Meet the Instagrammers Testing Makeup for Women of Color

When all you see is an online photo of a makeup palette, it doesn't tell you much. It's impossible to know if a new shade of eye shadow or lipstick will really look good IRL, especially since most websites use digitally-rendered swatches for darker skin tones. That's why women are taking matters into their own hands on Instagram, swatching makeup so women of color find their matches.
                                             

I wanted to create a resource to have all swatches on complexions that were more like mine in one place," says Ofunne Amaka, the woman who runs @cocoaswatches and its app, "Some people don't even buy anything before they see it on my page." Since launching two years ago, she's amassed nearly 88,000 followers eager to see how the latest launches look on deep skin and discover new brands.

Even on so many of the brand pages, I always would wonder: Where are the swatches for people who look like me?" Osase Emokpae, who founded @browngirlfriendly in April 2016, tells ELLE.com, "Why should brown girls and boys be forced to use their imaginations to figure out how a makeup product might look on us?" There's clearly a need for these online spaces–back in April when Forbes released its first-ever list of Top Beauty Influencers, of the 10 named, nine were fair-skinned.

It's definitely difficult. Sometimes I feel left out of the conversation because I'm catering to a certain market," Amaka says in regards to brand partnership opportunities, "The people that I'm helping is what helps me keep going, and validates me to keep going. To relieve that frustration for some people so makeup can be fun is a really good feeling.

Amazing! Watch how this makeup artist transforms herself

These barely-believable transformations are the work of self-taught makeup artist Courtney Hollins from Western Australia.
                                     

“I started drawing and painting at the age of four. I was always really good at art, in fact it was the only thing that I excelled in at school,” Courtney tells Be.

The 28-year-old runs her own freelance business but incredibly, has only been turning herself into comic book characters and monsters for two and a half years.

Courtney decided to do a diploma in specialist make up, but although she enjoyed the beauty looks, she found her creative side wasn’t satisfied.

With just over 2,500 followers on Instagram – where she showcases her amazing work – Courtney says some people struggle to believe her looks are real.

Her artwork is now being recognised internationally, with American makeup label NYX Cosmetics nominating her for their #FaceAwards.

She’s made it through to the top 15. To become a finalist she painted a design inspired by Mad Max which took six hours to complete!

We all know how important it is to slather on sunscreen every day (quick refresher: it's like, really important. A few dollops a day can potentially shield skin from damage brought on by the sun's powerful UV rays). But did you know that reapplying your SPF is just — if not more — crucial? Yep. According to dermatologists, you should be re-administering your SPF every two to three hours, which means that full face beat you put together early in the A.M. may get a little disheveled after the second slathering. Luckily, it doesn't have to be that way. Turns out, there are foolproof techniques to reapply your sun protection without smudging or smearing your early-morning makeup masterpiece. Here, the top six tricks, plucked from top dermatologists and makeup artists.

Here's Why I'll Never Tell Anyone to Stop Wearing Makeup

If you're even somewhat in touch with the world of beauty, you know that the #NoMakeup movement has become a powerful force. Started by celebs like Alicia Keys and Alessia Cara who have gone makeup-free on the red carpet, the trend is all about pushing women to embrace their so-called flaws. If you need further proof it's a real thing, today has actually been declared National No Makeup Day! (Here's what happened when our beauty editor tried the no-makeup trend.)

While the idea behind it is admirable, the spike of the #NoMakeup trend means that makeup-shaming has also become a thing. I've heard whispers on the NYC streets from men and women alike poking fun at those with super-bright green lipstick or a heavily painted face of foundation.

As a longtime beauty writer and editor, my personal philosophy is that you should put skin first. I find skin care—my insanely long, like 18-product-long routine—to be a form a self-care, and I feel that the better I take care of my skin, the less makeup I need to wear. But that's because I LOVE the way I look without makeup on. Honestly. When I wear heavy shadow or dark lip colors, I do not feel my best. But give me smooth AF skin (right now, I'm living and dying for IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Compact Solid Serum Foundation; it's like Facetune on crack, but IRL), a post-exercise flush across my cheeks, tweezed brows, and the barest hint of lip color (Glossier is my current fav) and I literally can't not feel beautiful.

Still, I am a big proponent of makeup in all of its forms, particularly how you can use it to express yourself. One of my OG mentors in the beauty biz has a look completely different from my own: Her raven-colored hair and razor-sharp bangs are the cool-girl antidote to my basic California girl butter blonde. But perhaps the starkest difference we have is her straight-up need for bright red lipstick, a signature look she's rocked for a decade and that I love her for.

HOW TO GET THE NO-MAKEUP LOOK—WITHOUT ANY MAKEUP

One of the best things that could ever have happened to your beauty routine? The no-makeup trend, which shows no signs of slowing down.

The idea—as seen on an increasing number of runways and worn by a growing number of celebs from Gwyneth Paltrow to Kim Kardashian—is that you’re literally not wearing cover-up of any sort. Even better: It saves you (valuable) time in the morning as you hustle to get ready, costs way less than maintaining a full cosmetics kit, and—the best part—it lets you work what your mama gave you.

1. Drink lots of water
It’s a no brainer, but Patinkin counts staying hydrated as an essential step of your beauty routine. “Think of your skin like a sponge,” she says. “When it’s dry, it’s brittle and rough, but when it’s saturated, it expands, softens, and becomes much more pliable.”

2. Befriend a good exfoliator
Skin looking dull? It might actually be totally healthy, but just covered up with layers of dead cells (gross but true). “Getting rid of those makes your skin smoother and look brighter,” promises Patinkin.

“You don’t have to be rough about the way you exfoliate, and there’s no reason to spend days looking like a phyllo pastry—using a gentle alpha hydroxy acid like glycolic or lactic will give a micro-exfoliation that leaves the skin looking luminous.” She recommends Juice Beauty’s Stem Cellular Resurfacing Micro-Exfoliant ($55) to get the job done.

3. Do some prep before you leave the house
You don’t have to reach for foundation to get that dewy look. The key is getting a handle on any inflammation. “A vitamin C or other antioxidant serum is super important in the no-makeup look,” Patinkin explains. “It reduces the inflammation we get from free radical damage like pollution or other environmental stressors and can actually help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and sun spots.”

This Cheap, Easy Scotch Tape Trick Will Give Your Old Makeup Palettes New Life

The Internet has made all kinds of information easily accessible. Now we all know that Ryan Seacrest is 5'8". We also know how to fix our makeup palettes if they ever crack or crumble—although doing anything with powder can get a little complicated. It's just a fussy medium: Not only do you need rubbing alcohol on hand—vodka probably won't work, although we haven't tried—but it takes some time to wet it, mix it, set it, and then let it dry in the sun.

That's why we're all about this new hack, which both cleans and repairs the surface of any powder in your makeup stash in just 10 seconds. Why, you're probably asking, would your powder need repair? Well, when you use your brush to pick up eyeshadow, swoosh it around your eyes, and then press that brush back into the powder, your brush is incidentally transferring the oils from your skin to your pan. These oils can mix with the powder, which eventually hardens into small, raised patches on the surface and creates a film. This makes it tough to pick up pigment with your brush. It also sounds like a recipe for a breakout to us, especially if you're dealing with powder foundation.

Then you tear it off, taking that oily-residue film with it. It's the same satisfaction of waxing, but with fewer tears—and, obviously, with makeup palettes that are suddenly like new. We're going to file this under: "Wow, we should've thought of this sooner." Still, at least someone did. And with your fresh pan of powder newly revealed, you might just find that that smoky eye is a million times easier to pull off.

This Hack Will Save You So Much Money On Your Makeup

You don't need us to remind you that makeup products can be expensive as hell. Sure, there are a ton of amazing drugstore options, but when you fall in love with a pricey foundation or eyeshadow, it's hard to not keep coming back to it.
           

You could always wait (and wait and wait...) and hope it goes on sale one day — or you could get creative. But how? Let us introduce you to the wonderful world of cosmetic refills.

The concept is simple: Many brands offer refills for items like eyeshadows, foundations, and lipsticks — and those refills cost significantly less than if you were to buy the product in its original compact or package. Are you picking up what we're putting down? Is your mind blown?

This method won't just save you money — it will also cut down on the amount of cosmetic waste that ends up in our landfills. According to an EPA fact sheet published in 2014, roughly 30% of the items rotting away in our landfills in 2014 were containers and packaging. While not all of this was cosmetic packaging, every little bit helps.

That being said, we won't deny that there's a certain luxury in having a product in its original form — the heft of a well-made compact, the magnetic "click" that a brand-new lipstick makes as it snaps shut — but for those of you looking to save some cash, buying refills instead of the original product is a great option. Ahead, check out 10 refillable makeup items that will make your makeup bag and your wallet very happy.

What happens when you sleep in make-up

You come home from a night out, eat ALL the food and all you want to do is get straight into your inviting, comfy bed.
             

However you know that you still have a full face of make-up on and really, you should get yourself into the bathroom and wash it off before it ruins your complexion and adds to your hangover the next day.

And while you may be cursing your contour palette and your fake eyelashes at that moment, it turns out it would have been worth spending those 30 minutes on your skincare routine, as the effects of leaving your make-up on overnight can be extremely negative.

According to Attn, collagen renewal stops, irritation can incur and worst of all, your crusty mascara can cause painful eye infections.

Collagen is needed to keep up looking fresh and youthful but this is halted by the presence of ‘free radicals’ on the skin.

Free radicals are the little particles from your make-up that latch onto your skin, refusing to let it breathe.

They can lead to unwanted wrinkles, clogged pores and dreaded breakouts.

“When free radicals sit on our skin at night, this can cause problems with cellular turnover since they break down collagen production in our skin,”medical aesthetician, Lauren Bound said.

“It’s important we give our skin a good wash to get rid of them and then a chance to breathe for the night."

Zits can also form from the perfumes and dyes often found in make-up products so if you're going to sleep in your full face, then make sure the make-up you're using is hypoallergenic.