The Beauty App Every Dark-Skinned Girl Needs

It all started with a swatch. Beauty blogger Ofunneamaka (as she styles her name) began accumulating images showcasing how makeup looks on a variety of skin tones and posting it to her Instagram account @cocoaswatches. She pulled from other beauty bloggers, tried some on herself, and posted away — soon, the account hit 22,000 followers.

"When I first started the Cocoa Swatches Instagram account, I really didn’t have a vision for what it would be or what it could be," Ofunne wrote on her personal site. "All I knew was that doing my makeup was a creative extension of [my] personality, BUT I was lacking the tools I felt I needed to properly indulge in this practice. It turns out that many others feel the exact same way."

Ofunne has taken the concept one step further with a groundbreaking makeup app focused on skin tones not commonly seen in mainstream media. The Cocoa Swatches app, which is available for iPhones and Androids, expands on the Instagram page by allowing users to scroll through curated swatches of new products, reviews, and tutorials from makeup experts.

I'm so happy to FINALLY release this news!! #CocoaSwatches is officially available in mobile app form with many added perks!!! DISCOVER new and old makeup products through the CS swatch and review system. LEARN makeup tips and tricks from makeup experts we love, who have paved the way in creating great content for underrepresented complexions. COMPARE and contrast similarly marketed products and find the best one for you. SEARCH through Instagram posts as well as new swatches in app. You’ll never have to endlessly scroll down your IG feed again! The Cocoa Swatches app is the makeup bestie you can carry in your pocket. It will help you make informed makeup purchases and let you in on whats really good with the makeup industry. The best part is , the app is free and available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices! (Edit, there's some issues with Android; will be fixed soon! ) Hope you guys love it! ❤️❤️ Just search for Cocoa Swatches in the App Store!! #CocoaSwatches #wakeupandmakeup #makeup #MakeupInspo #makeuplover #darkskinmakeup #makeupfordarkskin #beauty #beautyblogger #makeupporn #makeuptutorials #trendmood #makeupinspiration #melanin

A video posted by @cocoaswatches on Feb 29, 2016 at 10:18am PST

While other apps like Makeup Genius allow users to virtually try on makeup, this is one of the few apps that is catered specifically to users with a wide range of skin tones — without a limited range of products. It's so simple that we can't believe it hasn't been thought of before. But as we've previously discussed, for years the cosmetics industry has underserved women of color.

"It’s no secret that the beauty world has a problem with diversity. In addition to darker complexions being underrepresented in advertisements, they are also often ignored in product development," Ofunne writes. "It's really infuriating when a new foundation or concealer comes out and there is only one dark shade meant to encompass all dark complexions." We can only hope that with more communities like Cocoa Swatches, that's about to change.




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