Foundation is an essential part of any beauty regimen, and finding the right shade can be tricky at best and a cakey mess at worst. Your True Shade Cosmetics CEO and UTech lecturer Dianne Plummer has solved the problem of erroneous shading with her chemical engineering skills, resulting in her new locally manufactured line of products. Under The Dryer gets an insight.

While attending Aalto University in Finland, Plummer found it challenging to find a foundation that offered the ideal coverage without affecting her eczema. On her visits back home she would stock up on make-up essentials to take back to Europe. “I can recall how frustrated I was when my last bottle of foundation fell to the ground; it was then that I decided to use my background in chemical engineering to create my own make-up,”Plummer shared withUTD. After experimenting and finally perfecting her shade, she then began to get inquiries and requests from friends. From this, she realised that it might be possible for her to create a business. Plummer prolonged her research and experimentation with other products, and in July 2014 returned to Jamaica to register and test-approve her products. A month later, she officially launched her cosmetic company, aptly labelled True Shade Cosmetics.

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) Ignite Grant 2016 offers a payout of $72 million with the top 10 companies being recipients of $4 million each. True Shade Cosmetics Jamaica was one of the Top 10 companies to receive the grant funding. “With the DBJ Ignite Grant Award, I was able to purchase cutting-edge equipment, which increased my production capacity and improved the overall look and feel of the brand,” shared Plummer.

The chemist recently scored an opportunity to be the official make-up brand for a Bajan film titled Borrow Freedom Fighter; and with the help of her sister and film-maker Marcia Weeks, Plummer thought it time to rebrand her company.

Since then, True Shade Cosmetics became Your True Shade (YTS). The YTS line now offers both make-up and skincare products including foundation, powders, bronzers, blushes, lip balms and lipsticks. New additions to the line include concealers, matte lip glosses, sunscreen and Moroccan clay cleansers, as well as a skin CPR kit with masks and serums. Plummer’s cosmetic line is manufactured locally with the exception of supporting products such as brush cleaners, make-up removers and brushes. “Products are currently distributed in the Cayman Islands, Barbados and Japan. However, Your True Shade aims to be the leading brand in the Caribbean, so I wanted to upgrade the branding and packaging of products so that it is aligned with my vision. I am extremely pleased with the current packaging. Our upcoming catalogue features models of a range of skin tones and highlights all our products,” Plummer shared with UTD.