Nothing looks more beautiful on ebony skin than an array of complementing chocolate tones. Peruse through your makeup bag for lush, brown eye shadows, foundations, bronzers and lipsticks. We’ve hooked up with Malika James, Janelle Monae’s makeup artist, to give you tips to not only achieving the artist’s flawless face, but also how to create your own natural glow.
As with any look, you must prep with a moisturizer, first. “I prep Janelle’s skin with La Mer Hydrating Infusion, but for people who can’t afford that, they can use Cetaphil. It’s really good and it’s really practical. It hydrates really, really well,” James explains.
You may not need a full face of foundation, so take a cue from James on how to even your tone. “I mix a little of her moisturizer first and then we use concealer just on the places where she needs it. I go over it with mineral powder. When I do use foundation, we use the Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation.”
Next, figure out just how multi-faceted your products really are. “Sometimes I’ll take a foundation and use it as her eye shadow, as well. We even use MAC Studio Fix as an eye shadow." James says to stick with “just basic browns” and “try to make it so that you can use one product for multiple things.”
Pay particular attention to your brows to really elevate your earthy look. “We use a MAC eyebrow pencil called Spiked,” James reveals. “We don’t really tweeze them, but if we do, we just take a little off the bottom to keep it even.
James finishes Janelle’s look with Taj Mahal blush by NARS and mixes it with bronzer. “I start at her earlobe and sweep across the bottom of the cheek and then and I put the Taj Mahal at the apples of her cheek. Iman makes a really beautiful Bronzing Powder in Clay.

(Photo: Gregg DeGuire/PictureGroup)