The Best Foundation & Concealers For Dark Skin, Recommended By Makeup Artists

Trying to find the right foundation match as a black woman is no mean feat. No matter your complexion, mixing three different shades to achieve a finish that is just good enough is usually the norm, and it's something we've been struggling with for a while.

Even in 2019, many beauty brands still offer a limited number of shades. When they do turn their hand to a wider range, accessibility is rarely part of the conversation. Lots of darker shades tend not to be available in store and consumers are forced to shop online, taking a wild guess at their perfect match. Then there's the argument of undertone. Your range might have 50+ shades, but if the finish is ashy, what's the point?

When Rihanna debuted her Fenty Beauty line with an impressive 40 shades of foundation, with concealer to follow, the beauty world shook, and many brands got the memo to do better. Fenty's success showed that, when thoughtfully considered and not deemed an afterthought, black consumers will spend money and continue to support that brand wholeheartedly.

Thankfully, the 'Fenty effect' is helping change the experience of shopping for foundation for black women. Brands like Dior, Smashbox and Maybelline now carry up to 40 shades and MAC Cosmetics trumps them all with 60. Black-owned beauty brands like Beauty Bakerie are making waves in the industry, too. In fact, more black influencers are collaborating with companies: Jackie Aina is currently with Too Faced, Patricia Bright is with MAC and Alissa Ashley with NYX. Black women are not only being given seats at the table, they're totally owning them.

To celebrate the brands who are providing better shade ranges for dark skin tones, and to let you in on which products are worth your money, we spoke to the makeup experts.