African American women are beautiful. All women of color are born beautiful, but a larger percentage have made themselves even more beautiful thanks to the skilled use of cosmetics. Did you know more than 66 percent of the 18 million African American women in the United States have never put color on their faces or wear very little of those wonderful and exciting eye colors and blushes.

That means that lipstick and foundation are probably the only colors usually worn. Refined, secure black women show themselves by making a clear, natural, sometimes colorful statement to the world. Here at Makeup Success, with the art of makeup application, you will be shown many techniques of how to present your beauty.

Makeup Tips for African Americans:

1. Wash your face thoroughly with water before applying makeup. You may either wash your face with plain water only or use a face wash to make your skin dirt free.
2. Wipe your face with a clean towel and apply a moisturizer, suitable for your skin.
3. There is a wide range of foundation colors from very light to very dark. Go for the one that complements your complexion perfectly.
4. Apply the chosen foundation on your face with the help of a sponge, specially made for the product. You may also use your finger tips for the purpose. Apply a few drops of the foundation on your forehead, nose, cheeks, chin and onto the neck. Blend the drops of the foundation making gentle strokes in a clockwise motion.
5. After applying the foundation, cross-check whether it is evenly applied on the face and neck. Make sure that there is no visible line, where the make up starts and ends on your face.
6. Dust your face with a loose powder, to give the finishing touch. Use natural-bristle make up brush. Lightly brush the powder all over your face. Make sure that the loose powder you choose is coordinated with the color of the foundation neither a lighter nor a darker shade.
7. Go for a black or dark blue eye liner. Apply it on your upper eyelid. You may apply a very light layer of eye-liner on your lower eyelid as well. Allow it to dry completely.
8. Coat your eyelashes with a black mascara. Two to three coats of mascara will be needed, if it is a day time makeup. If you are wearing the makeup in the night, stick to a single coat of mascara. Allow it to dry before proceeding further.
9. Choose an eye shadow that perfectly suits your skin tone. For African American women with a medium brown skin tone, shades of mauve, brown and gray are good choices. Go for navy, chocolate and rich violet if you have darker skin.
10. Apply a warm colored blush to your cheek bones to give the final touch. Using the blush brush, make strokes across the bridge of your nose and forehead to give a natural appearance to your make up.
11. Apply a light coat of lip gloss on your lips. Make sure that the color you choose is not too bright.
12. Apply lip pencil after applying the gloss. Make sure that the lip pencil closely matches the color of your lipstick. For lipstick, earth tones, burgundy and some shades of pink are good options for African-American skin.
13. Apply the gloss once again, to give a shimmering touch to your lips.
14. Groom your eyebrows with the help of a brow brush. Make upward and outward strokes with the brush in a gentle manner.