Beauty & Fashion
It's 2018, and now more than ever, brands and companies are getting behind the notion that diversity isn't just a quick fix.
With brands like Fenty, Lancome, and Nars, or even brands like Too Faced who have sought to improve their shade ranges, women of color are finally getting a moment to see themselves more reflected in the beauty community. So, y'all can imagine our faces when we saw that Beautyblender — yes, the cult-favorite Beautyblender — came out with a 32-shade foundation range that seemingly left out proper shades for brown skin tones. Like, seriously.
Now, before I dive into the problems that occured, let's first give you the specifics. According to a press release, the foundation was "over 10 years in the making," and it's a "lightweight liquid whipped formula available in 32 inclusive 'blends' that cover the full spectrum of skin tones and undertones."
What's perhaps the most upsetting thing about this situation is that there was a clearly defined moment where the brand seemingly stopped caring about about darker skin colors and undertones. At max, there are maaaybe seven shades that could be considered #BrownGirlFriendly, but I'm not really sure who can use them, considering the undertones are not diverse at all.
Like, I honestly don't know a single sister in my circle who are any of those shades, especially those shades that look like they are straight up orange.
But if you don't believe me, here's what Twitter had to say about them. This person couldn't understand how we're still in 2018 and this is still a thing:
And this person made a note that browner skin tones shouldn't have to mix foundation shades in order for our skin to be pawpin' and glorious:
And before people think it was just us trippin', other groups noted the problem with the brand's "inclusiveness" as well:
Honestly, it's extremely frustrating that we still see things like this even today, but I'm not too surprised. If anything, I'm just surprised by the fact that this is a Latinx-based brand. It seems that more people are focusing on this "40 shades" hype, versus investing time and energy into the actual needs of customers like us.
Stop focusing on releasing a huge foundation line and instead focus on quality shades that actually tap into the skintones of all our chocolate sisters out there!
What do you think? Will Beautyblenders be getting your coins?
*Featured image by Beautyblender
ALSO ON XONECOLE