"As a woman of color, sometimes finding makeup is a less than ideal task. Sometimes, finding foundation to perfectly match your skin tone perfectly means going between oranges, yellows, pinks, and other colors that nowhere near compliment your skin tone. Adding in being an Asian woman can sometimes extend the confusion for products as not all brands have traditionally created products for the demographic.
However, with that being said, now with more options available than ever before, brands like Fenty Beauty and Loreal for instance, are working to ensure that they fill the void with diverse product lines. Hoping to assist with the potential makeup blunders, we spoke with six influential Asian women about some of their favorite beauty products, tips for finding the perfect foundation, and some of their favorite beauty tips:
Jenn Im
YouTube Personality
Source: @imjennim
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with finding makeup that matches your skin-tone and compliments your skin?
In the past, I struggled to find a perfect foundation for my skin tone. A lot of them were too pink for my yellow undertones. These days, I don’t have that problem because of the extended color ranges that most products have.
Have you found any brands or products that work the best on your skin? If so, which products are those?
My favorite is SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence. I’m going on five years using the product. I apply it two times a day, and I find that it’s been great at keeping the wrinkles at bay.
What are some of your must-have beauty products?
I love Colourpop eyeshadows. I love how pigmented they are and they add a great pop of color on the eyes.
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
I’m excited for bold lips and a minimal eye.
What are some of your beauty tips that you can share with readers?
Don’t be afraid to try out bold beauty trends. Life is about having fun and taking risks. At the end of the day, it all comes off so it doesn’t matter.
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Kate Ogata
Beauty and Fashion Blogger
Source: @kateogata
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with picking makeup to match your skin tone that compliments your skin?
Although I have yellow undertones, the redness around my nose can be a struggle to conceal without looking too ghostly white. I have combination skin so finding products to control my oil while also hydrating the rest of my face can be challenging.
Have you found any brands or products that work the best on your skin? If so, which products?
Since my skin veers on the oily side, I tend to avoid products that produce a dewy look. After applying Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, I mattify my face with bareMinerals bareSkin Perfecting Veil Finishing Powder. This compact does wonders! It smooths fine lines and reflects light (great for days when you know you’ll be in front of the camera). It also absorbs oil and keeps my makeup in place.
What are some of your holy grail makeup products?
It took me awhile to find the perfect eyebrow pencil shade — most appear too orange on my skin. The Makeup Forever Eyebrow Pencil in 50 Brown is on the cooler side—think charcoal hues, which matches my natural hair color. Since I’m a creature of habit, I have one shade of lipstick I wear every day: Matte Hughes Liquid Lipstick in “Committed” from theBalm. It stays put after eating and drinking and is the perfect neutral for everyday wear.
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
I’ve been really into water themed products like TATCHA’s Water Cream. It’s moisturizing without feeling sticky or greasy. It sinks into my skin while also shrinking my pores. It’s on the pricier side, but a little goes a long way. This lightweight formula will be the perfect amount of hydration throughout the warmer months.
What are some of your beauty tips you can share with readers?
I get so excited to try new skincare trends, but sometimes I go overboard. I tend to try all the trends at once which can really irritate my skin. Be sure to incorporate new products slowly into your day-to-day so you can see if they’re compatible with your skin. If you have a skincare routine that works for you — stick with it! You know what they say: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
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Jane Ko
Food & Travel Blogger
Source: Danny Solano Photography
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with picking makeup to match your tone and compliments your skin?
Foundation has always been a struggle because of the pink undertones, and my Asian skin is oily so trying to find a foundation that’ll last throughout the day has been a challenge.
Have you found any brands or products that you think work the best on your skin? If so, which products are those?
My current go-to makeup products are:
LANCÔME Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation – I prefer using a foundation brush versus a sponge to apply this foundation for an even finish.
Glossier Invisible Shield Sunscreen – to me, the best sunscreen is the sunscreen you’re willing to wear. I love Glossier’s sunscreen because it’s a gel formula and doesn’t feel heavy on my skin.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer gives great coverage without any creasing.
Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow – I’ve used this for 4 years in the inner corners of my eyes to make them pop!
L’oréal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner – I’ve used this every day for 6 years!
Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer – My go-to bronzer to define my cheeks.
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
Coral lipsticks and a dewy foundation look.
What are some of your favorite beauty tips that you can share with readers?
To make my small Asian eyes bigger, I use a felt tip liquid eyeliner to draw a cat eye, Urban Decay Sin eyeshadow in the inner corners, and false eyelashes. I also wasn’t blessed with full eyebrows, so instead of filling them in every morning, I got microblading and it’s changed my life!
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Soothing Sista
YouTube Personality
Source: @soothingsista
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with picking makeup to match your tone and compliments your skin?
I need makeup with yellow undertones, but a lot of foundations and concealers tend to have pink undertones or oxidize — so finding a good match can be challenging at times. I do feel though that in the last few years, there has been a boom in foundation options, and fewer and fewer foundations oxidize on the skin. What I am really always on the search for is a matte foundation with light coverage! I like having my real skin show through, but I also need a matte finish because I am an oily girl!
Have you found any brands or products that you think work the best on your skin? If so, which products are those?
In terms of skincare, Kate Somerville and Dr. Jart+ really get along well with my skin. If I am having a breakout, I love using the Kate Somerville Eradikate Spot Treatment. I love the whole Cicapair collection by Dr. Jart+ – it’s great for sensitive skin or irritated skin!
What are some of your go-to beauty products?
I can’t live without the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, and my highlight obsession, the Artist Couture x Jackie Aina Diamond Glow Powder Highlighter in La Peach!
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
I’m super happy the minimal makeup look is gaining popularity. I love a very light, shimmery makeup application – light face makeup, a shimmery/glittery eye, and a sheer gloss is so chic to me. To be honest, it’s a look I like year round.
What are some of your beauty tips you can share with readers?
Drink lots of water and sleep well! If I don’t do those two things, not only is my skin not happy, my makeup never looks as good. Dehydration and lack of sleep are two things you really can’t cover up!!
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Weylie Hoang
YouTube Personality
Source: @weylie
What have been some of your makeup challenges as an Asian woman?
During my early stages of playing with makeup, it was a bit challenging to find makeup to match my skin tone. My skin tone varies from light to light-medium with yellow undertones. Ten years ago when I started wearing foundation, I struggled finding the right undertone because most foundations in the drugstore had a peach/neutral undertone. Luckily today, many brands have improved their shade-range and I’m able to find my perfect match in most beauty brands.
Have you found any brands that work best on your skin, and if so, what products?
Some of my favorite beauty brands include Hourglass, Marc Jacobs, and Too Faced Cosmetics. I’m currently loving the Marc Jacobs Shameless Foundation! It’s extremely long lasting and they have so many shades to choose from.
What are some of your go-to beauty products?
Some of my go-to beauty products include my e.l.f. X Weylie Hoang lashes and my Pixi Dimensional Eye Creator Kit. These are products I use almost every day and I love that they are so affordable! As for skincare, my favorite product would be Curology. I’ve been using it for a few months now and my acne prone skin has cleared up tremendously!
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to in upcoming spring/summer months?
I’m loving dewy, glowy skin! As an oily girl, I was always afraid of glowy, dewy makeup because I thought it would break me out or melt off. However, I’ve learned that by moisturizing properly and by using the right foundation and setting powder, oily skin types can achieve dewy skin! I love the natural eye look and dewy skin combination. It looks so fresh and effortless!
What are some of your favorite beauty tips?
My best beauty tip would be to always remove your makeup at the end of the day. I used to be so lazy when it came to removing my makeup at night. I definitely saw my skin suffering because I did not allow my skin to breathe. It is so crucial to cleanse your skin and moisturize before bed. Drinking water and eating your fruits and vegetables is also a huge one! I truly believe healthy skin starts from the inside!
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Joanna Vongphoumy
YouTube Personality
Source: @jvongphoumy
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with picking makeup to match your tone and compliments your skin?
As an Asian woman, finding makeup, especially foundations and concealers with the right undertone for my skin has always been the most challenging. I find that most Asians have a yellow or olive undertone, and growing up, there has normally been lack of colors that targeted those undertones.
Have you found any brands or products that you think work the best on your skin? If so, which products are those?
Fenty Beauty is the first brand that I’ve tried where the undertone from the Pro Filtr foundation was just right. Fenty catered to all skin tones coming out with 40 shades with different undertones, so I have the confidence that anyone will be able to find their foundation shade within this line. The Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr Foundation is great for full coverage but can be a bit drying since it is matte and I normally have dry skin. I find the Loreal Infallible Foundation line is great, they have the Pro Glo (normal to dry skin) and the Pro matte (normal to oily). What’s great about these foundations is that they have a large shade range, both types give medium to full coverage, and it’s very affordable.
My current obsession, though, is the Covergirl Tru Blend Matte Made Foundation. Covergirl came out with 40 shades, making sure to target many skin colors and their undertones. Just like with Fenty Beauty, I was easily able to pick a shade off from the chart they provided. It’s affordable and the foundation feels light with full coverage and the best part is it dries to a natural finish.
What are some of your go-to beauty products?
My go-to products are: (1) Tarte Timeless Clean Slate Primer–this is perfect for people who have enlarged pores. (2) Iconic London Liquid Illuminator. I love wearing this highlight with and without foundation and it’s best applied with a beauty sponge. (3) Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil. This glides on easily onto the brows and can be used to give a natural look or your bold “Instagram Brow.” (4) MAC Fix + Spray was great for priming skin before makeup and setting after makeup, plus it can be used to enhance your eyeshadow or highlight.
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
I feel like this year it has all been about skin and skin care, having that youthful natural look. Natural or no makeup makeup has always been my favorite, it’s quick, easy, and feels nice and light. Don’t get me wrong, I love a full face make up beat, but realistically no one has time to always spend an hour doing makeup before school or work.
Faux freckles are something that I’m a fan of. I have always thought freckles were a beautiful feature that I didn’t even realize people were actually made fun of for them, so it’s nice to see a lot of people embracing that part of them. As I said before, looking youthful and natural is such a big trend this year, and freckles definitely give that look. People do faux freckles because it gives a beautiful sun-kissed look.
Another trend I look forward to for the spring and summer is the use of bright colors on either the face, eyes, or lips. Less contouring and more blush will give warmth and color back to the face. I’ve really been loving the colors yellow and orange on the eyes lately because its so fun and vibrant, and if you ever wanna keep your look simple but stand out a bright bold lip will do just fine.
What are some of your favorite beauty tips?
I always like to say less is more. Instead of two or even three layers of foundation, try one layer and spot conceal with your foundation or a concealer. This way your makeup looks fresher and less cakey. Plus it will feel lightweight and more comfortable to wear throughout the day. If you like to wear false lashes I always recommend lining both your top water line and top lash line with a black or dark brown eye pencil or eyeshadow. This is going to really blend in your flash lashes with your real lashes making it look as natural as possible.
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Chanda Stacker
Fashion & Food Blogger
Source: @pancakestacker
As an Asian woman, what have been some of the challenges you have experienced with picking makeup to match your tone and compliments your skin?
I identify as both Asian and African American and my skin tone is naturally tan with warm undertones. In the warmer months, I also tan very quickly. “Medium” shades are either too light or too dark for my skin tone, so in the past, I’ve had to mix and match. Luckily, 99% of the time I don’t wear foundation and have actually found that tinted moisturizers are best for what I need in terms of coverage.
What brands or products do you find work the best on your skin?
I’ve been using the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Gel Cream ever since it first came out a few years ago. It’s not too heavy and provides just the right amount of coverage needed for my skin. I wear the shade “Spice” (#8).
What are your must-have beauty products?
I’m a skin-first kind of gal, so I am a firm believer in skincare. A few of my favorites are Pur-lisse Blue Lotus Balancing Moisturizer and Biossance Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel. Of course, I love playing with makeup. I try quite a few products each month, but these are my standard go-to’s: Kevin Aucoin’s Celestial Highlighting Powder in Starlight, Benefit’s Bronzer in Hoola (a long-time favorite!), Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso and Juice Beauty’s Mascara.
What are some of the beauty trends you are most looking forward to for the spring and summer months?
I’ve been really into dewy, fresh-faced looks a la Nam Vo. Think glossy lids and soft pink lips. I also am very into the bright blue eyeshadow and eyeliner looks. I don’t know if I’m daring enough yet to do a full blue lid, but I can definitely do warm copper lid contrasted with a bright teal liner.
What are some of your favorite beauty tips?
Never skip the sunscreen. I wear sunscreen every time I leave the house – even if it’s gloomy out in SF — which is almost all of the time. Similarly, never go to bed without taking your makeup off! I double cleanse at night (oil and water-based cleanser) to really make sure I am taking everything off. I also highly recommend alcohol-free toners. It seems like an unnecessary step at first, but if you double cleanse, it’s a great step to reset and rehydrate skin. I wear mascara and eyeliner pretty much every day, so at night, I also make sure to give my eyes some love with eye cream to help fight against lines.
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