If you guys were around last week or so on Twitter, you may have seen me going off on a little rant regarding the lack of high street foundation shades available for darker skinned women. The basic premise of my rant consisted of the fact that in order to get the correct shade, we have to spend more money on the premium makeup brands – something which I don’t view to be fair at all.
I recieved a few responses telling me about Maybelline’s new (to the UK anyway) FIT Me collection of liquid gel foundations, concealers and powders, which are separated into three different ranges depending on your skin tone:
100s – Light
200s– Medium
300s– Dark
My face is hyper pigmented in some parts so I’ve never been able to find one foundation that matches my skin tone completely; they are either too light or too dark so what I would normally do is mix and match. For a comparison, I usually wear MAC Matchmaster in 9.0, Studio Fix in NC 50 and Chanel Perfection Lumiere in 154 Ambre.
Before I get into it, I just thought I would show you a photo of the foundation range supposedly for dark skin:
Photo courtesy of www.cosmetically-challenged.com.
A tragedy.
While I find it commendable that Maybelline are trying to incorporate more customizable shades, they’ve definitely missed the mark on this one. About 3 the of the shades look exactly the same and what about this range screams “dark”? Women of colour come in so many different shades and tones and to feebly release a collection where most of the shades would be better suited toward olive skin tones is just down right insulting; ESPECIALLY if you’re going to name your range “Fit Me”.
Anyhoo, ranting aside, I tried on the 355 ‘Coconut’ gel foundation and here are my findings:
Flawless that lets the real you come through. It’s makeup that doesn’t mess with you. No oils. No waxes. No nonsense. Natural coverage that leaves skin the way it was meant to be: fresh, breathing, natural. Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin’s natural highs and lows to show through. Non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested.
The foundation is extremely light and blends into the skin very easily. The formula allows my skin to breathe and doesn’t have that “clogged up” feeling that I sometimes get when using liquid foundation. In regards to the colour, the shade is a tad light for me, however I used a darker bronzer as a setting powder to combat that. I must say that despite the lack of shades in this collection, I am surprised at how close to my skin shade this is.
Lipstick is Girl About Town by MAC
Even though I was semi-lucky with this one, I do think that high street make up companies have a long way to go in terms of providing universal shades; darker skinned chicks like to look pretty on a budget too.
£7.99
Have you tried Maybelline Fit Me yet?
I'm Indian and find it so difficult to find a good base. It's unbelievable how many brands don't cater for darker skin tones. Sleek are usually good for shade ranges though and Rimmel's darkest shades tend to be yellow toned so work well with my skin. It's such a big problem though, I'm glad that you've brought the issue up!
Nakita x
nstylebeauty.blogspot.co.uk
Sleek is pretty good for dark skin, but I find their tones are just all over the place. Anyways; I just wanted to say that you have such a gorgeous face shape. Random compliment, but it's true 🙂
Aah ur real hair is so nice and ur makeup too 🙂 and i soo love the cleansing oil as well. And lastly lol i was so close to writing a rant like this a while ago, it makes me so angry on behalf of those with dark skin AND. Myself as i cant find my shade either..
i definitely agree still difficult for us woc to find drugstore match. u look gorgeous with the maybelline one though and i love ur hair!
Your skin is so flawless. I tried that foundation but I found myself looking so oily in less than an hour. But it looks nice on u.x
http://moilesedi.blogspot.co.uk/
Hey beautiful 🙂 I completely agree and being naturally very very fair skinned, I also have this problem. Foundations just look too orange on me and I end up having a lovely line where foundations just do not match my natural tone. Cosmetics have come so far in this day and age and it shocks me that they still aren't getting it right, for what I consider a basic make up product. The majority of ladies wear or own a foundation and it's crazy how you have to spend a fortune as opposed to finding a shade to match you for a cheaper price. That shade you found does look gorgeous on you though, plus MAC's lipstick to pull your look together, MAC never fails ha ha.
Lots of love doll. ❤
Thank you for sharing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hey hun, I absolutely loved the 355, I have been very lucky with the shade because it matches my skin tone perfectly! I must say this is now my everyday foundation and then I use my BellaPierre Cafe powder over it. I had 3 girls ask me what foundation I used and when I told them I think they didnt believe me!