Deep, dark secrets
A good friend of mine once shared that her lola hated it whenever they would come and visit her and have dark skin from playing under the sun. She would look at them disapprovingly and say “Ang itim nyo! Ang pangit!” She would then scold their mother for letting them bake under the sun and mutter under her breath how they would never find husbands if they stayed dark-skinned.
We were all raised to think that dark is ugly and light is pretty. Filipinas swipe on pinkish-white powder to look fair, never mind the resulting gray face and brown neck. But dark is beautiful. Dark is mysterious. Dark is sexy.
Start off the sexy skin celebration with a base that matches your skin tone. Try Maybelline Dream Matte mousse foundation in Caramel, L’Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in G6 Caramel Beige or their latest L’Oreal Glam Bronze mineral makeup.
Next, brighten up your eyes with some color. “It’s a misconception that dark-skinned women should stick to brown colors. Although this is a nice and safe standby, bold eye color will bring out your eyes while a pinch of berry colors on the cheeks looks fresh,” shares Archie Tolentino of Maybelline NY and Makeup Forum. So even if your trusty brown and black eyeliner will always have their place in your kikay kit, blue, green and purple liners will not only bring out your peepers, but also save you time. “Bold colors like these mimic eyeshadow, so with just one swipe, your eyes will look polished and playful.” Try Maybelline’s Unstoppable Eyeliners in Icy Blue, Icy Green and Icy Aubergine.
Morena girls also find it tricky to find the perfect shade of nude lipstick; anything too light makes them look pale, and anything too pinkish looks off. Archie suggests going for nude lipsticks with golden undertones, like Maybelline Extreme Moisture in Apricot Cream or Peach Sugar and L’Oreal Color Riche Made For Me Naturals in Tea Rose 615. Finally, swipe on berry-colored blush like Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Blush in Cloud Wine for a sexy flush of color.
As is the rule in beauty, when going bold, choose a feature to play with and keep everything else subdued: aubergine lids with caramel lips or berry cheeks with nude eyes. But as a new rule, remember too that no matter which area you choose to play with, always highlight and celebrate your deep and dusky skin.
