Keep them Chocolate!

Highlighting deeper tones (milk chocolate to fudge skin tones) can be tricky, but it is a skillset in itself. I have fallen victim to making a mistake a time or three lol. Its ok! No one got great overnight and you can only learn from either your mistake or others’ mistakes.

Pay attention to the undertones! Not every chocolate girl has the same undertone. Some have red undertones, some have golden undertones, and some, believe it or not, have a neutral undertone. When highlighting you want to CORRECT/CONCEAL first and then highlight. If you don’t you run the risk of it coming out “ashy” or the area that was supposed to be concealed, seeping through.

The rules of highlighting are the same as on any complexion. Going 1 shade or 1 1/2 shade lighter keeps the highlight looking natural, anything brighter will give a more dramatic (I use that term not as a negative lol) appearance. When highlighting chocolate girls, you want to stay as close to their complexion as possible. Sometimes going lighter can give a more golden/yellow-y look and sometimes going too neutral can give a more “ashy” appearance. I’ve learned that foundations and concealers can look different once on the skin and once they’ve oxidized (once the product has been exposed to air). Some products are formulated to adjust slightly to the undertones of your skin like MAC’s match master. It’s ok to test products on the jaw line or on the back of your hand just to see what they look like outside of their container. Chile, I’ve done a whole face thinking that was the right shade just to beat myself up about it lol. Filters cant fix everythang lol (I wish they could tho lol).

If you notice the highlight is a tad bit too bright, take a little of your all over foundation color and blend the highlight out with that. It will help to bring it back down a little bit.

Take your time! Don’t get nervous. When I get nervous I make stupid mistakes that I feel shameful about. When I did that full face and it was the wrong shade, I tried to fix it because I knew I would be embarrassed if I wiped it off or asked her to wash her face…so I finished it, but knowing the look could’ve been waaaay better and she could’ve been poppin waaaaayy more had I just regrouped.
Regroup friend! Once you calm down, knowledge will drop into you to help you. Everything you learned and know to do will come back to you. Just calm down, You got this!

Always ask questions! Ask for pictures. Pay attention to their complexion WITHOUT makeup. Makeup should mimic skin, but with an enhancement. Most women of color are naturally lighter in the center of the face and darker around the perimeter, so your foundation should mimic that. My skin is like that. I’m super light under my eyes, it could be because I wear glasses, who knows lol *Kanye shrug*. So my highlight is a little brighter under my eyes and I like it like that! Ask your client what they like! And as an artist tweek it and make it your own. Create that masterpiece!

Below I have inserted a few pictures that I absolutely adore and believe you can use as instructions on what to do or how you can improve your craftsmanship. Thanks google lol!