When beauty influencer Darcei Giles first tried a popular cushion foundation by Korean makeup brand TirTir, she knew it was not going to match her skin tone — but that was the point. The Toronto-based creative is known for her social media series, ‘Black Girl Tries’, where she attempts makeup styles, techniques and products that aren’t typically associated with Black women — from “goth” makeup to K-pop idols. “I made a video of myself being like, ‘Hey, this is an awesome foundation, the coverage is beautiful and I love it, but it doesn’t come in my shade,” she tells Unbothered over Zoom. Giles, who has a keen interest in Korean culture, says the video led to TirTir creating more foundation shades, going from nine to 40 shades last year. TirTir now offers one of the widest shade ranges among K-beauty makeup brands available in the US and UK. Now, Miss Darcei has finished working with another K-beauty brand, Parnell, on an inclusive 40-shade range for its new Cicamanu Serum Foundation — a move that not only reflects her growing influence but also the undeniable spending power of Black beauty consumers in the West.
