that I believe truly promote inclusivity of all skin tones and are not just screaming it. (No Shade)
I'm going to also put this out there, there is NO skin tone, I repeat NO skin tone that is better than the other. I'll never forget when I walked up to a NARS beauty counter in Canary Wharf only last year asking for my foundation shade. After asking the beauty assistant for help to colour match my skin tone with a new foundation she responded with 'they don't have it in store', I was absolutely gobsmacked especially because my skin tone is on the lighter spectrum of brown. I remember feeling like an outcast, forgotten about and like someone had just told me that my brown skin isn't important, which I'm pretty sure many of you reading can relate to.
Entertainment and Beauty work hand in hand and on the topic of skin tone bias, we've certainly seen how damaging the notion of ' the lighter the better' has been on models, actresses and artists within the industry, how they are viewed by the younger generation and most importantly how they view themselves. It's crazy to think how black/asian models, actresses and artists have gone on for so long using foundations and powders that make them look ashy!
Furthermore, what do skin lightening creams actually promote? Skin ‘brightening, glowing, radiant, bright and clear’, these coyly presented ‘anti-aging’ wellness products may have new names but we are not fooled and certainly can identify that these products are just as damaging as the original whitening cream with the same underlying notion that lighter is better. Skin whitening creams are still very popular and according to historical data from the market research firm 'Zion', global sales are expected to reach $8.9 billion by 2024, up from $4 billion in 2017 so it's clear that there's still an issue, despite major beauty brand's attempts to be more diverse. With the recent protests against systemic racism, global corporations have committed to no longer selling products that mention ‘skin whitening’, I am keen to see the celebration of colour, shades and tone variety within the next decade.
I can only imagine how much it would have knocked their confidence and how uncomfortable it would have been to be on a set using makeup products that are not suitable for you. Iconic supermodel Naomi Campbell, despite having broken numerous racial barriers as the first black model on British and French Vogue, has spoken about having to bring her own foundation to photo shoots because make-up artists simply didn’t know how to deal with ethnic skin. Not to talk of Chika Okoro's Ted Talks on Beauty & Colorism where she highlighted that Straight Outta Compton's 2015 casting call had put women in categories of colour 'A', being the lightest and most important role 'D', being the darkest and most insignificant which is only just touching the surface on some of the issues that have and are still going on.
In saying all of this, as a makeup-artist, one of the most popular questions I get is how to choose your foundation colour in store and most often my response is to buy two shades - one slightly lighter and the other slightly darker to mix and get your exact shade. It's one of the tricks I use with all my clients. The worst situation to be in would be to have to trek to your nearest beauty store in the middle of winter to buy a foundation that is lighter because you've realised your 'summer' foundation has become too dark. Also remember that when applying foundation the aim is to create an even skin tone overall for a clean flawless skin finish, even if you have some discolouration. I know many of us can relate to the countless number of times going into a store to find the perfect foundation, being advised and colour matched by a beauty store assistant to then going home and realising it looks completely different! What a nightmare! So also take into consideration the store lighting and testing out all your products in natural day light to avoid disappointment.
Foundation is NOT supposed to be visible, it's supposed to be a clear, smooth layer that can imitate your skin tone making your skin look like skin.
What about foundation formulas that oxidise? It's always best to get a sample in this case, again, test in natural lighting first because in this case a lighter shade would be a better purchase.
Lastly, another popular question is how to work out your undertones. This is fairly simple, there are three categories, Warm, Cool & Natural which doesn't depend on your colour because your can be darker skinned with a cooler skin tone and vice versa. The easiest way is to look at your wrists, if your veins are blue — you have cool undertones whereas if your veins are more green, you have warm undertones — the mixture of both would be neutral.
Historically, to be darker is to be of a lower class, but the game has changed, now black and Asian women all over the world are being celebrated and it's time for beauty brands to really wake up and meet the needs of the diversity that is out there. I look forward to the new world of entertainment where makeup artists can cater to ALL, and those at home can feel comfortable in their own skin because they are used to seeing people who look just like them being appreciated.
Inclusivity is the keyword when looking into beauty brands but is it finally becoming the norm? Or is it all just a facade to tick the box of diversity?