As per the studies, Dusky Skin color is the most common skin color amongst Indians because of a few factors like genetics, and a very close distance from the Equator. Personally, I think having a dusky complexion increases the hotness quotient of the person. It sorts of elevates your features in the most unique way. Beauty Industry has classified skin tones into different categories to determine the best shades of makeup and colors for any skin.
In this article, I will help you learn about skincare, makeup, and most attractive colors for your beautiful dusky skin. Let’s begin,
What is Dusky Skin?
Dusky skin is defined as a skin tone, which is slightly darker than the wheatish skin tone, but lighter than brown-black complexion. Dusky skin is also known as ‘tanned’ skin and ‘sun-kissed’ skin. Like other skin tones, dusky skin tones also has its own set of pros and cons when it comes to maintaining it.
How to determine if you have Dusky skin?
Well, it just takes a few simple steps to determine if you have a dusky shade. Let’s get started by looking at your skin tone. Skin tones can be categorized into 4 broad categories. Fair, Light, Medium, and Dark. If you have a Dusky skin tone, you will have more production of Melanin in your skin compared to Fair and Light skin tones. So, you will have a medium complexion with a cool/warm/neutral undertone.
Now I just mentioned undertone. What is undertone? It is the shade below the surface of the skin and it can be warm, cool, or neutral. It’s good to know your skin’s undertone because it helps you make better color choices when it comes to choosing makeup, jewelry, and clothes.
Here is how you can find out your undertone:
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- Check your veins
Take a look at your wrist or forearm. If you see green-colored veins, that means you have a warm undertone. If you see purple or blue-colored veins, you have a cool undertone. And if you have a mix of both green and blue veins, you have a neutral undertone. Now, here is some additional information to help you pick the most suitable shades for your complexion.
Colors for warm undertone- Coral, brown, off-white, mustard yellow, peach, gold, olive, amber, yellow, orange.
Colors for cool undertone- White, gray, black, and mostly all shades of purple and blue like teal, lavender, rose, etc.
Colors for neutral undertone- Jade, Red, white, dusty pink, coffee, light peach, lagoon blue.
2. Check your skin’s reaction towards the sun
To determine your undertone, this is one of the easiest methods. So, if you have a warm undertone, you will easily get tanned under the sun but won’t burn your skin whereas, with a cool tone, you will burn badly but won’t get tanned easily.
FYI: People with Dusky skin tones are more prone to develop skin conditions like hyperpigmentation or Melasma and harmful UV rays will speed up the process. Do not leave the house without sunscreen. Reapply every 2 hours.
3. Jewelry test
If gold elevates and suits your complexion more than silver, then you have a warm undertone. If Silver tends to suit you more, you have a cool undertone. If gold and silver both suit your complexion, then you have a neutral undertone.
Physical Characteristics of Dusky tone
People with a Dusky skin tone have a few general physical characteristics like:
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- They usually have black eyes, brown eyes, or grey eyes.
- They have black hair, dark brown hair, or brown hair.
- Their skin color is tanned or medium dark.
These are general features, yours may differ.
Examples of celebrities with Dusky skin colour
Any drawbacks of having a dusky skin tone?
A dusky skin tone is gorgeous but has a few cons as well.
The drawbacks of a dusky skin tone are:
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- Skin with a dark skin tone produces more melanin and even a tiny cut or a bruise can leave a stubborn dark-colored mark on the skin. Why? Because when the skin cells contain excess melanin content, even a tiny trauma like cuts or burns leads them to split the melanin on the skin resulting in pigmented patches or keloids.
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- Dusky complexion is highly susceptible to vitamin D deficiency due to reduced vitamin D synthesis. A dark-skinned person requires 6 times more UVB than people with fair complexion. Also, Rickets is a condition more associated with people with dusky skin.
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- Dusky skin tone gets fewer burns because of the melanin protection but gets more tans.
Skin care tips for Dusky skin tone
If you have dusky skin tone, your skin tone is more prone to developing pigmentation, and sun tans than a skin with fair skin tone.
Here are a few ingredients which are extremely use-full for skin issues if you have a dusky skin. Embrace them in your everyday skincare routine and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
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- Serums- Ingredients like Tranexamic acid, Kojic acid, and Alpha Arbutin will help you with your pigmentation and dark spots. You can either use them in the morning or at night. They work on your hyperpigmentation and even out the skin tone.
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- Serum- Hyaluronic acid is another excellent ingredient that will work wonders on your skin. This sweet ingredient can be paired up with any other acid or serum. It instantly hydrates and plumps the skin giving it a dewy natural finish.
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- Moisturizer- Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type. For dry skin, go for a creamy and heavy texture. For oily skin, go for gel or light water-based moisturizers. Now, look for a fragrance-free moisturizer with ingredients like peptides, cica, ceramides or licorice. The right moisturized will keep your skin healthy and glowing.
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- Exfoliation- Use a glycolic acid peel, Salicylic acid Mask, or an AHA-BHA peeling solution once a week to double the speed of cell regeneration. Chemical peels go into the deep layers of the skin and exfoliate the dead skin cells and bacteria from within, giving you youthful supple skin.
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- Sunscreen– An essential step in every skincare routine. Always wear a good sunscreen with an SPF of 30-50. Reapply every 2 hours and do not step outside without sunblock. Tanning and pigmentation both get worse under the sun.
Makeup tips for Dusky women
Before applying makeup, make sure you have a flawless base of smooth skin. A flawless smooth skin comes from a strict and consistent skincare routine.
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- Before you apply foundation, always start with a primer or a tinted moisturizer. It helps your foundation glide smoothly and prevents the skin from looking cakey or rough.
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- Foundation- the shade of your foundation should match the shade of your skin very closely. A shade lighter will make your skin look ashen and a shade darker will make your skin look dark. Liquid foundations are considered perfect for being weightless and not leaving a bold matte finish on the skin. They give a dewy natural looking finish.
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- Powders- Absolutely say NO to powders. Dusky skin tones have a shine on them because of the excess sebum in the skin. Masking the shine with powder will make the skin look very cakey. Using powders is always tricky, even a little overdo can make you look grayish and ghostly.
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- Concealer- After the foundation, if you still see eye bags, acne spots, or dark spots, conceal them using a concealer that matches your undertone. You can opt for a liquid or a cream-based concealer depending on your skin type. To choose the perfect concealer for your under eye, go one or two shades lighter than your complexion. To test the shade of the concealer, try it on your jawline. A Liquid concealer gives a natural finish, and a cream-based concealer is well suited for dry skin because of the thicker texture.
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- Lipstick- Popular shades that look the prettiest on a tanned skin woman are deep red tones, corals, rusty orange, warm nude shades, browns, hot pink and dark mauve.
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- Eyeshadow- If you like to do eye shadows, Metallic gold, cobalt blue, shades of plum, maroon, berry, and burgundy are some shades that will look very rich on your skin color.
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- Eyes- People with dusky skin complexion generally have stunning black/brown eyes and thick brows. Accentuate them. Just kohl your beautiful big eyes and honestly, you don’t need much then.
Can Dusky complexion become fair?
This is one of the most googled questions about dusky skin. Dermatologists, all the skincare experts, and the FDA have strictly warned against beauty products, fairness creams, or treatments that claim or guarantee any change in skin color. There is no scientifically proven way to change the color of the skin you are born with. These harsh chemicals or procedures might alter the skin tone according to your needs but they will definitely have some adverse effects on your body. Why would anyone want to risk an already perfect skin and have uncertain side effects on their body?
Instead of trying to change the complexion of your skin, focus more on a consistent skincare routine to bring out the best physical version of your natural skin tone and to maintain a healthy glowing skin.
Hope you found the article helpful. Love~ Beauty Stroll
