Victor Scotti · Unblended

Beard care for Black men from a licensed cosmetologist — the once-a-week wash, the cream, the oil, and the comb that stopped the irritation. I'm a licensed cosmetologist with a coarse, tightly curled beard, and this is the routine I actually run: beard shampoo and conditioner once a week rather than daily, a beard cream on wash days and midweek when it feels dry, an unscented shea lotion to spot-treat dry patches, a hair, scalp and beard oil for shine, a detangler brush for longer beards, a microfiber towel instead of terry, and the oil-infused wooden comb and brush I switched to after a metal pick irritated my skin. Most of this list is aimed at the skin under the beard, because that's the part that complains first. Creator Partner with The Beard Spot — the kit was gifted, the oil is my own.

My everyday makeup routine for deep neutral, combination skin — skincare prep, complexion shades, and setting sprays I actually use, with shade names. I'm a Black genderqueer makeup artist with deep neutral, combination skin, and this is the full list I reach for daily: gentle cleanser and hyaluronic acid prep, two primers used in zones, corrector and concealer shades that don't leave a grey cast, drugstore and high-end setting powders, and both a matte and a dewy setting spray. Skin stays dewy and honest, and one zone gets pushed bold and matte.

Travel makeup and skincare for deep neutral skin — cleanser, toner, SPF stick, serum primer, cream face palette, pressed powder, lip pencil, and gloss. Most of what I pack does more than one job, because bag space is the only real constraint when you're packing makeup. My whole base comes out of one cream palette, a serum stands in for primer, my rosewater is both toner and mid-flight rehydrator, my setting spray adds shine while it sets, and the palette doubles as a lip base under a Chestnut pencil. Skin stays dewy and honest, and one zone still gets pushed bold and matte — eleven products, nineteen jobs, one bag.

The makeup brands that get deep skin tones right, with formulas that are hard to mess up — what I use from each and why it works. I'm a Black genderqueer makeup artist with deep neutral, combination skin. Every brand here earns its place two ways: the shade range genuinely goes deep enough instead of stopping one step short, and the formula is forgiving — sticks and fluids you can build, correctors in more than one undertone, sunscreen without a white cast, and setting products that don't turn the skin grey. Grouped by what each brand is actually best at, not by price. Some links are affiliate links; I may earn a commission at no cost to you.