Finding Color for Women of Color

 
Walking down the line at any given makeup counter reveals an abundance of colors and shades. But even with all the selection, a vital part of most makeup lines is missing: shades dedicated to women of color.
 
It was for that reason Yolanda Webb began E’LON Cosmetics. A former model and celebrity makeup artist, Webb is familiar with mixing her own makeup.

“The marketplace doesn’t recognize the diversity that exists in our skin tones.” Webb says. “I developed my product line to provide an alternative for women of color — but women everywhere buy and wear the brand!” She explains that most makeup lines only carry about seven mainstream shades, leaving out the 20-plus shades that actually exist!
 
“Those were the women of color who could never find a foundation or powder to match, and who, like me, were mixing and matching colors. I thought that was absurd,” Webb says.
 
The unusual name for her cosmetic company is actually her daughter Sascha’s middle name. She says it means “strength” in Hebrew and “vigorous spirit” in French. Sascha was born premature while Webb was living in Japan (she has also lived in France and Italy) and Webb’s housekeeper would say Sascha had “elon” as she was fighting for her life. Webb is proud to report that Sascha is now 23 years old and a new mother herself!
 
 E’LON Cosmetics is a full skin care line offering foundation, powder, eye and lip color, skin care and bath and body. There is a separate line for teens called TWISY and even a skin care line for men!
 
Webb says that one challenge women of color face is finding products that still keep their color once they are applied to skin. Most other cosmetic lines rage from 20 to about 60 percent pigment, whereas E’LON cosmetics are 99 percent pigment. “Essentially, this means the colors you see will be the color you get,” Webb says. Adding all that extra pigment gives the makeup an added bonus: It stays on all day. Another great thing about E’LON Cosmetics is that they contain jojoba oil, which discourages the growth of bacteria on your skin and contains several vitamins to help keep skin looking its best!
 
E’LON’s latest addition to the family is an eye cream that lets you get caffeine from more than your coffee in the morning! Wide Awake contains caffeine that helps work out your morning puffiness. Another new hot item are jojoba-based lip glosses called “Lip Slicks.” But their best sellers still include perfectly-matched foundations and powders, nourishing eye creams with jojoba oil and cucumber, and “Veil Primer,” a moisturizer with — yes, jojoba oil!