The official summer season may not be over until late September, but for many of our school-aged beauties, fall semester is upon us. With back to school shopping on the horizon, fall socials and homecomings pending, it may be time to revamp our beauty kits.
Given the state of the beauty industry and where Black beauty brands often lie, we are always in the business of platforming quality, Black-owned products. What sets many Black beauty brands apart in this inundated industry, is their intention to formulate products with all skin interests in mind.
This includes sensitive skin-safe, clean beauty, and expansive shade options for a wider audience. Regardless of where you stand in the beauty world—be it full glam queens and blush-blindness apologists or barely-there soft-glam baddies—there are a plethora of Black-owned beauty brands to choose from that offer flexible options for everyone.
From complexion to color, read below for some of our favorite products to add to your back to school hauls.
Ami Colé’s Desert Date Cream Multistick, $22
The beloved Ami Colé announced that after four triumphant years, it will be ceasing operations come September. Offering clean beauty formulas with melanin-rich skin in mind, there is no flashback or cast on their side.
While the popular lip oils are cleared from in-person shelves, they are available online at Sephora and Ami Colé’s website. A must-purchase before it goes out of business, the brand offers a range of beauty products for a flawless complexion finish.
What I’d recommend adding to your back to school makeup bag? The Desert Date Cream Multistick. Beautifully pigmented, smooth, and blendable to your desired level of opacity, this is the cheek and lip tint of my dreams.
Range Beauty Bali Face and Body Glow, $25
What’s ideal about Range Beauty, is that it is designed for acne and eczema prone skin, so we can rest assured that having some fun with these products won’t cost us our skin health. I love the Bali Face and Body Glow Oil because it gives that extra shine, sans the greasy feel or pore-clogging risks.
Whether I add it under my base to make my complexion extra-luminous, or as the finishing touch to my body care routine, it ensures the sun hits my skin just right. Currently sold out on its own website (because it’s just that good), it can also be found in Sephora.
Mented Cosmetics Skin Silk Loose Setting Powder, $25
I first became privy to this product in 2020, and it hasn’t let me down yet. Folding into my routine during a time of makeup exploration, I found this loose powder to be reliable for light finish looks, the occasional bake, and layered protection for longwear full-glam.
This vegan, cruelty-free beauty brand was designed to bring you your everyday beauty essentials, ensuring a wide range of skin tones are accounted for and catered to. Available on Mented’s website, at Ulta Beauty and CVS, the product is both accessible and affordable.
Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Finish, $27
Danessa Myricks eponymous brand is truly for the girls in every sense. Her products look flawless and feel incredible on the skin. The Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Finish blushes are so innovative; they go on creamy and provide a smooth, long-lasting wear for an air-brushed finish that looks hydrated without being shiny.
Coming in eleven impressive shades, the Myricks blurring balm provides incredible payoff, where a little does go a long way so every beauty of every hue can have vivid-looking blush. If you are looking for a buildable, beautiful finish that your skin will love, you will never go wrong with this product.
Juvia’s Place Eyeshadow Palettes, $7-38
Probably one of the OGs for the highly-pigmented beauty options on the market, Juvia’s Place offers beautiful blush and eyeshadow shades in equally beautiful packaging. With these pigments, you never have to go through the hassle of packing on the product so that it actually shows up on your eyelids.
This makeup brand caters to the Black makeup enthusiasts ensuring we have visible shades in any hue for any occasion. With options priced as low as $7 and up to $38 for the larger palettes, Juvia’s Place is an excellent choice if you are looking to gradually build your beauty kit for all of life’s colorful needs.
Fenty Skin Eaze Drop Lightweight Blurring Tint, $39
We can all agree that Fenty Beauty changed the beauty game as far as proper representation goes when it hit the scene. Since, it has been a trusted Black-owned beauty brand with copious shade options across complexion, blush, and lip products.
The Eaze Drop skin tint is one of my forever-favorite options for lightweight coverage, so much so that it has replaced my foundation. If you are a softer glam girl, or just looking for a lighter product for early morning class times and low-effort looks, this tint is all you need.