16 Latinx and Hispanic Makeup Brands To Scoop Up Right Now
From bold lipsticks to foundations in every shade.
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Over the past year, there has been so much to celebrate for the Latinx and Hispanic community: the release of In The Heights, the proliferation of thought-provoking work by Hispanic artists on Instagram, and the long overdue spotlight on under-represented Afro-Latina entertainers.
And with Hispanic Heritage Month coming up on September 15, there's no better time to be inspired by the diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx communities. That also applies to the beauty aisle; in fact, a 2015 Nielsen study called Latinas the "foundation" for beauty category sales. Yet somehow, it can still be a challenge to find brands that cater to all of the many different skin tones that exist.
Here's a look at some of the best makeup brands for all people of color that were also founded by members of the Latinx community. From brushes to eyeshadow palettes and foundations of all shades, with your latest beauty buys you can also celebrate those who are making a difference in the beauty industry. And if you want even more makeup, check out these successful Black-owned beauty brands, too.
Bésame Cosmetics was created by cosmetics historian Gabriela Hernandez. At age 12, she immigrated to the U.S. from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in 2004 she developed the beauty brand of her dreams. According to the company website, Hernandez "wanted Bésame to bring romance back into the makeup industry, allowing women to feel excited and passionate about their beauty rituals again."
Bring a little piece of Miami's Latinx culture to your beauty routine when you try Mia del Mar, the new makeup and skincare brand influenced by the tropical ingredients in the Caribbean. The team of Latin women behind this brand—who are all from South America—have continued to grow the line to also include eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, and blush palettes.
Founders Joanna Rosario and Leslie Valdivia started Vive Cosmetics because they never "felt truly represented by any brand out there," according to Vive's website. The Latina-owned and operated brand now sells lipsticks, liquid lipsticks, and a highlighter duo. They even have a liquid lipstick in honor of the late Tejana singer Selena Quintanilla.
In 2012, Lora Arellano, a Mexican-American celebrity makeup artist, and her bestie Dana Bomar founded Melt Cosmetics; the brand quickly went viral on Instagram thanks to their signature line of heavily pigmented matte lipsticks in bold shades. Since then, Melt has expanded to liquid lipsticks, lip gloss, lip pencils, stackable eye shadow palettes, eye pencils, highlighters, and blushes.
beautyblender the original beautyblender
A makeup bag must have, the beautyblender was founded by Rea Ann Silva, a Mexican, Portuguese, and Irish makeup artist from Los Angeles. The idea came to her while she was working on the set of the TV show Girlfriends, and it has since turned into a multi-million dollar business. Since launching the iconic makeup sponge, beautyblender has expanded to different sizes, plus foundation, primer, setting spray, brushes, and cleaning tools, too.
Growing up in Mexico, Reina Rebelde's founder Regina Merson had a makeup obsession that started after years of sitting at her mother's feet watching her beauty rituals. A former lawyer, she decided to quit her day job to create beauty products that were both bold and inclusive enough for all kinds of Latinas.Now, her line of lip pencils, eyeshadow palettes, liquid eyeliners, lip glosses, and brow products is sold in Target stores across the country.
Honest Beauty Crème Cheek Blush
Honest Beauty, an extension of The Honest Company, was created by actress Jessica Alba. Founded in 2015, the line offers skin-care products and makeup including cream blushes, mascara, liquid lipsticks, and eyeshadow palettes.
In 2009, husband and wife duo Dr. Simone Xavier and Rene Xavier Filho—a molecular bacteriologist and civil engineer respectively—founded the innovative beauty brand, Sigma, launching a set of makeup brushes that made them a household name. Now their brushes, primers, eyeshadow palettes, and more are a must amongst beauty enthusiasts.
CEO Gabriela Trujillo named her brand Alamar Cosmetics after the barrio (or town, in English) she was born in in Cuba. Her line has grown to include lip glosses, lip liners, eyeshadow palettes, intensely pigmented blush palettes, and these delicious shimmering balm-gloss hybrids.
Second-generation Mexican-American actress and social media influencer Becky G created her line to celebrate her Mexican hertiage, but future collections will honor other Latinx cultures. Blue agave, sourced from Jalisco, Mexico, can be found as a key ingredient in many of the brands products, which include a beautiful eyeshadow palette, eyeliners, brushes, and these high-quality false lashes.
Superstar Selena Gomez made waves when she launched her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, and the products absolutely lived up to the hype. This unique liquid-cream blush practically melts into the skin for the most natural looking flush possible.
You've definitely heard of Manny Gutierrez—the Latino makeup artist whose MannyMUA YouTube videos made him a household name. Now you need to know about his inclusive beauty brand, Lunar Beauty. The lip glosses are luscious, the palettes are eye-catching, and the highlighters—like this one—are heavenly.
Latina entrepreneur Christina Kelmon founded her brand Belle En Argent to honor the beauty of women in the arts (just check out the names of her lipsticks). These beautifully pigmented polishes are a surefire standout. But Kelmon isn't stopping at makeup—she also recently launched a line of skincare products with Chilean co-founder Ann Dunning called Vamigas, which uses ingredients that come from Latin American countries.
Luna Magic's Dominican-American founders, sisters Mabel and Shaira Frias, infused their line with bright, vibrant colors that really last. This matte liquid lipstick is weightless but has an arresting finish that flatters all skin tones.
Founded by Miami-based beauty influencer Kathleen Lights, this line of nail polishes is both vegan and cruelty free. Nail art lover Arianna Davis, Oprah Daily's senior director of editorial and strategy, calls it a favorite for being long-lasting while also paying homage to Lights' Cuban roots with vibrant, eye-catching shades.
Brian Underwood is the beauty director at Women’s Health. He is an award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering beauty and lifestyle for several national media outlets and previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily. His work has appeared in Woman’s Day, Life & Style Weekly, Good Housekeeping, and many more. He also serves as a member of the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and lives in New York City with his daughter.
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