Tyra Banks once said, “I love the confidence that makeup gives me.” Like Tyra, many women love cosmetics and won’t leave the house without being fully made up. Others like the thought of wearing makeup on a regular basis, but don’t have a clue to where to begin. For women looking to learn from scratch, step up their makeup game or just add a few tricks to their existing knowledge, Youtube is packed with tips and tutorials from “makeup gurus”.

While text tutorials are nice, there’s nothing like someone actually sitting down and showing you how to beat your face. This is especially true for beginners. These makeup women are the big sister or knowledgable friend you’ve never had that will show you how to do a smoky eye, apply foundation, and suggest good drugstore buys  – all at your convenience.

There are tons and tons of makeup artists on Youtube, but often the lists of notable gurus leave out the Black girls. Of course, you can learn about makeup from a woman of any color. However, if you’re looking for an expert who shares your complexion then you must check out this list of 10 Black Youtube makeup artists (with one honorable mention). It’s in no particular order and definitely not an exhaustive list, so leave a comment to let me know who else should be added to this list!

www.verysmartbrothas.com

As many of us already know, even in a predominately black community, it can be hard to find the beauty products that cater to people of color.  But what retailers fail to realize is when they ignore the needs of consumers in a minority community, they’re also hurting their bottom line.

Ad Age blogger Pepper Miller Miller points out that the growth of natural hair care products have created the multi-million dollar brands Miss Jessie’s and Mixed Chicks and have inspired the launch of several other products for kinky hair that lead the new standards for the $9 billion black hair-care business.

Despite the large numbers, retailers continue to miss the mark with the lack of diversity they put up on their shelves. Instead these products find their place in neighborhood beauty supply stores.

Miller says that the difficulties associated with finding products for women of color are the result of mainstream “planogramming.” This is a method used by retailers to stock the same cosmetics, hair and skin care products in every community. Unfortunately it falls short in stocking the desired products in black communities. Hair care for women of color is often relegated to the tiny and segregated ethnic section. Generally the section is never large enough to accommodate the demand. Instead, frustrated minority shoppers are left staring at the image of the smiling blond models in the front of the beauty section and an endless supply of cosmetics in the wrong shade.

As an explanation for this missed opportunity, retailers declare it’s too difficult to stock products using ethnic planograms and that they do not have the budget to give ethnic products national ad campaigns. They also claim that small, community beauty supply stores that sell these products at low prices make it difficult for them to compete in this market.

Miller points out that these are poor excuses from retailers. She even filed a complaint about the retailer in her community’s lack of selection. Their response? An extra foot in the ethnic section.

by Evette Brown

These Black women are controlling the board rooms at these cosmetics brands targeted towards other black women.

Walking through the cosmetics department in WalMart and other retail chains, most African-American women will notice that quality products designed for them are few and far between.  Outside of MAC, Queen Collection, and Fashion Fair, there are a select number of cosmetics lines created for black women that we are aware of and indulge in purchasing.  It might be due to lack of promotion, proper marketing, or funding, but cosmetic lines that have dedicated themselves to servicing black women are difficult to uncover; but, they do exist.  Some are retailed nationally while others are strictly available online.  Nonetheless, these six cosmetic lines for African-American women are continuing to build their niche in the billion-dollar industry.

IMAN

Supermodel Iman has evolved into a cosmetics mogul with her line, IMAN Cosmetics, Skincare, and Fragrance.  Regarded as the first cosmetics line designed for all women with skin color, IMAN was created in 1994 after the model grew tired of having to mix foundations together to create the perfect shade.  After a landmark alliance with Proctor & Gamble in 2004, IMAN is now on the shelves of mass retailers including WalMart, Target, Walgreens, and Duane Reade.  Her line is considered one of the best available for African-American women.  Iman is using her line to prove that you don’t have to walk the runways to be a supermodel. You can transform into one every day with just a smudge of eyeliner and a swipe of concealer.