Your Best Makeup Colors is a new series here on The Style and Beauty Doctor aimed to help at taking some of the guess work out of choosing makeup colors for your skin tone. I’ll use pictures of celebs to help illustrate the series so when a celeb most closely matches your skin tone you can grab some ideas.
Note: The makeup I mention are colors that will go great with a certain skin tone, but aren’t the only ones you should try. They’ll give you a good idea of what colors will look best on you. Also I’ll be mentioning a lot of brands that are “internet popular” meaning that you’ll be able to check Google Images for swatches easily. This way you can still have an idea of colors and still shop within your own fave brands (drugstore, indie, department store).
Cool!
If you’re itching to see other complexions, check out: Best Makeup Colors for Every Skin Tone.
Up next is Alek Wek.
I would describe Alek’s skin tone as very deep with cool undertones. I’d also say her skin is about MAC NW55 or even darker. Check out Foundations for Very Deep Dark Skin if you’re this complexion and have trouble finding foundation in your shade. This skin tone looks best in bright, vibrant, pigmented colors with cool undertones. Don’t be afraid of brights as they may look scary in the pan, they look absolutely gorgeous on this skin tone.
If you read the Your Best Makeup Colors post on Kelly Rowland and notice the same colors are being suggested for Alek Wek it’s no coincidence. Even though the two are different skin tones, their undertones are both cool so many of the same colors work on both.
Eyeshadows (MAC–if MAC isn’t your fave brand still use this as a guide to figure out which similar colors look best in other brands):
P.S. I tried to only picked colors from the permanent line so you don’t get stuck on a color only to realize it’s sold out.
Neutrals: Twinks, Soft Brown, Corduroy, Swiss Chocolate, Mulch, Sketch, Sumptuous Olive, Satin Taupe, Handwritten, Espresso, Bamboo
For fun: Knight Devine, Purple Haze, Star Violet, Humid, Nocturnelle, Contrast, Beauty Marked, Passionate, Chrome Yellow, Bitter, Lucky Green, Swimming, Freshwater, Electric Eel, Print, Carbon, Deep Truth, Contrast, Nehru, Plumage, Atlantic Blue, Vibrant Grape, Stars N’ Rockets, Hepcat, Creme de Violet, Knight Devine
Blush: the more vibrant the better! Don’t be scared of bright blush colors, it looks gorgeous on Kelly Rowland skin.
Illamasqua: Tweak (I mention this blush so often because it’s GORGEOUS), Beg, Excite, Panic, Sin, Thrust
NARS: Angelika, Amour, Desire, Dolce Vita, Exhibit A, Mata Hari, Taos, Torrid
MAC: Frankly Scarlet, Breezy, Fever, Raizin, Loverush, Dollymix, Ambering Rose
MAC Pro: (go to maccosmetics.com for locations or call 1-800-866-6464. You don’t have to be a MAC Pro member to order) Flame Red, Azalea, Full Fuchsia, Rhubarb, Devil, Salsarose
Lips: Again, the brighter the better. For neutral lip colors, look for those with brownish-pink undertones.
Reds: MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick, Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Fiery, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté in #18, MAC Red Lipstick, MAC Dubonnet Lipstick, MAC Russian Red Lipstick
Berries: MAC Darkside Lipstick, MAC Film Noir Lipstick, MAC Desire Lipstick, MAC Rebel Lipstick, MAC Cyber Lipstick, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in #8 Belle de Rose, MAC Desire Lipglass, MAC Pop Mode Lipglass, Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss in #9 Golden Plum
Nudes (go for brownish pinks): Dior Dior Addict Ultra Shine Lipstick in Model Brown, MAC Spite Lipglass, Bobbi Brown Hot Cocoa Lipstick, Bobbi Brown Chocolate Lipstick, NARS Hustler Lipgloss
Pinks: MAC Girl About Town, MAC Viva Glam V Lipstick and Lipglass, MAC Full Fuchsia Lipstick, MAC Pink Nouveau Lipstick, MAC Lickable Lipstick, NARS Funny Face Lipstick, MAC Chatterbox Lipstick, MAC Saint Germain Lipstick, MAC Up the Amp Lipstick
Looking for other skintones in this topic? Bookmark this category: Your Best Makeup Colors.
Feel free to add your favorites in the comments! If you have questions, leave me a comment or contact me.
New Blog Post: Your Best Makeup Colors: Alek Wek http://bit.ly/gXqzOl
Your Best Makeup Colors: Alek Wek http://bit.ly/gXqzOl by @StyleNBeautyDoc
Alek is so rad! I am new to your blog and I am going ga ga on everything!
Isn’t she! And awww—thanks! Glad you enjoy :)
I’m still confused about the cool/warm undertones thing. You say that you believe Alek Wek to have cool undertones, but then you say her complexion is NW55? A MAC make-up artist once told me that the “W” in NW55 stands for warm. So wouldn’t her undertone be warm instead?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Daisy!
The W does stand for warm but the N in front of it stands for neutralize. It’s hard to explain without confusing you more, but MAC uses the painter’s wheel for coloring which is a little different, but NWs are definitely cool undertones and NCs are definitely warm undertones. it’s based on the belief that the opposite tone neutralizes the color. I’d have to type out a chapter of my old color theory textbook to really explain but it would still sound confusing…lol.
Hope that helps clarify!
Danielle, I’m still a bit confused but I’m getting there! I read one of your older posts on the Fashion Bomb Daily in which you say that warm undertones have green veins. I have green veins, but I’m similar in complexion to Kelly Rowland who is considered to be cool. In addition, I’ve used NW45 in the past, but it makes me look artificial for some reason. NC45 looks more natural. I need help, girl! LOL
Thanks for helping me out though. Maybe I need to meet you for a consultation!
Hey Daisy!
It does take some time to understand :)
You can be a similar skin tone color as someone and still have different undertones. Undertones have nothing to do with skin tone/color. Hope that helps more :)
Re: Lets talk Alex We lipliner :-) ! Which ones do you recommend? I am the exact color of a Hershey chocolate bar. My lips are plump, so I like the liner to define the lips.I currently use Mac’s Current color, but open for suggestions, especially when I want to learn how to wear the neutral lip and expand my color choices outside of berry. Thank you
Would you also explain and recommend the application for Bronzes?
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Hey Jackie!
Sure—check out this post: https://www.thestyleandbeautydoctor.com/2011/04/bronzer-101-for-every-skin-tone/ (I explain bronzers for every skin tone here). Let me know if you have more questions!
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Sure! I’d normally say to use a lip pencil similar to the color of the lipstick that way you get a defined line and it gives the lipstick something to hold onto (when you line the lips first and fill in with pencil) so it lasts longer. Some people like a darker liner look along with brighter lip colors so colors like MAC Nightmoth and of course Chestnut are popular. I like Current as well. The color of your liner depends more on the look you’re going for. I don’t personally use liner everyday (sometimes I’ll use MAC Cherry or a touch of Nightmoth along with Ruby Woo), but I do use it if I need to prolong lip color and then I use something similar to the color of the lipstick.
For neutral colors, same thing—depends on the look you’re going for like I mentioned above. But if you have pigmented lips and want to wear a neutral color and you want the color to show more “true”, apply concealer on your lips (or use something like Black Opal’s Lip Corrector) to blot out your natural lip color and then apply your nude/neutral color.
Hope that made sense…lol. Let me know if you have more questions!