Last Thursday, Rihanna finally launched her long-awaited and much-anticipated beauty line, Fenty Beauty. Rihanna did a series of big, splashy events at New York Fashion Week to celebrate and promote the line, which actually didn’t need the added promotion because everyone is SO jazzed about it. Rihanna wore this yellow two-piece Oscar de la Renta gown to the launch. She looks amazing, right? I have to say this: 2017 Rihanna is possibly my favorite Rihanna. She is peaking right now.
Fenty Beauty is beauty for all women, of all colors, not just “pale white women” to “somewhat tan white women.” Rihanna not only recognized that there was a hole in the makeup market for a wide variety of skin colors, but she also recognized that women of all races need to know their undertones too. As she told Upworthy, during a press-availability at the launch:
“I was like, ‘Let me see something for a dark-skinned girl. Let me see something for a pale girl. Let me see someone in between.’ There’s so many different shades. There’s red undertones, there’s green undertones, there’s blue undertones, there’s pink undertones, there’s yellow. You just never know, so you want people to appreciate the product and not feel like ‘Oh that’s cute but it only looks good on her.'”
Rihanna is selling the label online, and at Sephora in the US. The prices on this stuff seem… well, I wouldn’t spend that much on makeup, but then again, I spend next to nothing on makeup. From what I’ve seen of Kardashian-Jenner branded stuff, Fenty Beauty looks pretty affordable. Personally, I would much rather buy Rihanna’s stuff than Kardashian-Jenner stuff or even Goop-stuff.
At the launch, Rihanna was also asked about how she perceives her own beauty, and she was pretty real about it: “I know if I’m in shape, out of shape, if I’ve got zits, if I’ve got dark circles. I’m not like, lying to myself, and I’m not feeling bad about that either. It is what it is. You got dark circles, I just wear more makeup.” I think Gwyneth just collapsed on a fainting couch.
This is my favorite part of this post, this “street style” photo of Rihanna in New York on Friday. I have no idea what she’s wearing but I love that she put it on and thought, “YAS!”
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and WENN.
She is gorgeous in that yellow gown!
LOVE that dress. Wow.
I know right.
She is! But those boots have to go. It’s like the strings used to tie a roast together. Not a fan. But she looks amazing other than that.
Those shoes look deeply painful tho!
She is gorgeous. I know a few people that went to the launch and bought some things. They love what they bought so far.
Made my purchase as soon as it was available and I’m super excited to get my Fenty package in the mail tomorrow! I’m obsessed with makeup AND Rhianna so there’s goes my paycheck. Weeeee!
OK Celebitchy needs to do a piece on who has bought her make up and what they think of it!
I really love Rihanna. She is so cool, but somehow unimpressed by herself. And she work work work work work works all the time. A great role model, particularly for me because we are the same age, and I remember her when she just started!
Yeah she doesn’t seem to take herself to seriously
I really WANT to like her and I used to, but does no one care about when she mocked and just skewered that girl who made her own prom dress or tried to imitate her or whatever? That was so mean and she was a massive bully using her pulpit for no reason. Please tell me I’m remembering wrong.
Urgh I was hoping no one would bring that up, It was in bad taste but I would like to believe that she has grown since then.
A great role model who is extremely racist to asian women? Or the great role model who made a video about kidnapping and murdering a woman and playing with her body while calling her a bitch? Or the role model who uses faux-bisexuality to make money? Which role model do you mean?
How is she racist to Asian women? How does she use faux bisexuality to make money?
She appropriates Indian culture like anything, from henna, to different dressing stykesr and never ever acknowledges. , there is not a single Indian/ south Asian model in her collection. And that is just what I observed.
She is just as problematic as others. This site just loves her and racism towards South Asians are pooh pooed a lot, hence it is never put on focus.
She made fun of asian women’s vaginas and said they must taste like rice cakes because her ex was dating an asian girl, she took photos of a bag of rice cakes with that girl’s glasses and earrings to make fun of her, and she has been taking photos of herself pulling on her eyes to make fun of asian faces.
That on top of being a ~princess of china~ and appropirating other asian cultures.
@Hikaru thank you, that rice cake incident was freaking disgraceful and that photo is still on her instsgram. People just give her pass for some weird reason
Really. Ugh. Honestly, I tried on her foundation and loved how well the color matched my darker Asian skin. It didn’t have SPF and well now, nope not going to buy her stuff and will return the gloss I purchased. Bleh.
She’s one of those women I look at and think that nobody should be that beautiful. It’s probably been a blessing and a curse.
Exactly! If I could look like anyone, it would be RiRi.
It’s a blessing to all of us. Deep sigh. Gazes at photos.
I’m with you, detritus. *another sigh
I agree. She is so serenely stunning.
I loved her yellow look for the event. She was also glowing and had a radiant smile in every photo. Although, I’m slightly disappointed that Jefree Star (sp?) was invited to the event.
Also, while I always said I couldn’t see myself spending so much money on makeup, I guess it’s because no one ever made me WANT to. I’m not a makeup gal, or one for beauty products period. However, Rihanna releasing 40 shades of foundation out the gate means a lot to me. Not only because she is making inclusivity and diversity a priority, but because she’s showing that it was only a matter of WANTING to make it a priority.
@HH yes. I actually am a little interested in buying foundation now that the Fenty line has come out and might have a shade to match me. I am not a pale woman and I’ve never been interested in doing all the work it takes to get foundation right on my skin (“just take these three foundations and blend them together and voila!” lol no). If Fenty has a foundation that suits me right outta the bottle, I might give in at and buy some.
Iman did it a long, long time ago. It wasn’t a great success, I don’t think many women want to spend a fortune in time and money on matching their skintones.
I just saw her Twitter pic and the promo for Fenty and she is so beautiful, it’s unreal.
Also, does Fenty mean anything? IMO that’s not such a great name? I’m not a native speaker, though, so what do I know 🙂 It reminds me of the Italian brand Fendi.
It’s her last name. Full name: Robin Rihanna Fenty.
Aaaah, thanks for this info! That makes sense, of course!
I wish I knew what to use. Lifetime acne, dark circles, melasma…..I just want concealer and foundation. I wear lip gloss or balm and that’s as far as I go. Currently not leaving house as my skin is a mess.
what really helped me with acne scars and melasma is microneedling with a dermaroller. I bought mine (1 mm needles) on Amazon for around 15 USD. I didn’t expect much but it did wonders for my skin. I did treatments every 2 weeks during last winter. Don’t do it during summer as it might make hyper-pigmentation worse. Most of my acne scars are gone and the melasma is also less visible. It’s worth a try, you can find loads of tutorials on YouTube.
I understand – same problems here, adult acne/scars/ hyper pigmentation 🙁 What worked for me was Retin-A cream. I only use it in the winter because like the treatment above, it can make you more prone to hyper-pigmentation. As well as my winter retins I also use a maximum sunscreen on my face everyday all year around.
I don’t know if you’ve already tried it but using a color corrector underneath a concealer can help. Orange, yellow and peach are the most popular to combat darkened areas. The idea of color correcting is that your neutralize the area of darkness with its opposite color; so blue discoloration is combatted with yellow, purple discoloration is combatted with orange or peach (depending on skin color) and red spots with green, etc. If anyone’s unfamiliar with it there’s videos on YouTube about color correcting and you can Google a color wheel to see what colors are opposite of one another. I use color correcting under my eyes and it’s really made a difference, concealer by its self leaves the dark areas looking grey. Hope that helps someone xo
Always, always, always wear SPF. If sun hits your dark spots/scars, then chances are they will remain dark. Vitamin C helps scarring and hyper pigmentation. So I would recommend pairing a Vitamin C treatment (creams, serums) for a night routine and SPF during the day.
Of course, it’s always better to go see a dermatologist and have a specific routine for your skin issues and type.
For makeup, try color correcting.
Red areas on skin = green colour correcting.
Purple areas on skin = yellow colour correcting.
Blue areas on skin = red/orange colour correcting.
Blend, add foundation, blend, and then apply concealer in problem areas. Set with translucent powder.
There is this Dermablend foundation with super high coverage! A little goes a looong and it’s affordable. Maybe sth for you. (Fellow acne girl here)
k i know this may be a tad out of place on a post about Rihanna’s new makeup line, but i’m sensitive to your skin woes, and i haven’t had the chance to try Rihanna’s stuff yet.
my deal is that i have insanely sensitive skin that reacts to everything and breaks out at the drop of a hat, so i’m generally leery of most foundations.
what i’ve found is this really old, classic line for makeup artists called “RCMA.” it isn’t expensive or fancy and is sold generally only online and through their own and specialized makeup artist sites; i’ve gotten mine through BeautyLish tho i might switch to CinemaSecrets as BL doesn’t have the one color i want. i learned about the line from YouTube makeupguru Wayne Goss. It is highly pigmented, similar to the Dermablend stuff, which i also haven’t tried, but still super versatile- you can really control your coverage depending on your application method. It’s pretty much the only foundation i’ve ever tried that doesn’t make me react, though you do still have to be religious about removing it correctly before bed like anything else. i layer it for spot coverage, occasionally will add an “outside” concealer for undereyes, they have nice little palettes to play with. Try it, guys, if this other stuff isn’t working for you.
Also their “No-Color Powder” is a damn miracle and ppl asked me during this summer’s heat wave how i wasn’t all greasy and shiny.
The powder is the best, period. You can find their stuff at BeautyBay, too.
I love her fashion. Her street style, her red carpet style. She seems to take risks, but be somehow comfortable and just owns it all. Love. I’ve also heard only great things from people who’ve tried her new makeup line. Seems to be of a much higher quality than a lot of celebrity lines.
Actually went to sephora and purchased foundation and gloss cos I don’t wear much make up. The foundation is light and has great coverage
That’s what my friends who’ve bought it have said. I don’t wear a lot of makeup either, so the less heavy the foundation, the better for me. I can’t handle when I can feel I’m wearing makeup, if that makes sense. So I do think I’ll give Fenty a go.
I bought it on launch day after getting someone at Sephora to colour match me. Y’all. I normally hate celeb beauty brands, but I sat there with my ginger translucent skin, getting the 6th lightest shade (not being 100 or 001 was a first) put on and was freaking out because it was that good, and I had my dermatitis disappear completely. Dropped the money instantly.
ChasingAdalia, I’m on my way – at your recommendation, this lady needs something for her ginger translucent skin as well. Of course our RiRi is the one to work it out.
You had me at dermatitis coverage! Brb!
Yes to everything you said about her style. She’s my favorite contemporary style icon. Noone else really compares to her in that area. I might check out her make-up..just because I love her style so much.
I’m excited about the range of colour in the foundation line. Those of us too pale or too dark are always left out.
I love Rihanna and she seems to just mind her own business
She is absolutely beautiful. I would buy her make up
Her fashion sense is great. She just wears what she wants it seems
Agreed. She owns what she wears and makes it look mostly effortless. A big contrast to, say, Lady Gaga who always seems so try hard to me.
Yes, she is beautiful, but the blue outfit is terrible.
Her make-up line is really amazing. Especially the foundations. There’s so many skintones represented. There are brands with similarly large ranges that begin and end with similar shades, but I’ve never seen a brand account for so many undertones. Some people were initially upset because there’s more light/medium shades than dark, but it’s not the usual shades of beige. So many of the light and medium shades are very clearly made for various Asian, ME and Hispanic skintones. There’s olive undertones, warm terracotta undertones, deep yellow undertones…it’s amazing. And she’s still planning on adding to it.
The highlighters are gorgeous too, and the blotting powder is going to be a make-up artist favourite. Works on every skintone and there’s absolutely no flashback in photos.
Personally, I feel like there were a lot of dark colors. I’m about Gabrielle Union’s shade and there were still several colors darker than me. It really did feel like there was a foundation for everyone. She made super light colors for people with albinism and the line seems to account for people with the bluest-black skin also.
There’s definitely no shades for people with albinism. People just started saying that because the lighting in the first pictures made the two lightest foundations look white, but they’re really just standard pale shades.
That’s great that her line includes such a wide variety of shades, but I have to wonder if stores will bother to carry all of them, or just continue to carry the narrowest variety that sells the best. Sure you can always buy online, but being able to test samples in-store is pretty important.
I think there’s such a void in makeup for women of color, that stores will continue to carry the shades. That’s what makes her line stand out.
I do want to try her makeup! The next time I’m in London I’ll be at Harvey Nichols.
Kudos to Rihanna for correctly using the phrase “it is what it is”. Unlike fassy who uses it to describe his relationship with his significant other.
LOL at sneaking that Fassy shade in. Nice!
As someone mentioned in fassy post, he referred to a german poem , with the line
But offcourse one has to throw ignorant shade at others ( stones) while supporting racist people themselves ( living in glass houses)
@Tan LOL yeah cause Fassy regularly quotes poetry..:-D He’s a real Tom Hiddleston!
And to think I once used to dislike this woman!!
I love that black dress. She looks amazing in it. I plan to pop over to Sephora and see what all the fuss is about.
Standard makeup sucks. I’m a super-super white woman and all makeup is either Oompa Loompa orange or I’ve-Had-Too-Much-Wine pink. I honestly cannot even imagine how any woman of color is able to find makeup that doesn’t cost $30 a bottle (if at all). Rihanna is so effing beautiful, and one of the funniest celebrities. If it wasn’t totally beneath her talent, I’d love to see her as a late night host. She’s not a “comedian” (I hate those dumb gags that ALL those men do…it’s like they’re at a 4th grade talent show), she’s just FUNNY! and engaging. But I digress. I love this woman.
Rihanna!
“Yes, Fenty Beauty Is Cruelty-Free — Because Rihanna F***ing Gets It”
https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Fenty-Beauty-Cruelty-Free-43993180/amp
Awesome! She indeed f*cking gets every level of it.
Yeah I’m excited she did this for her makeup line but she wears fur ALL the time.
It’s believed up to 100 foxes were killed to make her yellow Met Gala coat. So she might get it when it comes to what will make her extra money in the industry but she does not get it when it comes to her fashion.
I’m not a fan of her music, but I love her.
She seems so funny and I love her attitude. I also love the philosophy for her line (“… I wanted everyone to feel included”). I will definitely pick some things up and support the growth of her brand since it’s a good quality and inclusive.
And! I know it’s not so important, but the design of the packaging is seriously STUNNING.
I am loving what I’m seeing. I’m admittedly a sucker for packaging!
Yes! I love the honeycomb theme, and the way the stix click together.
She is radiantly beautiful in the yellow, but those boots make her legs look a bit ‘sequinned gammon joint’ for Christmas Eve.
Am I the only one who thinks the dress makes her boobs look wierd? But she looks great anyway.
Never fails to be bold with all those clothes! So glad she keeps pushing the norms there – some realy weird stuff but it looks good and it is so fascinating to see her in these crazy badass outfits that are like nothing else
I just bought the Fenty foundation & lipgloss yesterday and I’m loving it so far! The lipgloss smells great and is a really pretty universal shade. The foundation is very matte so you really need to moisturize beforehand, but the coverage is good and it looks pretty. ❤️
I’ve seen some Kardashian/Jenner fans bragging about how their products sold out immediately while Rih’s are still available to purchase. Rih knows how to STOCK her products and made sure they’re available for everyone to own, instead of only releasing a limited amount so it looks as if it was so popular they couldn’t keep it on the shelves 🙄
Totally. The Kardashians only produce small batches so they can create an illusion of scarcity and popularity. Rihanna actually wants people to have access to her products, which means proper quantities and keeping stock on the shelves! She doesn’t have to use cheap marketing ploys.
Her legs look terrible in that yellow dress. Well, not her legs, but more the way they look like are all trussed up for Christmas dinner. That looks painful almost, like they are wrapped up way too tight on a hot, swollen day. (And she has gorgeous legs–I’m only talking about how bad those string things look on her legs…looks ouch!)
Those kind of shoes are VERY difficult to wear without that effect unless you have, like, zero leg fat or muscle. I have a pair that tie up around the ankles, and it does the same thing – and my calf are almost all muscle. Just not a flattering look at all, despite how artistic the cut looks otherwise.
“Rihanna skin bleaching” provides some interesting results. Same for Beyonce.
How comes that the advocates of “all colours are beautiful” don’t seem to …
What are you on about?
Apparently, we’re punishing WOC for potentially giving into immense social and industry pressure to look lighter skinned, despite the fact that many of them get into Hollywood when they’re very young and impressionable, with a serious lack of autonomous contribution to their career path.
I admit I’m looking forward to it. She wears a lot of unique colors, and frankly, the high end spectrum could use more lines that cover the whole skin color spectrum. The prices are higher up, but if you’re used to purchasing Chanel or Dior, it won’t be much of a stretch.
she’s extremely beautiful, but this denim ensemble is doing her ZERO favours.
She looks like a denim jester.
Rihanna is one of those people who, as Damon Runyon said, “always looks like they’re getting a great bang out of life.” I don’t like her music particularly, but god, I love her just generally.