5 Products We Discovered After Test-Driving Pinterest’s New Inclusive Beauty Feature
According to a Pinterest study, a whopping 70 percent of people use the site to discover and save everyday looks and styles, and of all the pins that exist, 8 billion of them are hair- and beauty-related. That’s both a gift and a curse. The gift: It’s a never-ending hub of inspiration in all forms; from ways to decorate your first apartment to vintage makeup looks worth re-creating. The curse: That’s a hell of a lot of inspo to sift through, even if you’ve got the time to spare. And when you’re searching for something makeup-specific, it can be extremely difficult to find what works for your skin tone without having to scroll endlessly.
That’s really been the site’s biggest roadblock; as its popularity continues to grow, so does the need to modify search criteria. In fact, it’s a nonnegotiable for anyone with a short attention span and busy schedule. Thankfully, Pinterest pays close attention to what pinners actually want and finally gifted us with a game-changing search tool. Now, whenever you search for products or tutorials, the site automatically asks if you want to narrow down your search by skin tone. The best part is the feature is impossibly easy to use.
Simply do a beauty-related search, and at the top of the results page and under the search bar, you’ll see “some ideas we found in this skin tone range” next to four color wheels that represent light, medium, dark, and deep. After clicking on one of those, your search results are narrowed down even more.
Now, we’re not saying this new feature is perfection. As we all know, the number of skin tones far exceeds these four options, and the results are still wide-ranging. Also, if you’re looking for product recommendations, you’ll have the most luck searching the more basic options, such as “lipstick,” “foundation,” or “concealer.” We found that as we searched more niche categories, such as “under-eye concealer” and even “sunscreens,” the skin tone bar didn’t show up at all or the options were extremely limited.
Still, we consider this a step in the right direction. Though we sometimes worry that this drive toward inclusivity is just a trend for bigwig companies, we’re glad to see Pinterest joining the movement in an impactful way and hope that over time, this tool will be refined and improved upon. Until then, we’ll be test-driving it. If you’re curious as to whether it delivers or not, here are five products for “dark” skin that we found on the first page of every search:
Foundation: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Liquid Foundation
This is by far one of the brand’s most popular and top-selling products. MUFE was one of the first brands to consider the technology of smartphones and TV cameras when formulating product, and in the process, it made something that considers a wide spectrum of skin tones, too.
$43 at Make Up For Ever
Blue Eyeshadow: Colourpop Ibiza Super Shock Shadow
This is really a turquoise, but the slightly chrome finish definitely pops against darker skin, without giving off an ashy texture or look. (Unfortunately, this was one of very few options when we searched this term.)
$5 at Colourpop
Highlighter: Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter
This cream-to-powder formula is available in five different shades and made with anti-aging peptides and nourishing butters, sourced from the Amazon.
$10.95 at Physician’s Formula
Bronzer: Kiko Bronzer Powder
$16 at Kiko Cosmetics
A creamy compact made in five brown-skin friendly shades with vitamin E and argan oil to moisturize the skin as it evens out complexion.
Lipstick: Dose of Colors Liquid Matte Lipstick in Chocolate Wasted
This vegan lippie goes on as a creamy liquid and dries into a flake-free matte finish that flatters dark brown skin.
$18 at Dose of Colors
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