enty Beauty by Rihanna has been one of the most anticipated brand launches of the year. Rihanna is revolutionizing the foundation game by boasting a range of forty shades, appealing to the brands core values of inclusivity and equality. Fenty Beauty prides itself on cruelty free products ranging from contour pallets to highlighter, but the real game changer is the emphasis on the darker shades of foundation. Rihanna says, “Gotta represent for my girls and we come in all shades! Especially my brown sisters…been left out too many times in the makeup world!” Unfortunately, the makeup industry caters more to those with a fair complexion and those with a hint more melanin are historically left in the dust when it comes to that perfect shade. Rihanna’s goal was to challenge that and make a brand where all women feel beautiful, comfortable, and accepted when they search for their foundation match. Fenty Beauty was released on September 7th and almost all products immediately sold out when they became available online. Plus, on the website many of the products are modeled across a variety of skin tones to give potential customers an idea of what the product will look like on their complexion. Looks like Riri did her sisters justice because the reviews have been nothing but positive.
The products that are currently available are brushes, highlighters, foundation, concealer, lip color, and contour. As you might notice, the brand gives a lot of attention to skin based items as they have not come out with anything for eyes or brows, and their lip color selection is limited. Rumors floating around say that an eyeshadow pallet is headed our way, but we may have to wait a little while longer for that one. Rihanna wanted the first wave of products to be focused on the beauty of diversity.
The range of foundation shades is not the only revolutionary element to this brand. Rihanna recruited models that highlight the
mission of Fenty Beauty. The stars of the campaign include Slick Woods, Duckie Thot, Halima Aden, and Leomie Anderson to name a few. Not all of these women are household names (yet) but they certainly bring out just what Rihanna was looking for. Slick Woods is known for her edgy, androgynous look which brings an element to the brand not typically seen in beauty campaigns. Rihanna made sure to include ladies of every background as fans excitedly saw model Halima Aden rocking her Hijab and Fenty face across campaign videos. Rihanna did a stellar job advertising the brand and representing her mission, but hey it’s Riri, are we even surprised she rocked it?
After hearing about all the hype, I had to put it to the test for myself. Going in, I really wanted to like this product because of what went into its creation and the company’s ideals, but I tried to set that to the side and review the brand unbiasedly. 
Because the product that has been generating the most buzz is the foundation, that is what I decided to try. I went to Sephora and picked up my shade (130 Warm) and anxiously rushed back home. I am not a huge foundation person because I typically feel as though it cakes on my skin, but I am happy to report I was pleasantly surprised by this one! The foundation matched my skin tone perfectly and it went on smoothly and weightlessly. It felt like a part of my face, not a mask. I thought it was too good to be true, but nope, Riri won me over. It lasted through the day and never caked around the corners of my face or oxidized after hours of wear. This foundation makes me want to run back to Sephora and load up on Fenty products. I can confidently say Fenty Beauty is the real deal. 10/10 Rihanna, thank you for making my face look like I haven’t just taken midterms in all my classes.
Fenty Beauty is pretty much goals—from the packaging to the mission to the actual quality. Rihanna has made women from every background feel beautiful, and for that she truly deserves an award. I’m thankful we have people like her to keep the beauty industry moving forward to a more diverse future. The labels don’t lie, Fenty Beauty: Beauty for Everyone, and Rihanna has just won the game. *drops mic*
Image courtesy of Sephora, Evening Standard, Fenty Beauty, and Tell Tales