Here’s a question that never fails to keep me up at night: Why is every concealer, blush and lip liner way too warm? I’m serious — every makeup product seems to transform into a devastating terracotta hue on my fair skin. For the longest time, I could never figure out why. As someone with a cool undertone, I have come to realize the unfortunate reality that beauty companies just seem to create makeup that only suits warm skin tones. For Black and brown people, the search for makeup products with the perfect undertone is even more difficult, given the limited number of shades made for those with darker complexions.
Before I even step foot inside a Sephora, I know that I’m about to waste hours trying on what feels like a trillion different products. Surely there would be a few that suit my undertones, right? But the harsh truth is that almost all of the descriptions for makeup products are misleading: Rose nude is just a muddy coral, dusty rose is actually a bright burnt sienna and don’t even get me started on fair or neutral colors — a highly deceptive name for a peach shade. In the actual tube or pot, these products all seem like they would be perfect, just light enough for my complexion with those muted pink and beige hints I’ve been searching for. However, the moment I swatch it on the back of my hand and blend it in, the product oxidizes into the complete opposite of the claimed shade. I want makeup colors that look timeless and chic — deep berries, cocoa browns, beiges, taupes and a real dusty rose.
It’s important to note that I’m being slightly hyperbolic — there are some products that are cool-tone friendly. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty foundation has a very impressive range of 50 shades, so you’ll almost certainly be able to find the right one for you. MERIT has an array of cool concealer shades to choose from, and shades like ceramic, bone and calico will never shift in color. For blush, Rare Beauty has a few cool-toned options — Hope is my favorite because it actually stays true to its description as nude mauve.
As for bronzer, it gets harder to find ones that don’t skew toward looking muddy. Out of the few that I have tried, MAKEUP BY MARIO offers a couple shades that are cool-toned, but the shade range is definitely weak. If you have a light complexion like me, light medium is a perfect match. It’s also been way too difficult to find a basic, pinkish nude lip liner for everyday wear. MAKEUP BY MARIO does it again with smokey pink, a shade that is truly “my lips but better.” These are just a few products that work well with cool tones — but, especially for people with darker complexions, products that are suited to their undertone are harder to find than your keys in a pile of junk. Black and brown people are already forced to work with a limited shade range. Far too many times, the darker shades that brands offer do not even consider undertone at all.
Although creating shades for darker skin tones would require more research and financial investment, larger corporations have the resources to produce it. Moreover, the ways that companies develop their shades for darker complexions still often favor those with warmer skin tones, which further excludes Black and brown consumers. Like all companies, makeup brands offer products based on consumer demand. There is no excuse for our favorite brands to refrain from offering foundation shades that are wearable for Black and brown people.
Warm tones have had their moment for far too long — but the deeper issue is that they only suit specific groups of people. Makeup should be enjoyed by all, not limited to the skin tones prioritized by companies. For once, let’s allow the cool tones to shine — or at least take over a few shelves at Sephora.
Contact Christobelle Rudes at [email protected].