I had to bump this thread back up! There are some wonderful products on here! I am an African-American woman also, and I have gone through some stuff looking for products and shades that compliment my skin tone. I wear everything from MAC to Wet-n-Wild. Here's the short list of what I wear:
Lips: I swear by MAC lipliner in Chesnut. This lipliner is heaven-sent! I also use Sebatian Trucco lipliner. Just like MAC, but slightly cheaper. I am into gloss now, so I wear MAC lipglass in Clear and Oh Baby. I also like lipglass in Nymphette. My favorite night look is lining my lips with the liner and filling in with the clear lipglass. Looks wonderful, gloss lasts for hours and my lips stay moisturized. Tonight, I bought 2 L'oreal lip glosses called Glam Shine-one in Diva and one in Prima Donna. They both have sheer coverage and they are very sparkly-great for a night out on the town!
I am also a lip balm junkie! What good is great lip color if your lips are jacked up? My favs right now are Carmex (in the squeeze tube), Lip Medex, Chapstick All Natural, Blistex and Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Yes...I carry all of these in my makeup bag!
Face: I use MAC Studio Fix in NW50. Awesome coverage! If I'm being cheap, I use Posner Pressed Powder in Golden Bronze. It took me forever to find a foundation, so I currently use Iman's foundation in a compact. It's ok, but I'm still on the lookout for something that doesn't feel so stiff going on my face. In the interim, I also use Posner's Compact Foundation in Golden Bronze. It actually covers better than the Iman.
I haven't found a blush that doesn't make me look like a clown yet.
Eyes: I wear either Prestige or Nat Robbins eyeliner in Black. I also use Cover Girl in Black with the smudge Tip. I wear Cover Girl eyeshadow when it moves me. I'm not really partial to any particular mascara.
I am starting to get more into makeup since I now find myself slightly on the other side of 30!
Keep sharing your favorite products!