Health and beauty

Shades of beauty

By Kim Francis
October 01, 2008

Make-up artist Joyce Connor was so inundated with demand for advice on the right cosmetics to wear for black and mixed race skins that, quite simply, she had to specialise.

Joyce’s experiences working as a make-up artist left her feeling frustrated at the lack of provision for darker skin tones in this country.

Her college course refused to budge from the outdated, blinkered notion that black skins suit only violet and fuschia lipstick, while she found so many cosmetic brands just simply didn’t stock the range of colours and shades to suit.

So Joyce branched out on her own to bring her vast knowledge and experience to similarly frustrated black and mixed race women in Reading and further afield.

In Style caught up with Joyce as she made over three ladies of differing skin tones, with the assistance of her daughter Hayley who styled the ladies’ hair for our photo shoot.

Joyce chose a different theme for each model’s makeover, picking out colours and textures to flatter their individual skin tones.

Joyce used predominantly Bobbi Brown and MAC cosmetics for each look due to the large range of colours available.

The focal point of Dare’s dramatic sassy evening look was a gorgeous pair of red lips that stood out against a subtly made-up face, while Rachel’s warm skin tone was enhanced with a modern ‘pop chick’ look. Natural glossy lips were the perfect foil for her show-stopping pink and yellow eyes.

Finally, Ashleigh’s pale skin was enhanced with a wearable Gothic effect, focussing on dramatic eyes and pale lips against a light base.

Joyce said: “It’s so important for people of all skin tones to experiment with their look.

“People get into a comfort zone but they should continually update their look.

“Don’t believe that you have to stick to certain colours. I’ve shown on my three models that you can be quite daring and yet create a look that is both flattering and up-to-date. It’s all about making people feel different about themselves.”

For a chance to win a makeover with Joyce's Team please see today's Reading Evening Post.

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Fantastic to hear that there is someone out there pioneering black and mixed-race make-up. Joyce's passion for it is inspiring and i will definately be using some of her tips!