When Rihanna set up her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, she went ALL out. And finally, after teasing us for weeks with her effortlessly cool marketing campaigns, two days ago I got my hands on it when it launched globally at Sephora and Harvey Nichols. RiRi didn’t just launch a lip gloss or some highlighters, no, she did what she does best, she slayed – I mean, she’s launched with over 80 products! The collection includes an incredible 40-shade foundation range, 30 highlighting and contouring sticks, brushes, a universal lip gloss, and the list goes on – shook would be an understatement. This is unlike any celebrity collaboration we’ve seen before, this is a range for EVERYONE, with a ton of products that are super inclusive.
I mean, I might be slightly biased because I LOVE Rihanna – I bought her entire Fenty Puma collaboration – but it’s not just the full spectrum shade range that’s amazing, there are some seriously BOMB products too! So here are my first thoughts:
What it is: A full collection of makeup that caters to “all skin colors, all undertones, from all countries.” The collection encompasses a foundation with a 40-shade range, one primer, two makeup brushes, three portable makeup brushes, one makeup sponge, one universal matte powder, ten shimmering highlighting sticks, 20 shades of matte contouring sticks, six powder highlighters, blotting paper, and one universal lip gloss.
What I liked: The foundation was good, and I have so much respect for the effort she put into her killer shade range. The only drawback for me was that I had to build the foundation to reach the full coverage that I like, but this is Rihanna’s collection and her skin is flawless, so of course, it makes sense she would launch something more lightweight. I loved the primer, it felt super smoothing and hydrating, so it worked really nicely for my slightly drier skin, and it kept my makeup in place all day. I was super impressed with the highlighters, I had to practically wrestle Confetti off some of my team – it’s such a pretty ethereal shade, and I think it will look soo gorgeous on fairer skins. That’s another thing I like, it’s not just the foundation or contour sticks that works with all skin tones, you can tell Rihanna’s worked hard to create highlighters for different skin tones. I’m obsessed with the foundation brush, it looks so pretty I might just keep one on my makeup table for display, but it did a great job at blending out my foundation too, so I’ll definitely be trying it with other formulas.
What I didn’t like: Overall the packaging was pretty, but I just expected her unique and playful style to be reflected in the product design and packaging – after all, RiRi is the queen of funk and trend-setting fashion! The contour sticks didn’t work for me, I found them a bit dry, and they were quite hard to blend – I’m yet to find a contouring stick, or even a palette, that I want to use. I have mixed reviews of the Killawatt powder highlighters: I really loved Hustle Baby, which is a stunning rose gold shade that will suit so many people. But, I found the dazzling gold shade, Trophy Wife, to be way too intense for my personal taste – I just can’t imagine using it on my cheeks unless I was going to a festival, but it would make a stunning eyeshadow!
My recommendations: If you like to keep it more natural, her foundation ($34) is something you should try, but if you love to go bold, her bright gold Killawatt powder highlighter in Trophy Wife ($34) will give you life! I’m dying over the peachy-toned Trippin highlighter shimmer stick ($25), and I’m super impressed with the quality of the foundation brush ($32).
My verdict: I was psyched for this launch, and even though I wasn’t sure what to expect, the final result and global launch was on another level, even if it wasn’t what I had imagined. Rihanna is so well known for a bold red lip, so I was surprised not to see that in the collection. There were a couple of products I could skip, but that’s also kind of what works for the collection; everybody’s skin and beauty needs are different, and this caters to people with all makeup tastes, whether it’s more subtle or bolder. She left me wanting a little more, so I’m excited to see what she drops next!
Price: The full collection ranges from $16 to $54.
Available: FentyBeauty.com
What do you guys think of the collection? We’d love to know which pieces you want to buy, or have grabbed already!