On Thursday, Dec 7, Kylie Jenner announced the new Kylie Cosmetics concealers that will be released December 13. People are shocked because the 30 colors of the range will feature everything from very pale shades to very dark ones. To say the least, people weren’t expecting that; they never expected Kylie to introduce such an inclusive color range.
Personally, I don’t buy it: Up until now, Kylie Cosmetics has really never been inclusive. This seems like more of a marketing ploy, rather than a celebration of diversity. In fact, the one time she previously attempted to include colors for darker skinned consumers, she failed miserably.
In an Instagram post, Kylie exclaimed that she finally found “the perfect nude for darker skin tones.” But, she lied: The color didn’t complement the dark skin model (Justine Skye) at all. It actually made her look ashy. (Why does a matte color look so dry?) It seems as though Kylie didn’t care to get any input from women with darker skin.
Kylie isn’t the only one who seems to have quickly followed suit from Fenty Beauty. Many makeup brands are trying to pander to dark skin women with foundations and other makeup essentials that clearly don’t complement their skin tone.
Just last month Huda of Huda Beauty faced backlash for saying her new foundation line would be inclusive with a range of colors for all women, even teasing it on Snapchat. Sadly, when it was released, the line wasn’t that inclusive at all. The darkest shade wasn’t even dark.
That’s the swatch of hot fudge, the DEEPEST shade, versus how it looked on Nyma Tang. pic.twitter.com/ymtKM5ghtp
— Zee (@LeCocoapuff) November 13, 2017
Nah cause let’s talk about this. These are the swatches, PR box, and models they supposedly swatched on. Now the foundation is supposed to run deep enough for those darker models pic.twitter.com/vF2stNuzPE
— Zee (@LeCocoapuff) November 13, 2017
Left to right: Huda Beauty in 550R, Mac NW58, NYX Expresso, Fenty Beauty in 490, and Lancôme. pic.twitter.com/ev5Lf2D9ot
— Zee (@LeCocoapuff) November 13, 2017
Many brands love to scream about their extensive color range for foundations, but somehow they never have colors that are actually dark. And furthermore, if these brands really cared about diversity, wouldn’t they have released inclusive lines before Fenty Beauty?
In terms of actual makeup, Kylie will probably still miss the mark. It’s more than just base color; foundation and concealer shades have to take into consideration undertones. Her 30 shades won’t be enough to cover all women because they probably won’t be as perfected as those from Fenty Beauty. (Will they even be enough to prevent dark skin women from looking ashy?)
Keep in mind, Kylie cosmetics uses the same formula as drugstore company Colourpop, so her makeup isn’t as high end as the price tag would suggest.
Truth of the matter is, if Rihanna didn’t release her record-breaking 40-range foundation line, Kylie wouldn’t have released her upcoming range.
Usually, black women are the afterthought in the makeup industry, despite “spending an estimated $7.5 billion annually on beauty products” and “shelling out 80% more on cosmetics and twice as much on skin care as their non-Black counterparts.” Kylie’s inclusiveness of black women seems like a quick money grab and a last resort to gain relevance for her brand.
As a black woman, I was not impressed by this and will not be buying what Kylie is selling. Kylie finally saw that black women buy makeup in record numbers, so she thought about the potential financial gain, not so much about the need for representation and diversity.
What Rihanna did was historic; most of my life I could never find my shade. I battled between ashy foundation and foundation that was just not my color. The fact that Rihanna saw a need for a bigger range and did it in a few years is remarkable. There are brands who have been around for 50 years and still don’t have colors for dark skin people!
