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This beauty Instagram account is dedicated to swatching on brown skin

This beauty Instagram account is dedicated to swatching on brown skin
This beauty Instagram account is dedicated to swatching on brown skin

It’s hard to get excited about a soon-to-be-released beauty product when you haven’t seen a swatch. How the hell are we supposed to judge the pigmentation, finish, or color payoff without seeing it on skin?

Even the most expertly done swatch illustrating wet versus dry, photographed with or without flash, and compared to drugstore dupes does little to nothing for those of us with deeper skin tones. Many shades look completely different on brown skin — it can appear much sheerer, ashier, or more vibrant. It’s a total toss-up.

IG beauty account Cocoa Swatches is a hub of swatches on brown skin. We are in LOVE!

The page is a mix of original swatches by founder Ofunne Amaka and reposted images from brands who use diverse skin tones to show off new launches.

Amaka told Allure:

“As a beauty lover, it’s extremely frustrating to hear about new products but have no idea if they’ll even show up on a deeper complexion. It’s frustrating to get excited about a certain lipstick shade only to find that it’s actually two to three shades lighter when applied to darker lips or hear about a new foundation formula only to hear they don’t carry the formula in darker shades.”

Cocoa Swatches’ popularity prompted Ofunne to turn the page into an app. Users will be able to search a product and find swatches on a variety of skin tones. Pure genius! The Cocoa Swatches app is available for download now but it’s currently under construction. No worries, after downloading the app, add your name to the waiting list to be notified about the update.

Here’s to the end of the makeup junk drawer, aka the graveyard of lipsticks-way-too-ashy-to-rock.