null Skip to main content
Creating my own foundation for dark skin in Australia

Creating my own foundation for dark skin in Australia

Posted by Saji on 3rd Oct 2019

Hello My Dears!

Fresh out of grad school I moved to Australia from the United States and was immediately struck by the lack of options I had for cosmetics over here as a person with dark skin. More specifically, foundation was a problem. A big problem. I had gone from the land flowing with milk and honey to a virtual desert (dark skin makeup desert, that is). Luckily, I had brought my makeup with me. It would last about 6 months.  I was safe...for a while...and then what?  Fortunately, I was going to visit home the following year. 

I went home with an extra suitcase with the intention of fulling it to the brim with makeup, which is exactly what I did. When I got back to Australia I felt smug and happy as I unpacked my suitcase of goods. I thought of how I could get my friends and family back home to ship me makeup whenever and needed it for the rest of my days in Australia. But one day I was struck with a thought and it ate away at me. I had to get the relatively small amount of makeup I wanted from the other side of the world. How inconvenient is that? How unfair is that?  Furthermore, imagine that Australians with dark skin have been living like this since...well...the beginning. There wasn't a time in this country when it was any different.

So I thought, why not help bring this makeup that is used so often by dark skinned individuals in America (e.g. African Americans) to fellow dark skinned Australians? This way, dark skinned Australians would have more options than having to buy expensive foundation.

But one day, I was looking at a foundation of mine that I brought back from the United States. I had always considered it to be a good match for my skin tone. But for some reason that day I took a look at it and thought, if I could make my own foundation, I would make the color custom match my skin even closer. Then it hit me.  Why not?  Why not make my own foundation? How hard could it be? So I began making preparations.

As a molecular biologist, I am no stranger to laboratory work and research Making cosmetics is a fun blend of science and the beauty industry. It is also an art, as I have come to find out. I am getting a kick out of creating foundation from scratch. This is certainly one sure way to overcome the lack of foundations available to dark skinned individuals in Australia -  make your own!

First I came up with a pigment blend that matched my complexion and then I used it to create the foundation. That did not happen overnight. Trial and error. Trial and error... 

My results have been good--nice, smooth coverage, and good shine control. Definitely matte. I even wear it to work and while going out.  Additionally, it was a surprise for me to find that at the end of the day, there was much less shine on my face than there usually would be when I wear my store bought foundation! 

Certainly off to a good start.