Sweet thangs,
A reader who isn’t clergy but who does have a job requiring public presence and lecturing wrote recently to ask PeaceBang’s recommendations for an emollient lipstick for African-American women that will last through a big talk-athon.
Since our dear reader mentioned favoring Clinique, Nars and Vincent Longo lines, she obviously knows her way around a Sephora and isn’t limiting herself to what she can find at the local drugstore.
So Lady Speaker, I’m wondering: what if you found a shade of, say, CoverGirl Outlast All Day lip color (or a similar product — one of those stay-on-forevah lip colors), and used that as a base, and polished yourself before and after your speaking engagements with a Nars lip gloss (PeaceBang loves Nars lip gloss: she finds that Nars and MAC lip lacquer are the most budge-proof, and have the most intense pigmentation)?
In fact, it just occurs to me that the lovely (and African-American) Beyonce Knowles is currently shilling for a Revlon stay-on lip color product that I’ve been meaning to try, and I think the color she’s wearing on the commercial is gorgeous. I’m just a believer in using the long-lasting lip formulas as a base at any rate — if you search the archives under “Lips” you’ll find previous posts and comments on the matter, with loads of recommendations therein for those.
As for blush and bronzer, I would get to a Nordstrom or a Sephora and shop around for lines that suit your skin tone first, and then choose formulations based on your skin type. Again, Nars makes gorgeous powder blushes (I use one called — pardon me but it’s true — “Orgasm” — that has a lovely peachy tone with a tiny bit of glow factor). It’s perfectly okay to warm up your skin tone with a fluffy, light dusting bronzer over much of your face (concentrate on the perimeter where the sun would hit) and then to accentuate the cheeks with a well-blended application of cream blush. I like to do this when layering powder on powder might make me look crusty and over-done, like when I’m dehydrated or tired and wrinkly.
If you have oily or combination skin, lightly apply (using puff or brush) a translucent powder to your forehead, chin and sides of nose (if the bridge of your nose gets oily, lightly powder that, too) before going out before the crowds. For touch-ups during the day, use blotting papers rather than build up layers of powder.
Of course, if your skin is dry, make sure you exfoliate and moisturize gently, regularly and well so that your bronzer and blush will go on evenly. I find that if I slap on my moisturizer in the morning and don’t give it time to sink in a bit before applying powder bronzer, everything is a blotchy mess.
As far as particular lines for African-American or other women of color, I know that my readers will have all kinds of brilliant recommendations which they will contribute in the comments section. Won’t you, dears? It seems to me that MAC is a good bet here – they seem to get that women come in a huge variety of skin tones and offer products accordinlgy. Clinique always strikes me as looking good in the package but whimpily pigmented when I get it home. I think the same of Chanel and Estee Lauder — neither of which seem willing to acknowledge that women of color even exist, so I don’t use their products.
There’s a drugstore line called Black Opal that looks like it has some really pretty lipstick shades and I notice they sell it on-line, too. A white friend of mine who is partial to very dramatic lip colors loves it.
