Jamaica, here comes Iman Cosmetics

Nashauna Drummond, Lifestyle Coordinator

Cosmetics expert and artistic director of Iman Cosmetics, Byron Barnes, will be making a glamorous stop in Jamaica next weekend, December 7 and 8.

For two days, anne martin Cosmetics in the Mall Plaza will be the site for what Barnes calls an educational visit. "I will be imparting 30 years of experience, doing makeovers," he told Flair in a telephone interview.

He will also be introducing Iman Cosmetics' new Luxury Translucent Powder.

The silky new luxury textured powder is sheer, translucent, with a semi-matte finish that looks and feels weightless. Available in five shades, its creates an oil-absorbing shine-free look without reapplying foundation.

Barnes got interested in the world of beauty from watching his mother getting all dolled up. "My mother, Ruth Barnes, was a glamorous woman. When I was growing up, I remember sitting on the side of the tub and watching her transform herself every Saturday when she was going out with my father. My mother wasn't a plain woman but it was such a transformation and she looked so much better and her demeanour was also different. I became interested in what make-up does in transforming a woman both physically and spiritually."

He explained that skin tones for women of colour range over 36 shades with only 10 for Caucasians. "And in that 36, you have all these 10 lights," he noted, explaining why it's sometimes difficult for women of colour to find their perfect shade.

He said that a lot of products used by women of colour strip the skin of its natural oils, which leaves an ashy appearance. There are also a lot of cosmetics that contain alcohol and titanium dioxide which create dry patches on the skin.

Designed especially for women of colour, Iman products meet their specific skin needs.

Here are Barnes' tips for looking your best:

Sit with a beauty consultant and talk about what you want and not just allow them to do whatever they want.

Develop your specific look that you can do by yourself.

Have three lip colours that you love and that go with almost everything.

Well-groomed brows are essential. Not too thin, but what frames your face and suits you.

Interpret trends as they relate to you. Find what you are comfortable with.