If your skin tone falls on the darker side of the spectrum, we’re sure you’re well aware of the struggles of finding foundation that perfectly matches. The right foundation can give you perfect-looking skin, but pick one shade that’s slightly off and you’ll end up looking downright strange. However, the beauty industry has largely ignored the needs of darker-skinned women. At least, up until now. We take a look at inclusive brands that have an extensive range of foundation shades for a wide spectrum of skin colours.
Fenty Beauty
Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty made a splash when it was launched in 2017 for its exhaustive range of shades. The brand’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation comes in 40 shades, catering to people with the lightest skin to the darkest. The product is light and adapts according to the weather, ensuring your pores don’t get clogged when it’s hot and humid.
M.A.C Cosmetics
The brand is known for its iconic lipsticks but it is also popular for its two foundation lines - Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation and Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. While the former has 42 shades, the powder comes in 53 shades. The colours are classified into Warm (W), Neutral Warm (NW), Neutral (N), Neutral Cool (NC) and Cool (C) to help you identify your match easily.
Huda Beauty
Huda Beauty’s #FauxFilter Full Coverage Matte Foundation is available in 30 shades, such as Panna Cotta (the lightest) and Chocolate Truffle (the darkest). The yummy-sounding names aside, the foundation is velvety smooth and has refined pigments that cover up blemishes and pigmentation with ease.
Colorbar
Colorbar is the last place you would look for dark foundation, because it’s an Indian brand afterall. And let’s be honest, Indians are so obsessed with fair skin that the idea of finding dark skin beautiful is preposterous. But proving us wrong, this brand’s 24Hrs Weightless Liquid Foundation comes in 30 shades. It gives skin a shine-free finish, locks in moisture and hydrates.
Too Faced
With 27 shades to choose from, Too Faced’s Born This Way Foundation is another range that caters to a variety of skin tones, from ‘Vanilla’ to ‘Ganache.’ The product is oil free and is infused with coconut water which replenishes the skin’s moisture levels and hyaluronic acid which plumps the skin and gives it a youthful glow.
Bobbi Brown
The Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15 from Bobbi Brown has 35 shades that were developed after the founder had trouble working on models of varying skin tones with what was available in the market. The range includes shades like Cool Chestnut, Espresso and Alabaster.
Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup With SPF 10 has shades like Maple Sugar, Amber Honey, Sepia and Deep Spice, and is one of the most extensive ranges available, with 50 different options. It offers medium to full coverage, is water proof and transfer resistant.
Smashbox
The brand’s Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Hydra Foundation comes in 40 shades and is also formulated with hyaluronic acid for younger-looking skin. It has an oil-free formula that will give you a matte finish, and is transfer resistant.