diff --git a/js/modules/emojis.js b/js/modules/emojis.js
index 47730c2f335..c4220f1cbb3 100644
--- a/js/modules/emojis.js
+++ b/js/modules/emojis.js
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 const { take } = require('lodash');
 const { getRecentEmojis } = require('./data');
-const { replaceColons } = require('../../ts/components/emoji/lib');
+const {
+  replaceColons,
+  hasVariation,
+} = require('../../ts/components/emoji/lib');
 
 module.exports = {
   getInitialState,
   load,
   replaceColons,
+  hasVariation,
 };
 
 let initialState = null;
diff --git a/js/views/conversation_view.js b/js/views/conversation_view.js
index 1234f95d8c2..53d2831cb0c 100644
--- a/js/views/conversation_view.js
+++ b/js/views/conversation_view.js
@@ -278,6 +278,12 @@
 
       this.setupEmojiPickerButton();
       this.setupStickerPickerButton();
+
+      this.lastSelectionStart = 0;
+      document.addEventListener(
+        'selectionchange',
+        this.updateLastSelectionStart.bind(this, undefined)
+      );
     },
 
     events: {
@@ -313,7 +319,17 @@
     setupEmojiPickerButton() {
       const props = {
         onPickEmoji: e => this.insertEmoji(e),
-        onClose: () => this.focusMessageField(),
+        onClose: () => {
+          const textarea = this.$messageField[0];
+
+          textarea.focus();
+
+          const newPos = textarea.value.length;
+          textarea.selectionStart = newPos;
+          textarea.selectionEnd = newPos;
+
+          this.forceUpdateLastSelectionStart(newPos);
+        },
       };
 
       this.emojiButtonView = new Whisper.ReactWrapperView({
@@ -447,6 +463,10 @@
 
       this.window.removeEventListener('resize', this.onResize);
       this.window.removeEventListener('focus', this.onFocus);
+      document.removeEventListener(
+        'selectionchange',
+        this.updateLastSelectionStart
+      );
 
       window.autosize.destroy(this.$messageField);
 
@@ -1052,6 +1072,7 @@
     focusMessageFieldAndClearDisabled() {
       this.$messageField.removeAttr('disabled');
       this.$messageField.focus();
+      this.updateLastSelectionStart();
     },
 
     async loadMoreMessages() {
@@ -1697,24 +1718,31 @@
     },
 
     insertEmoji({ shortName, skinTone }) {
-      const colons = `:${shortName}:${
-        skinTone ? `:skin-tone-${skinTone}:` : ''
-      }`;
+      const skinReplacement = window.Signal.Emojis.hasVariation(
+        shortName,
+        skinTone
+      )
+        ? `:skin-tone-${skinTone}:`
+        : '';
+
+      const colons = `:${shortName}:${skinReplacement}`;
 
       const textarea = this.$messageField[0];
-      if (textarea.selectionStart || textarea.selectionStart === 0) {
-        const startPos = textarea.selectionStart;
-        const endPos = textarea.selectionEnd;
+      const hasFocus = document.activeElement === textarea;
+      const startPos = hasFocus
+        ? textarea.selectionStart
+        : this.lastSelectionStart;
+      const endPos = hasFocus ? textarea.selectionEnd : this.lastSelectionStart;
 
-        textarea.value =
-          textarea.value.substring(0, startPos) +
-          colons +
-          textarea.value.substring(endPos, textarea.value.length);
-        textarea.selectionStart = startPos + colons.length;
-        textarea.selectionEnd = startPos + colons.length;
-      } else {
-        textarea.value += colons;
-      }
+      textarea.value =
+        textarea.value.substring(0, startPos) +
+        colons +
+        textarea.value.substring(endPos, textarea.value.length);
+      const newPos = startPos + colons.length;
+      textarea.selectionStart = newPos;
+      textarea.selectionEnd = newPos;
+      this.forceUpdateLastSelectionStart(newPos);
+      this.forceUpdateMessageFieldSize({});
     },
 
     async setQuoteMessage(messageId) {
@@ -1853,6 +1881,18 @@
       this.debouncedMaybeGrabLinkPreview();
     },
 
+    updateLastSelectionStart(newPos) {
+      if (document.activeElement === this.$messageField[0]) {
+        this.forceUpdateLastSelectionStart(newPos);
+      }
+    },
+
+    forceUpdateLastSelectionStart(
+      newPos = this.$messageField[0].selectionStart
+    ) {
+      this.lastSelectionStart = newPos;
+    },
+
     maybeGrabLinkPreview() {
       // Don't generate link previews if user has turned them off
       if (!storage.get('linkPreviews', false)) {
diff --git a/stylesheets/_conversation.scss b/stylesheets/_conversation.scss
index 965080574d3..912d16d7ba2 100644
--- a/stylesheets/_conversation.scss
+++ b/stylesheets/_conversation.scss
@@ -292,7 +292,6 @@
     color: $color-light-90;
     border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);
     outline: 0;
-    z-index: 5;
     resize: none;
     font-size: 1em;
     font-family: inherit;
diff --git a/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts b/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
index bf869c971cd..c16d841fbbd 100644
--- a/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
+++ b/ts/components/emoji/lib.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,25 @@ export function unifiedToEmoji(unified: string) {
     .join('');
 }
 
+export function hasVariation(shortName: string, skinTone: number = 0) {
+  if (skinTone === 0) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const base = dataByShortName[shortName];
+  if (!base) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (skinTone > 0 && base.skin_variations) {
+    const toneKey = skinTones[skinTone - 1];
+
+    return Boolean(base.skin_variations[toneKey]);
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
 export function convertShortName(shortName: string, skinTone: number = 0) {
   const base = dataByShortName[shortName];
 
diff --git a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
index 3f2bb1a82f1..95be87139af 100644
--- a/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
+++ b/ts/util/lint/exceptions.json
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
     "rule": "jQuery-load(",
     "path": "js/modules/emojis.js",
     "line": "async function load() {",
-    "lineNumber": 13,
+    "lineNumber": 17,
     "reasonCategory": "falseMatch",
     "updated": "2019-05-23T22:27:53.554Z"
   },