Since the beginning of my career as a makeup artist, I’ve worked to broaden the conventional definition of beauty. My Pretty Powerful campaign features women of all ages, colors, shapes and sizes. And there’s a whole section of my book Makeup Manual dedicated to diverse beauty.

Recently, I took part in a story called “United Colors of Beauty” that ran in the October 21^st issue of BE Magazine (a popular French monthly). In the piece, I offer makeup advice for women with different skin tones and recommend products that work best to enhance their unique beauty. –BB

“UNITED COLORS OF BEAUTY”
Par Alice Elia
PUBLISHED IN BE MAGAZINE October 21st issue
Photo: Imaxtree, DR.PACKSHOTS: Nathalie SANCHEZ

Here’s a reprint of the article translated to English:

BE France- Makeup for Different Ethnicities

What are your top beauty tips for black women? Asian women? North African and Middle Eastern Women?

Asian Women

Eyes: Use a lighter shade all over the eyelids with a medium shadow over it for a soft contour.

Cheeks: Sweep a nude pink blush high on the cheek bones.

Lips: Asian women have beautiful full lips so have fun experimenting with saturated colors. Deep reds tend to look great on Asian women

 
Black Women

Eyes: Shimmer is a great way to dress up eyes. I recommend trying a shimmery brown shadow. Apply the shadow a little stronger than you’d like, and then soften it with a powder puff.

Cheeks: Try a plum blush or bronzer for an instant pop.

Lips: Most black women have gorgeous full lips. To play up their shape I recommend blending a rich brown lipstick with a bright brownish red shade. Sheer lip shines are also a great way to add color without overpowering your face.

North African and Middle Eastern Women

Eyes: Try a deep eye-shadow shade like navy, chocolate or gold that will accentuate your eyes. Stay away from overly bright colors that might look too harsh.

Cheeks: Use a golden or coral blush and use Shimmer Brick for a lit-from-within glow.

Lips: Accentuate lips with a raspberry or honey lip color.

What are your tops tips to help improve the texture of skin? For black women? Asian women? North African and Middle Eastern Women?

Asian women are often concerned about sun spots. To prevent them, use a daily moisturizer that contains SPF in the mornings, and a brightening cleanser that helps even out the skin tone. Foundation or a touch-up stick can be used to camouflage any visible sun damage.

Black women tend to have many variations in their skin tone — darker across the forehead and lighter on the rest of the face. To even out the skin, I recommend using two different foundation shades on these areas.

North African women tend to have more visible darkness under the eyes. A peach toned corrector helps to correct darkness under the eye, while a yellow-toned concealer brightens the entire eye area.