The woes of finding make-up in Germany's small towns

It's that time of year again when many ladies I know get dolled up for the festive season. I, too get dolled up every once in a while and do love a good foundation and concealer. But the search for these two has not been easy especially if I remember how it was 10 years ago.

I recall walking into a popular cosmetics shop in Wuppertal one day after months of abstaining from using foundation (since I hadn't yet found any that matched my complexion). The kind salesman told me they had little to offer clients of my complexion since demand had always been low. But that they had been contemplating on introducing the Bobbi Brown line. Talks with management were ongoing and hopefully in about a years' time, foundation for chocolate-brown complexions would appear on the German market - the year was 2006.

Fast forward to 2016 - things have changed, but not very much.There are mainly three make up lines for women of darker complexions that you will find in most German cosmetic shops (such as Douglas).

These brands (M.A.C, Bobbi Brown and more recently, Lancôme), though arguably of good quality, are quite pricey for low-income earning clientele (especially Bobbi Brown and Lancôme) - they are not your local drug store haul.

That aside ... I am a MAC die-hard, I must say, but one day my regular supplier didn't have the NC50 that I usually use. I had a major shooting coming up in two days, so it was literally an emergency and I was almost at my wit's end (Ahem! Excuse my first world problems). I needed a new bottle of foundation like yesterday so I decided to prey on a luxury brand (Dior). I was taken aback by the lady at the till who told me that indeed Dior's dark mocha could probably match my skin tone, but that it was the only shade in her store without a tester! Schade!!

I had to prepare a trip to inner-city Düsseldorf (20-30 minutes by train) the following day. Despite my town being quite diverse, it's still quite a hustle finding certain make-up products that reflect this diversity.

Many have resorted to online shopping and shipping from the United States, the UK and Paris. The rise of social media has also made this the better option compared to face-to-face purchase. I recently discovered a Facebook group (Black Vogue: Make up for black women) all about make up. It also showcases new make up lines for people with a similar complexion to mine (Made in Sweden). However, I am quite old-school as far as buying make up is concerned - I am not one to buy a foundation or concealer without prior sampling.

Hair/Makeup: Mosisa (2012/ 2014)