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Makeup that actually flatters medium skin tones
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s e h a r
Finding makeup that doesn’t wash out medium skin or oxidize into orange has taken me years of trial and error. These are the foundations, blushes, and lip products I’ve kept coming back to…the ones that look like skin, melt in instead of sitting on t...
Sections
4
 
The Base
 
Eyes + Brows
 
The Cheek
 
The Lip

The Base

Foundation is where most medium skin tones get betrayed…too pink, too pale, or oxidizes by hour three. These are the ones that stay true and let your skin still look like skin.
 
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The most skin-like finish I’ve found. Looks like nothing on, lasts all day.
Vanish™ Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
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Sheer, glowy, never cakey. The “I just have great skin” foundation. Shade: III or IV.
Vital Skincare Complexion Drops - Atelier II - 1oz/30ml
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My everyday. SPF built in, no white cast, evens out without covering. Shade: ST10 or ST11.
Tinted Moisturizer & Skin Tint | Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 | ILIA Beauty
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When I want more coverage but still glow. Shade: Stromboli or Syracuse.
Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation | NARS Cosmetics
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Brightens without going ashy. The under-eye savior. Shade: Tone 5 or 6.
Revealer Concealer
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Buildable, affordable, doesn’t oxidize. Shade: 250W or 290W.
Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation
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When I don’t want full foundation but need evenness + sun protection. Shade: 35 or 45 for medium.
SunnyDays™ Tinted SPF 30
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Mix it into foundation for instant glow, or wear alone. Shade: 4 or 5.
5 Tan: Hollywood Flawless Filter Makeup: Face Illuminator | Charlotte Tilbury
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in Translucent Medium Deep. The version made for us. Doesn’t flash white in photos, doesn’t go ashy.
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder | Finishing Powder
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Eyes + Brows

Medium skin tones look stunning in warm browns, bronzes, and rusts…these are the ones that don’t disappear or look muddy. Brow products included because the wrong shade can throw off everything else.
 
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Warm rusts, bronzes, and burgundies that were made for medium skin. The palette I’ve fully hit pan on.
Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette
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in Medium. Same logic as the lipstick, the Medium version is what works for our depth.
Pillow Talk - Luxury Palette Of Pops - Pink Glitter Eyeshadow | Charlotte Tilbury
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in Medium Brown or Soft Brown. The brow pencil that doesn’t go red-toned. Shade-matching brows is everything.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz 0.08g (Various Shades) | Dermstore
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The clear-ish brow gel that holds without crunch. My brows have never looked better.
Brow Sculpt Gel
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Lengthens without clumping, doesn’t smudge under eyes. The clean mascara that actually works.
MakeWaves® Mascara
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The Cheek

Medium skin can take more pigment than people think. These are the blushes and bronzers that actually show up without looking chalky or muddy.
 
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in Joy or Hope. The blush that started a whole movement, for good reason. A dot is enough.
Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
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in Petal or Poppet. Cream blush perfection. Melts into skin, looks lit from within.
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick - Petal - ORIGINAL
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in Cheeky or Beverly Hills. The one I keep in my bag. Sheer, foolproof, looks like a flush.
Flush Balm
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in Sundae or Suntide. Cream bronzer that doesn’t go orange on warm undertones. Worth the hype.
Sun Melt
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For when I want it to actually last. The cream + powder layering trick is everything.
Major Headlines Blush Duo & Dual-Ended Brush Set
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in Dim Light. Soft-focus finishing powder that doesn’t go ashy on medium skin. The flash photo savior.
Ambient™ Lighting Finishing Powder
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The OG. On medium skin it shows up as the perfect peachy-pink flush. Powder version, classic for a reason.
The Orgasm Collection - Blush, Lip Gloss, Illuminator | NARS
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in Splash or Burst. Sheer, cooling, gives a “just walked in from the cold” flush. Great for summer.
Cooling Water Jelly Tint
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in Medium or Medium Deep. Splurge-worthy. Never muddy, never orange. The bronzer I save for important days.
LES BEIGES Healthy glow bronzing cream 390 - Soleil tan ... - Chanel
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The Lip

Medium skin tones get to wear basically every lip color, but these are the universally flattering ones…the “what lipstick is that” shades.
 
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Hazelnut
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Anastasia Beverly Hills Velvety-Matte Precision Shaping Lip Liner - Auburn
Ashburn
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Cinnamon
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Mocha
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The cult classic for a reason. Warm nude that actually shows up on pigmented lips.
M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick - MAC Cosmetics
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The original is too pink for medium skin; Medium is the version that was made for us.
Pillow Talk Beautifying Lip And Cheek Secrets Gift Set | Charlotte Tilbury
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in Mood or Cherry. Lipstick-balm hybrid. The texture is unmatched.
Signature Lipstick
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in Raspberry Jelly or Toast. Glossy, hydrating, gives a flushed-from-within look.
peptide lip tint
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in Berry or 012 Rosewood. The tinted balm that adjusts to your lips. My everyday.
Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter: Hydrating Lip Treatment | Dior
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in American Woman or Walk This Way. When I want a full lip moment that doesn’t dry out by lunch.
Powermatte: Long Lasting Lipstick | NARS Cosmetics
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in Jelly or Pucker. The clean girl lip combo. Slick, sheer, never sticky.
JuiceBalm Vegan Tinted Lip Balm Treatment in Drink
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Overnight lip treatment. The reason my lipstick applies smoothly the next day.
Agave Nighttime Lip Therapy - Lip Lab
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in Honeymoon or Pout. The tinted oil that actually has pigment. My current obsession.
Shade Slick - MERIT Tinted Lip Oil
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The cool-toned pink nude that works on warm-medium skin. Counterintuitive but trust.
MAC Mehr Lipstick
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Glossy without stickiness. The “my lips but better” formula.
Lawless Forget The Filler Lip Plumping Line-Smoothing Gloss in Cherry Vanilla
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When the moment calls for a real red. Stays on through coffee.
Fenty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored or Uncuffed
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