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In a post-Fenty Beauty world, it feels like every makeup brand is stepping it up with more foundation shades, shadows with better color payoff, and “nude” lipsticks that will actually match all tones. That being said, no one knows better than women of color what is needed from makeup to look best on medium to deep skin. That’s why we rounded up 15 makeup brands created by WOC for WOC. No ashy highlighters, chalky eyeshadows, or too-light lipsticks in sight—these brands get it.
1Iman Cosmetics
This one needs no introduction—legendary model Iman founded her cosmetics company way back in 1994. The brand touts itself as the “first cosmetics and skincare collection designed for all women of skin of color,” and it certainly delivers. Its complexion products are especially great, with shade-inclusive options in liquid, powder, and stick variations.
Iman Luxury Concealing Foundation, $16; walgreens.com
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2Lipmatic
Lipmatic, founded in 2014, is a great option for the green and beauty lover: Its formula is 98 percent organic. Plus, its wide shade range, including metallics, deep berries, and nudes, are pigmented enough for deeper skin tones.
Lipmatic New York In Bloom Liquid Matte Lipstick 4-Pack, $60; lipmatic.com
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3Mented Cosmetics
This brand, founded by KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, originally started because they felt like there were no “nude” lipsticks that could truly match black women’s skin. Mented has since expanded to other beauty categories including nail polish and eyeshadow. They recently just made headlines for raising $3 million(!) in funding—clearly it was much-needed in the beauty world.
Mented Everyday Eyeshadow Palette, $28; mentedcosmetics.com
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4The Lip Bar
This beauty brand was launched in 2012 with the motto “challenging the beauty standard.” It does just that by creating a vegan and cruelty-free line of cosmetics that not only have major color payoff, but also come at a friendly price point. There’s nowhere better if you want super bright lip colors.
The Lip Bar Liquid Matte in Haute Mess, $13; thelipbar.com
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5Bahi Cosmetics
Founder Danielle Bahi was only a college student when she launched her line of homemade cosmetics using ingredients found in farmer’s markets. She’s since expanded to skincare and grown a fanbase in that market, but her vibrant eye shadows, bomb highlighters, and natural-looking false lashes are also standouts.
Bahi Eyeshadows, $10; bahi.care
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6Juvia’s Place
Juvia’s Place is one of the most popular WOC-owned makeup lines thanks to its beauty blogger-loved eyeshadow palettes rich with pigment both shimmer and matte.
Juvia’s Place Zulu Eyeshadow, $18; juviasplace.com
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7Hi Wildflower
Novelist Tanwi Nandini Islam first introduced her beauty line Hi Wildflower with perfume, then moved onto lipsticks especially formulated for women of color. Now, Hi Wildflower also has dreamy eyeshadow palettes in cool and warm hues.
Hi Wildflower Bay of Bengal Eyeshadow Book, $48; hiwildflower.com
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8Beauty Bakerie
This Insta-popular line was founded in 2011 by Cashmere Nicole and took inspiration from desserts. Fittingly, its products are all sweets-inspired: Cake Face concealer, Flour Setting Powder, and its most popular product: Matte Lip Whip liquid lipsticks.
Beauty Bakerie Scoops Élysées Blush Palette, $38; beautybakerie.com
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9Nevermind Cosmetics
Miami brand Nevermind Cosmetics was founded in 2016 by two best friends, Vanessa and Mari, both Latina. Their lip shades take inspiration from the ’90s, so expect flattering mauves and browns. They go on velvety-smooth and last all day.
Nevermind Cosmetics Velvet Matte Lipstick in Not Ur Baby, $15; nevermindcosmetics.com
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10Pat McGrath Labs
The beauty industry swooned when iconic makeup artist Pat McGrath started her own collection in 2015. Her product launches—eyeshadow palettes, lip glosses, highlighters, and more—just keep getting better.
Pat McGrath Labs Mothership II Eyeshadow Palette, $125; sephora.com
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11Coloured Raine
Coloured Raine was started in 2013 by Loraine R. Dowdy, who left the financial industry to create cosmetics that cater to women of color. The line includes intense eyeshadow palettes and liquid matte lipsticks in every hue from your usual reds and pinks to more wild violet, green, and black.
Coloured Raine Cheers to the Beauty Palette, $40; colouredraine.com
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12MDMflow
MDMflow takes inspiration from the ’90s—it’s no wonder there’s a great selection of lip glosses. On top of handmade lipsticks (including one named “Milkshake” after the famous Kelis song), the brand moved on to mascara and is currently launching a new serum foundation, Flawless Base, created for “all skin types, for all skin tones.”
MDMflow Bossy Lipstick, $19; mdmflow.com
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13Omolewa Cosmetics
This brand’s tag line is “committed to inclusion.” True to form, it sells complexion products that make sure deeper skin tones are covered and eye shadows hues that pop on melanin.
Omolewa Cosmetics Pro Pigment Palette in the Beauty & Bold, $35; omolewamakeup.com
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14Vera Moore
Before starting her namesake cosmetics line, Vera Moore learned her beauty chops as a soap opera actress on the show Another World. Hoping to fill a void for products formulated for women of color, she developed a full collection of not only makeup, but skincare. One highlight from her collection is the rainbow assortment of eyeshadow individuals.
Vera Moore Cosmetics Eye Shadow Pearlized, $17; veramoorecosmetics.com
This list wouldn’t be complete without Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, which launched in September 2017 and changed the beauty industry as we know it with its 40 shades of foundation and killer highlighters made for glowing on deep skin.
[“Source-elle”]
The post 15 Women of Color-Owned Makeup Brands Made for Deeper Skintones appeared first on Grobista.
