A NEW FOUNDATION MAKEUP LINE FOCUSES ON LATINA SKIN.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

Finding the right shade of lip gloss just got easier for Latina women with the launch of Zalia, a cosmetic line designed just for them.

``The colors just appeal more to Hispanics - they just know the shades that go with us,'' said Cynthia Falato, a Valencia resident who got a makeover at a North Hollywood Robinsons-May store this week.

Hispanic women tend to have yellow and olive skin tones, yet most major cosmetic companies create colors that match the pinker hues common among white women, said Monica Ramirez, creator of the line. ``Those colors can make Latinas look unhealthy and unnatural,'' she said.

Even when major makeup lines reach out to minorities, it's generally just to offer darker shades, said Khaled Haram, CEO of Zalia. ``But there's a lot more to it than just being a darker shade.''

Hispanic skin tones range from very light to very dark, Haram said. Many Hispanic women also have oilier skin, Ramirez said. After working as a makeup artist in salons for more than 10 years, Ramirez said, she learned that they also dislike overly sticky lip glosses.

One of the most common complaints is the lack of colors that look good on Latina skin, Ramirez said.

While growing up, Ramirez said, she mixed and matched foundations and powders to come up with a color that looked natural on her skin tone. Now women across the Valley are lining up for Ramirez's concoctions.

``Something about the pigmentation of the lip gloss and shadow just make you stand out more,'' said Natalie Hidalgo, a Northridge resident at the launch of the cosmetic line at Robinsons-May.

``This is the first time I've seen anything specifically supporting Latina women,'' said Panorama City resident Melody Bohorquez.

The launch of Zalia will continue this weekend in Southern California and expand into Texas next week.

As the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow at exponential rates, retailers are taking note.

Hispanics account for 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, with a growth rate of 39 percent every 10 years. The annual purchasing power of Hispanics in the country is estimated at $630 billion a year. Right now, the majority of the Hispanic population resides in five major markets.

About 60 percent of Zalia customers are Hispanic, Haram said; between 20 percent and 30 percent are African-American.

The products were rolled out at Victoria's Secret stores in New York, Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles this summer. Sales in Los Angeles are exceeding projections by 15 percent, Haram said.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Zalia's creator, Monica Ramirez, above, gives a makeover to customer Melody Bohorquez, 17, at Robinsons-May in North Hollywood. Below, Zalia cosmetics stand on display at the store.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer