Hyperpigmentation and acne scarring are two of the biggest battles Black women face when it comes to skincare. If you've ever wondered why some areas of your skin are darker than others or why your pimples tend to leave dark spots, it's because of all of that beautiful melanin. Hyperpigmentation usually occurs when there's an excess of melanin and it causes the patches of skin to become darker than the surrounding skin.
While you can get on Google and research all the ways to treat hyperpigmentation, it can be a process. Sometimes we're looking for a quick fix and that's where color correcting comes in. Color correcting is the simple process of evening your skin tone before you apply your foundation. Color correcting/concealer helps you cancel out dark or red spots and helps improve the overall look of your foundation. The color-correcting colors range from green, orange, red, and peach and depend on your skin tone and the problems you're looking to solve. Read on to check out our Black girl's guide to color correcting.
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Orange Color Correctors
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Orange color correctors are good for people with dark skin tones looking to cover dark spots and dark circles. For a real-time example, check out how Cydnee Black applies her color corrector here.
Recommendations:LA Girl Pro Concealer & MAC Studio Finish Skin Corrector
Red Color Correctors
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Red color correctors help cancel out dark spots on deep skin tones. Sometimes finding the right red color corrector can be hard, but Khloe Dosh reminds us when it doubt, red lipstick is another option. Check out her tutorial here.
Recommendations:Maybelline New York Master Camo by FaceStudio Pens & Huda Beauty Demi Matte "Boy Collector" Lipstick
Green Color Correctors
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Green color correctors are great for eliminating redness on all skin types. Since green neutralizes the color red, it helps reduce the appearance of zits, pimples, and other red marks. It can help you cover dark spots on lighter skin tones too, if you mix it with a yellow or peach concealer. Check out how The Beauty Maine applies green concealer here.
Recommendations:NYX Professional Makeup HD Concealer Wand & Tarte's Limited-Edition Color-Correcting Palette (It's an all-in-one palette to correct discolorations, contour, and brighten skin with six shades.)
Peach Color Corrector
Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
Peach concealers are for light skin tones looking to cancel out dark circles and spots. A dark pink and salmon color work well for lighter skin tones as well. Check out how Vilma Martins color corrects her skin with peach concealer here.
Recommendations:MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter Pen - Peach Lustre & NAKED SKIN Color Correcting Fluid
Do’s and Don’ts of Color Correcting
- Do choose the right hues for your skin. Your color corrector will be most effective if you find the right tone.
- Do apply color corrector to your problem areas ONLY.
- Don't use colors that you don't need. For example, if you don't have redness in your skin, then a green color corrector wouldn't be for you.
- Don't use too much color corrector, more is not always merrier! Keep in mind that you still need to apply your foundation and concealer. Too much product will make you look caked up.
- Do use a beauty tool to blend your color corrector. I prefer a Beauty Blender but if your fingers work, then knock yourself out. Be sure to tap the area to blend instead of sweeping motions.
- Don't worry about coverage, that's what your foundation is for.
- Don't use it if you don't have any acne scars, redness, or dark spots.
Want to talk more about beauty, wellness & self-care with like-minded women? Join the xoTribe members community today to start your glow-up journey.
Featured image by Krissy Lewis/xoNecole
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The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
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When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
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When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
Courtesy
Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
Join us in celebrating HBCU excellence! Check out our Best In Class hub for inspiring stories, empowering resources, and everything you need to embrace the HBCU experience.
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