Fenty on the Brain

Rihannas+makeup+line+Fenty+carries+a+wide+range+of+products+for+all+skin+colors.

Julia Drayson

Rihanna’s makeup line Fenty carries a wide range of products for all skin colors.

Liv Chai, Staff Writer

A-list celebrities have a history of dipping their feet into markets outside of their professions. Some ventures are more low-key than others — Venus Williams has her own interior design company, Sandra Bullock is in the food business, George Clooney holds Casamigos Tequila and Gwyneth Paltrow has her quite unique wellness, beauty and clothing company, Goop. Perhaps, then, it is no surprise that Rihanna — who already has had a successful history of a perfume and fashion line — would dabble in the beauty industry with her new makeup line, Fenty Beauty.

The launch party was this past Thursday in Brooklyn, and the whole Fenty Beauty collection was officially available in stores the following day. Fenty Beauty first debuted at the Spring/Summer 2016 Fenty x Puma collection with the pink holographic lipstick that was seen backstage. The first Instagram post was publicly made by the Fenty Beauty account in August, and since then, fans have been able to see a diverse collection of shades modeled by women of all skin tones. They each donned a clean face and a dewy look thanks to a bright highlight and glossy lips. With 20 products, 40 shades of foundations, 20 shades of cream contour and highlight, 10 shimmer sticks and six highlighters — just to name a few of the essentials — the most striking has to be the “Universal Lip Luminizer.” It is supposed to get girls kissed more, according to Rihanna, with its warm pink and luxe gold flecks, which is quite reminiscent of the iconic Orgasm shade by NARS.

Rihanna is working with Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy, the parent company of Marc Jacobs Beauty and Kat Von D makeup. It is no surprise as many makeup brands are linked with one another — Kylie Cosmetics is created by Spatz Lab, which is Colour Pop’s same manufacturer. In other words, the makeup industry is all connected. On top of working with the luxury French conglomerate, Fenty Beauty is also exclusively being launched in Sephora in the U.S. and Harvey Nichols in the U.K., and big names already back the new line.

So is this another celebrity brand name on a beauty line? Rihanna told Harper’s Bazaar that “diversity and inclusivity are important to the brand,” and it took two years for her to achieve that — so  it is not just another makeup line with a celeb-induced buzz. It is a line focused on the basics, complexion and juicy lips. There is something quite captivating about the simplicity of Fenty Beauty in the midst of the star studded beauty scene. Rihanna promises a higher bar for celebrity ventures and beauty lines in general.

Email Liv Chai at [email protected].