Growing up, I didn’t have a mom who taught me about makeup. She didn’t wear much herself, so I had to figure it out on my own. And to be honest? I was terrible at first. It wasn’t until college that I stumbled across my first makeup tutorial by It’s MyRayeRaye on YouTube. I felt like I was behind the curve, watching other girls who had already mastered the art. But I was learning—about skincare, tone matching, proper makeup removal, and more.

This was just one of many lessons I had to figure out by myself. And if you’re an adopted Black girl, you might relate. So, let’s talk about it.

Skincare Matters

I had no idea what my skin type was until I walked into Ulta and Sephora and started experimenting. Turns out, I have oily skin, and water-based gels are my best friend for maintaining healthy moisture. If you’ve struggled with finding the right products, let me save you some time:

• For oily skin – Water-based gels like Farmacy and Neutrogena Hydro Boost work wonders.
• For dry skin – You’ll want something more hydrating, like Tatcha. I believe they have a dry moisturizer.

Makeup Basics: Where to Start

You don’t need a ton of products to get started—just a few essentials. And please, clean your brushes after each use (trust me, your skin will thank you). Here’s a simple beginner-friendly kit:

• Primer: e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer
• Eyebrows: e.l.f. Eyebrow Tint in Taupe Brown
• Concealer: e.l.f. Camo Concealer in Tan Sand
• Foundation: Too Faced Born This Way or Fenty Eaze Drop Skin Tint
• Contour: e.l.f. Cream Contour Palette
• Eyeshadow: ColourPop Neutral Palette
• Mascara: Fenty Beauty (my holy grail!)
• Setting Powder: Revolve Banana Setting Powder
• Blush: e.l.f. Blush
• Setting Spray: One/Size Setting Spray
• Lips: Topicals Lip Balm + any gloss for a nice glow

If you pick up any of these, let me know how they work for you! I never want us to feel left out of lessons we didn’t get to learn early on. So, let’s teach each other. We’re all growing into amazing women, and we deserve all the resources to shine.

With love,
Teish