Makeup is one of the popular products of the beauty industry that people of the industry involve themselves with. What has been particularly controversial when it comes to makeup products, though, is their shade range and product ingredients. The colors of products, such as foundation and setting powder, have little range when it comes to brown women. Not all makeup companies hinder themselves from taking on the challenge of creating products for women of color by making them with much detail without having customers break the bank. For the brown beauties of the local D.C. metropolitan area, here are a few handpicked companies to splurge on when creating your makeup collection.

Beauty Bakerie

Ran by an African American woman and made for women of color, these products serve as a cute bakery themed makeup line. From humble beginnings, Cashmere Nicole made this makeup line to allow women and men to feel their best through their makeup artistry. Though the shade ranges do reach the lighter side of the spectrum, there are many color variations compared to big brand names on product colors catered to women of darker colors as well. Another plus to the Beauty Bakery products is that they are cruelty-free, which means no animals are harmed within the making.

Black Opal

Inspired by the different aspects of African American skin, Black Opal created its products primarily based on the benefits it can provide for the woman of color. The makeup line’s makeup ingredients are so healthy for the skin even doctors recommend it as the product of choice when it comes to women of color. The shade range of the line allows for seamless application without the worries of receiving a dull or ashy overcast afterward. The affordability of the products is very shocking as well, For example, the BLK/OPL TRUE COLOR® Pore Perfecting Liquid Foundation is only $8.76 when most foundations cost $20 and upward. This makeup line is not only created for the benefits for skin, but also the everyday woman.

Lipmatic

Debuting back in 2014, Lipmatic has made a fast rise to the spotlight in the beauty industry for its lip products. In the ColourPop makeup, the makeup line branched out from just being lipgloss to liquid lipsticks, lipsticks, and lip liners. African American owner, Destiny Jones, created the line to ensure the products that went onto the faces of her customers were not just pretty to look at but beneficial to the places in which they applied the product. Keeping this in mind, Jones opted for her products to be of organic nature to put quality lip products on the market.

Mented Cosmetics

Created by two African American women, KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, the makeup line began as solely lipstick products due to the CEO’s feeling there were no nude lipstick tones matching the skin tone of women of color. This inspiration brought quality to the lip products and allowed the company to branch off and create various beauty products in the makeup line, such as nail polish and eyeshadow palettes. The lip products receive their quality from being vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic and cruelty-free.

Juvia’s Place

Raved and loved by beauty bloggers across the internet, Juvia’s Place is the destination spot for eyeshadow palettes. The vibrant and rich colors of the palettes allow for women of darker shade ranges to receive the same bright look to their eyeshadow colors as women of lighter shades. The African themed makeup line goes beyond eyeshadows and, also, sells highlight, brushes, blushes and lip products. The wide range of products allows for women of color to get almost all their full-face products to effectively and properly show up on their skin. Juvia’s Place gets a bonus as well for most of its products being vegan and cruelty-free.

Fenty Beauty

From singer Rihanna, Fenty Beauty has been the talk of the town since its debut of its PRO FILT’R Soft Matte Longwear Foundation giving a large 40 shade range in different colors and undertones. The makeup line was so successful with its quality in the foundation that it has branched out to create products, such as eyeshadow, concealer, setting powder, and much more. The products were created for women of all colors, but specifically with African American women’s undertones and the wide range of skin colors kept in mind. It allows for color matching of products to be more seamless while keeping the cost of the products not too outrageous.