3 Powerful Makeup Tips for Older Women of Color

One of the most common questions that I receive from the community is when Ariane and I are going to do a makeup for older women video for women of color. Well, the wait is over! Today, Ariane will share her makeup tips for women of all skin tones.

Margaret Manning:

My guest today is Ariane Poole. She is a professional makeup artist and a great friend of Sixty and Me. Welcome to the show, Ariane.

Ariane Poole:

Thank you for having me. It’s nice to be here.

Margaret:

It’s great to have you here. Every time I tell our community that we’re going to be speaking with you, I receive a lot of questions. One topic came up recently that I wanted to discuss with you.

We are a large community with representatives in a 150 countries. We have women of all skin tones and ethnicities; women of color, Asian women and we love them all! They asked us, “Why don’t you do a makeup demonstration with a woman of color?” I just wanted to get your thoughts on that and how, if at all, it would differ.

Ariane:

The techniques that I’m showing you are applicable to women with all different skin tones. The only thing you have to change, depending on your skin tone, is the shades that you choose. For example, the makeup I use for demonstrations is for a medium tone, but that doesn’t mean that I’m expecting everybody out there to use it as well.

What I try to do in our brief sessions, is to show you how to choose a product and how to apply it to your skin. It really doesn’t matter what your skin tone is. I do makeup on every skin tone out there, and I absolutely love it. There is no skin tone that is more of a challenge than another. We’re all exactly the same.

Margaret:

We all have wrinkles.

Ariane:

It’s absolutely true. We all have the same concerns and issues. I’ve gone for work and talks in a lot of countries like India, Australia, the US, Japan, Hong Kong. I’ve found that women everywhere have similar issues. The techniques that I’ve showed you are all the same. The only thing that you need to do is choose the colors that are right for your skin tone. That’s all.

Margaret:

I think that women of color and Asian women have a wider range of colors that they can use on their skin. In your business, you have had experience with different ethnicities, haven’t you?

Ariane:

Absolutely. I’ve done makeup on lots of different skin tones. Not that long ago, I was in India doing makeup for women. I taught them a different style of makeup than what they’re used to, and it really was well received.

I’ve done makeup for people like Naomi Campbell’s mother, Iman and Beverly Johnson, who’s a very well-known model in the US. There are lots of women with all skin tones that I’ve made up, and I love every single one of them. For me, it’s great to help every woman to look the best and the most beautiful that she can.

Margaret:

Is there anything at all though, that would be different?

Ariane:

There are a few things. For example, some Asian women have quite dark circles underneath their eyes. They should be choosing peachy apricot colors for that area. If they use anything that has got too much of a pink tone in it, it’s going to make their under eyes look ashy and they won’t like that.

If they go to a makeup counter and try on a light shade of concealer to get rid of the dark circles, they’re going to come away thinking, “Ugh, I don’t like that.” I would go for something that has a peachy, orangey kind of shade. It would really get rid of the dark circles.

When you’re putting it on you might think, “Oh my gosh, she’s gone crazy.” When you see the results though, you’d go, “Oh, she was actually right.”

Margaret:

I think that’s because Asian skin is quite delicate.

Ariane:

Yes, they do. They have very delicate skin and that darkness underneath comes through. Using these peachy colors is a great way of hiding the darkness. I have had huge success on so many weddings. Asian weddings are like a feast for my eyes—I absolutely love the colors and everything.

Ladies of African-Caribbean darker skin could achieve a Smokey eye if they use a mix of navy blue with black, rather than just the black. Black makes their eyes look ashy. What’s really interesting is that you can achieve the desired effect by mixing the colors up a little bit. It’s really a personal choice which shades to use. There is something out there for everyone. The tips and techniques that I’ve explained work on every skin tone.

Margaret:

This is fantastic. I would like to add that Ariane does a lot of workshops and different events in the UK. If you are a woman in our UK community—a woman of color, Asian or any ethnicity at all—get in touch with me on the website, and I’ll connect you with Ariane. Perhaps we can hook you two up, take some pictures and put them on the website. I would really, really love that.

Ariane:

I would love that, too. It would be fantastic. There’s lots of things going on all the time. As a matter of fact, I’ve got a whole list. I’ll send them to you, Margaret, and then you can give them out to your community and see if we can get some people on board.

Margaret:

Wonderful! After we launch this video, whenever there is an event going on, regardless of location, we can let you know who is interested to attend. Thank you so much, Ariane. You were perfect. Thanks again for today’s question everyone, and thanks again, Ariane. I appreciate it.

Do you have to use different makeup techniques based on your skin tone? Which of Ariane’s ideas would work on you best? Please join the conversation.