Putting Your Best Face Forward

Makeup for Yellow Skin Tones

Women with yellow undertones concur: finding makeup that keeps brown skin looking…well brown, has not always been the easiest quest. Despite the plethora of cosmetic lines and products on the beauty shelf, finding colours to complement our skin continues to be a rigorous search. Fortunately, our growing multicultural, multi-coloured landscape is opening up a market for cosmetics that match our skin.

Born into brown skin, be it the colour of caramel, sand or deep dark chocolate, one may realize it is a gift passed through genes, but what exactly makes brown skin brown? An internist and dermatologist, Dr. Susan C. Taylor, founder of www.brownskin.net realizes the importance of understanding brown skin unique to women of South America, the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, the South Pacific, and those with native ancestry. Brown skin contains increased levels of the pigment, melanin, with varying amounts depending on the individual. Jennifer Lopez, Kimora Lee-Simmons, Aishwarya Rai and Gabrielle Union are all women with yellow undertones, and yet, it’s clear that there is much variation within this category. Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells contained in the upper layer of the skin. These cells can be easily stimulated by such factors as sunlight, improper skin care products, and of course, cosmetics, which can be damaging to skin.

Dr. Lee Graff, head of the CosMedic Clinic at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto and co-founder of Cover FX Skin Care products, explains some conditions which particularly burden those with yellow skin tones: “In my experience…sun damage or melasma are the major concerns of people with yellow skin tones. Both these conditions produce darker pigmented areas of the face. Acne scarring and blemishes are also of great concern.”

So, burdened with skin conditions specific to them, it is important for women with yellow undertones to make wise, informed choices about what they put on their skin.

When it comes to cosmetics, the characteristics unique to brown skin require specialized knowledge and care in order to create a natural, non-chalky appearance. Unflattering make-up colours are usually a result of mistakenly chosen products that seem as though they’d match, but are just not made with yellow undertones in mind. Priti Patel, one of the founders of Vasanti Cosmetics Inc., comments that mainstream cosmetic lines often don’t specifically address issues common to South Asian women, including solutions to conceal dark under eye circles, foundations that match yellow undertones without being too heavy, and eyeshadow colours that show up on deeper skin tones.

Jannel Mohammed, regional manager for Sacha Cosmetics in Toronto explains, “Traditionally the cosmetics market has been divided into brands for the ‘white’ market and brands for the ‘black’ market.” There is a lack of crossover brands that meet somewhere in the middle. “Most foundations available are pink or orange based,” says Mohammed, “Because of the differences in skin and product undertones, the foundations will always result in a two-toned look.”

Sophia Whyte, colour specialist at Sephora’s Eaton Centre location in Toronto, contends that it’s unrealistic for the cosmetics market to categorize clients into one or two options. “One of the great things I have noticed is that we are really moving away from assuming that everyone is either ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ or a ‘season’,” says Whyte. To overcome the white-faced, red-lipped marionette look, new cosmetic companies have surfaced over the last several years, focusing on women of colour.

It was nine years ago when Pinki Patel, one of the three Vasanti Cosmetics founders, encountered a dilemma faced by many South Asian women: she began noticing the difficulty of finding foundation shades that complement her skin tone. At the time, Patel’s part-time-gig-turned-apprenticeship at a makeup studio was helping her to gain valuable knowledge about the industry and she realized she may be able to solve her own makeup dilemma. By 1998, with the fruits of Patel’s knowledge and the partnership of her sister Priti Patel along with her best friend, Monal Patel, Vasanti Cosmetic was conceived. Since its initial debut with just three products, the visionary cosmetics line has soared remarkably, “And we now carry over 100 colours in over 14 different product categories,” says Priti.

Vasanti Cosmetics’ top selling product Wonders of the World Concealer in “O2” targets dark under eye circles. “We just got tired of dealing with ‘raccoon eyes’ caused by wearing the wrong colour concealer,” explain the women of Vasanti. “This is a unique formula and shade that actually counteracts the darkness and blends into the skin tone to give a natural look without looking grey.”

Vasanti also axes the ashiness with their Face Base powder foundation. “Our Face Base does not contain any titanium dioxide which is the ingredient found in most foundations that causes the dreaded ashy [look],” reveals Priti. “Women still look like themselves and still look very natural.”

Apparently, it was not women alone who noticed the cosmetic conundrum amongst yellow-toned women. Kama Maharaj recognized the need for a cosmetics line which would cater to the cosmopolitan nature of the Caribbean woman for whom the choices available were very limited. After completing a series of stringent testing and formulation, Maharaj and his team created a range of makeup products for women with yellow undertones. Sacha Cosmetics is a brand of crossover cosmetics that covers the grey areas often overlooked by mainstream brands. “We focus on skin tones and not ancestry, and operate with a philosophy that the world is made up of one people, but with different complexions,” Mohammed explains.

Sacha Cosmetics says their biggest challenge was developing a line of foundations to perfectly match today’s diverse skin tones. “The ‘white’ and ‘black’ lines attempt to crossover by darkening or lightening their foundation shades [but]…they start with the wrong undertones,” explains Mohammed. This leaves women with lighter tones often looking artificial and women with darker tones looking ashy especially under strong lighting. “We worked on getting these middle tones right,” says Mohammed, “then lightened and darkened to accommodate both ends of the market.”

Aside from cosmetic lines targeting yellow skin tones specifically, companies striving for skin-conscientious products are also accommodating of yellow skin tones. Cover FX Skin Care products were born after much research and development, beginning in February 2000, with products tested on 1500 patients with very sensitive skin. Dr. Graff, along with Jenny Frankel, chemical engineer and former formulator for MAC cosmetics, and Dr. Neil Shear, chief of dermatology at Sunnybrook, developed Cover FX Skin Care products to fulfill the need for “natural looking, natural feeling products with SPF, no oil and no fragrance in a wide range of skin tones.”

This colour cosmeceutical brand is amongst the first of its kind to appear in the market, providing healthy makeup to protect the skin of those making investments in skincare products. With its global shade palette, Cover FX accommodates all ethnicities, and Graff says, “In fact, if we find we are missing colours we will create more,” adding, “Why shouldn’t all skin tones be equal in choice of foundation colours? We are an ‘inclusive’ brand not an ‘exclusive’ one!” To simplify finding ones’ foundation shade, Cover FX uses the Colour I.D. card – a guideline on how to choose the colour best suited to you.

With fresh competition popping up around them, mainstream cosmetics companies are stepping up their own game to make the yellow skin tone sales. Carrying over 150 brands in-store and over 250 online, Sephora is the hotspot for new trends in the makeup market amongst brands like Benefit, Bare Escentuals, Cargo and Nars. Whyte is familiar with the array of customers coming through her store and the way brands are adapting to this market. She believes that the U.S. opening of Sephora in 1996 has given the company, “great practice in accommodating this diversity well before coming to Toronto.” Sephora has opened doors for Canadian customers with the introduction of brands, such as Paul & Joe and Sue Devitt, which have a wider selection of foundations matching yellow undertones.

While some transformation in the market has occurred, Whyte says it’s not market-wide and rather, brand-specific depending on the demographic being targeted by certain brands. With its multitude of products, Sephora offers complimentary makeup consultations to assist customers in finding the right foundation based on their tone and skin type.

All cosmetic companies do agree that brown skin is not a trend – it’s a growing demographic, which requires specialized products and care to bring out its radiance and not simply “cover up”.

And it’s important to do your own research to avoid those disappointing makeovers with chalky cheeks and unflattering eyeshadows that just don’t look right. With the right foundation and products, there is no limitation to the colours women with yellow undertones can wear. Despite the colour of the season, colour itself is always in, so celebrate your yellow skin tone – after all, every woman should be able to put her best face forward.

_{WORDS JAYANI PERERA
PHOTOS NRANA}

For more information on the cosmetics companies mentioned, please visit:
www.sephora.com
www.vasanticosmetics.com
www.sachacosmetics.com
www.coverfx.com