Ladies, this was one special, special evening. Despite the jagged start to the day (it was a work day, after all), the evening promised to unfold into something truly special since I was invited to meet the legendary Iman as she introduced her new Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup collection.

When I first walked into the room, I was spellbound — just like one of Alfred Hitchcock’s leading men by an Ingrid Bergman or some such enchanting creature — when I saw Iman in person. Of course I had always seen and admired her in pictures and fierce pinups, but the impact of the real life experience is stronger than espresso. Make that a doppio moment.

Byron Barnes did this model’s makeup. Skin envy!

Iman spoke about how hard it’s always been for women of color (or even women who don’t consider themselves “of color” but are not Irish pale either) to find and use a really true liquid foundation. So she created the Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup Enriched with Minerals line to make millions of women happy. And myself, ecstatic.

What does this line include?

The latest product to join other foundations and mineral makeup in the Iman collection is her new oil-free Luxury Radiance Liquid Foundation that has natural plant extracts and is souffle light. It comes in three shades perfect for women of color, in degrees of Sand, Clay and Earth. It comes in a total of eight shades (all variations on the three themes).

I am Byron’s Muse…and he can’t let go of his foundation brush….

The collection also contains a Cover Cream and Powder Makeover. It also has a high-def luminescence for a really radiant Avatar-esque glow.

Byron Barnes, Creative Director and Makeup Artist extraordinaire for Iman Cosmetics did my makeup and helped me find my perfect shade, and he himself has noted how difficult it is finding the exact shade of foundation for Indian complexions because of the skin’s yellow undertones.

He used the Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup in Clay on my skin and used the foundation under my eyes as concealer first and then all over my skin. Then he dusted my skin with Mineral Powder. Take a look at my skin following the transformation. Pretty incredible, eh?

I guess the most powerful – the emotional aha moment – was me grasping how intrinsically different foundation needs to be for women of color. As someone who has tested more foundations than a Maybelline focus group, I latched on for years to my liquid foundation provider of choice — Prescriptives. When that line when under, I was heartbroken because the Custom Blends were no more. They were like black and white photograph-filled albums: a thing of the past.

Is finding the right foundation shade an issue? Not so anymore, and I am grateful.

Charu Suri

Disclosure: a sample was given to me for editorial consideration

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