These 6 Beauty Palettes Are Perfect For Brown Skin

Beauty palettes are a necessity as they embody efficiency, facility and individuality in neat kits … but are they designed to enhance South Asian beauty? Check out these 6 palettes that are prefect for brown skin! 

In theory, beauty palettes are an effective and remarkable way to achieve beauty looks without cramming your toiletries bag with a myriad of products. In one little kit you can find all of the shades that you need to achieve your goal … right?  Actually, the truth behind many palettes is that you will focus on one or two products which you use until you hit pan, and then the remaining shades remain unconsumed, like the strawberry ice cream portion in a box of Neapolitan ice cream.

Palettes are particularly challenging for South Asian women because more often than not the palettes are not assembled to meet the needs of the rainbow of beauty that compose the community. However change is afoot and I have found several products that enable South Asian beauties to enjoy the convenience of a palette

The first step is to define the type of palette you need:

• • Do you wish to create your own palette?
  • Did you focus on a particular beauty issue for which you need multiple colours?
  • Do you prize convenience?

Once you have the answers to these questions then you have narrowed your search considerably.

CREATE YOUR OWN PALETTE

Makeup artists, like painters, are renowned for treating their lip colours like gouaches, in which they slice various shades of lipstick into empty palettes and then transport them to various jobs. Lipsticks and thicker glosses lend themselves easily for the DIY palette because you can remove a portion of the product from the packaging and insert them into an empty palette.

I suggest creating palette using a mini pill box (available at the pharmacy) which already contains wells that help people to track their consumption of medicine. You can deposit bits of your favourite lipsticks into the wells, and then use the underside of the lid as your surface in which you can mix lipsticks using a lip brush. I love this tip because when you are on vacation, you do not want to spend time scrounging the bottom of an unfamiliar toiletries bag in a mad search for your lipstick. I also love to eliminate excess bulk, and in the event that I am visiting a warmer region, I do not want to risk damaging a full tube of lipstick by exposing it to excess heat and humidity.

A PALETTE FOR A SPECIFIC BEAUTY ISSUE: 

In this category, you will find a plethora of palettes that even skin tone and fantastic colour options. Below are my top recommendations for palettes that enhance our brown beauty.

EYES HAVE IT!

Our dark hair and eyes make for a striking combination. However eyebrows are tricky because if they match our hair perfectly, it may create a harshness around the eye area. I have seen many pairs of beautiful dark peepers overshadowed by overdrawn eyebrows that are an exact tonal match to the hair on the head.  The issue that that this beauty approach raises is that there is too much intensity in a small square area of the face and the dark eyebrows intensify the shadows under the eyes.

I suggest that you use an eyebrow product that is 1-2 shades lighter than your natural hair colour and the texture of the product should be soft, rather than waxy and hard. I am big fan of the Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder (3 intensities available) because each kit contains two shadows that are combined in the shape of an eyebrow.

The inside corner until mid arch, is the lighter shade and from mid arch to the tail, is the darker shade. The kit also includes a cleverly designed applicator. The applicator is a soft, conical-shaped sponge that you can drag across the shades to create your own bespoke one, and if you need to brush your hairs into place, just pull on the black end, and out comes a mini spoolie brush. I love how my eyebrows looked softly defined and are set for the day.

The colour options for eye shadow palettes are as vast as the rainbow. However, if you want to make a wise use of your funds, I suggest that you invest in a palette which is dominated by deeper neutrals that is punctuated with one or two bright colours. Neutrals fit any and all occasions and if the shades are deeper, they are likely to show up, rather than wash out eyelids. The presence of a few bright colours, allows you to elevate the neutral look to a fun one with a few swipes and dashes. I am a big fan of the Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Eyeshadow Palette palette because it contains a decade of shades, amongst which are neutrals which range from deep brown to purple, and bright shades such as sea green.

COMPLEXION PERFECTION

As someone who deals with colonies of brown spots on the tops of her cheeks and discolouration around the mouth, I always need at least two complexion products, typically foundation and face concealer, to even out the tone. There are times, such as on the weekend, when I yearn to spot apply concealer on my face, set with a smidge of powder and then add some colour, to achieve a simple beauty look. I am able to achieve this goal by using the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage (8 shades available), that is a duo of dry concealers, composed of a larger rectangle of a darker or lighter colour and a complimentary smaller rectangle of colour.

The texture is dry but you can add a dab of both colours on the back of your hand, and warm them with your fingers. The concealers soften and mix into a bespoke shade that can address specific areas of your face. I apply my mix by dipping my concealer brush into it and then gently tapping it on my discolouration.

Once I have covered one area, I will adjust the shade to suit the different parts of my face. For the under eyes I add a tiny dollop of eye cream to the mixture and then tap it onto my circles using my ring finger. The ring finger has the least pressure and its warmth ensures that the concealer will settle into the skin.

I continue my minimal complexion routine by setting my face by using a multi-hued powder that is designed to add glow to the face, rather than a blanket of bright coverage. The Guerlain Météorites Illuminating Compact  (3 intensities available) which contain a quartet of brightening powders that set makeup and infuse the skin with glow. I like to swirl a medium-sized powder brush across the surface of the palette and then dab it on my face, avoiding greasy areas like the nose and chin.

BLUSHING CHEEKS

Our brown skin is always enhanced by a pop of colour to bring out the cheekbones and the overall structure the face. I discovered one palette that is universally flattering in all South Asian skin tones and it is the Nars Orgasm X Cheek Palette.

The trio of shades contains the famous, peachy gold blush, Orgasm, its more intense sibling Orgasm X and the apricot, golden flecked Orgasm Highlighting Blush Powder. The warm-toned theme of this trio is innately flattering for brown skin tones, and the pigment is rich, so one application of a shade suffices. I love that darker skinned women can achieve the famous Orgasm glow by swiping on Orgasm X, and then create a highlight mixing the other two shades.  Also, fair and medium skinned women can use Orgasm blush year round, and tap into Orgasm X when they are more tanned. This palette is a must-have for South Asian beauties.

I also discovered that these powders make for an excellent trio of eye shadows when you are in a rush. I actually did my cheeks and eyes using the three powders and I was delighted by my glowing look. This palette brings me to my final category of palette…

THE ALL-IN-ONE PALETTE

The multi-functional, multi-product palette is the one which contains cheeks eye, complexion and sometimes lip products in a neat, transportable kit. This type of palette is rarely available in shades that suit South Asian women, as they are either too light or too dark. After much searching, I found a winner that is incredibly flattering for many South Asian skin tones, and it is the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette™ Gorgeous Glowing Beauty.

The palette contains three soft shimmery eye shadows that range from a deep champagne, to a Swiss Chocolate and a soft wine; all of which enhance dark eyes. The blush duo contains a deep pink and a soft champagne, which mix beautifully to create a sophisticated cheek. The highlight and bronze shades are of medium intensity and blend seamlessly into the skin. I am addicted to the palette. I created day and night looks, and the soft shimmer guarantees instant glow. The texture of the powders is buttery soft and layer easily, so you never struggle with mixing the products.

PALETTES ARE PALATABLE FOR ALL

In addition to their convenience, palettes create the opportunity for consumers to create bespoke shades that enhance individual beauty. I sometimes feel like a chemist in an apothecary, mixing and matching shades and textures to create the best version of myself.  The power of my beauty is literally in the palm of my hands when I start to play with palettes. I think if you spend time exploring palettes that you will discover the power of modern beauty.

Main Image Photo Credit: Apostolos Vamvouras/Usplash (Face); Guerlain Canada, www.narscosmetics.ca, Faulhaber Communications