Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty: Everything You Need To Know

Rihanna’s makeup is always flawless and she’s never afraid to try something new. That is why the hype about Fenty Beauty has not subsided. Rihanna has had previous success within the fashion world with ‘Fenty Puma’. The international popstar launched the brand ‘Fenty Beauty’ on September 8th, releasing seven categories of products in over 1600 stores across 17  countries. The name of the brand comes from Rihanna’s own, Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Rihanna explained that she wanted a makeup line where; ‘...women everywhere would be included...Makeup is there for you to play. It’s there for you to have fun with. It should never feel like pressure, and it should never feel like a uniform’.The collection boasts an impressive 91 products, those included in the range are; ‘Pro Filt'r Retouch Primer’, ‘Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Foundations’, ‘Match Stix Matte Skinsticks’, ‘Match Stix Shimmer Skinsticks’, ‘Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters’, ‘Invisimatte Blotting Powder’ and the ‘Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer’. But Rihanna did not limit herself to just makeup products, she also included makeup tools. These include; a foundation brush, a highlight brush, a makeup sponge, a portable contour/concealer brush, a portable highlighter brush and a portable touch up brush.The ‘Match Stix’ are unique in terms of packaging, they are hexagonal in shape and magnetic! But what are they? The stix cover a variety of uses, they are concealers, contour sticks and also highlighters. The packaging in general is unique, not sticking to the conventional plain black look. Fenty Beauty arrives in a pale pink shade.The ‘Killawatt’ highlighters are a cream-powder hybrid for extra staying power, and come in six shades, four of which are duo’s. They claim to ‘instantly melt into skin and blend with almost zero effort’. Sounds like a winner to me!‘Fenty Beauty’s’ main priority is the skin, as Rihanna said she wanted to create makeup ‘for all’. The brand offers 40 shades of foundation colours. But something ‘Fenty Beauty’ also follows this up with something new. After choosing your foundation shade, ‘Fenty Beauty’ will show you other products that work will with your skintone. Often when makeup brand launch items such as a contour kit, there is only one option. For example, when Irish blogger Suzanne Jackson brought out her contour kit, there was no variety in shades. How can you expect everyone’s face to suit the same undereye highlighter, contour shade etc.? Rihanna has asked three makeup artists to represent ‘Fenty Beauty’ around the world, these include; James Kaliardos as Resident Artist, and Priscilla Ono and Hector Espinal as Global Makeup Artists. Other makeup brands are now jumping towards inclusivity. In recent years, many makeup brand have faced criticism for their lack of diversity when it comes to foundation shades. ‘Marc Jacobs’, in particular, received a great deal of backlash when they launched their ‘Remarcable Full Cover Foundation’. Out of the 22 shades, only three/four shades were suitable for people of colour. Since the release of ‘Fenty Beauty’, many makeup brands use of more diverse models in online marketing campaigns has surged, makeup brands have begun posting pictures that illustrate their ‘inclusivity’. This did not go unnoticed, as people took to twitter to explain their outrage.   ‘Fenty Beauty’ is 100% cruelty free, an aspect many articles on the collection have overlooked. Many being primarily focused on the variety of foundation shades. Although, it is not considered a Vegan line: a handful of the products may contain ingredients of animal origin, such as beeswax and carmine. It is important to remember that this is Rihanna’s own makeup brand, not just a collaboration.Often celebrities work with a pre-existing brand to bring out a single product or a collection. The celebrity's name is put to the product but the brand remains. ‘Fenty Beauty is an entire makeup range’. When Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian began their makeup collections, they only launched one or two products at a time. On the website Rihanna has outlined how best to achieve what she calls, ‘Killer Radiance’. In her step by step guide, one can see how the products can best be used in accessible language, free from professional makeup artist jargon. The guide is also available in video format, with Rihanna discussing the products as she uses them, “These steps are key to starting your makeup, no matter the look you're going for. This is where the fun begins”In terms of price, ‘Fenty Beauty’ could be deemed a midrange to high end makeup brand. For example the foundation retails at €33, which isn’t as expensive as popular Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation which retails at €36 but it is a similar price point. All the ‘Match Stix’ are €24 and can be used in many different ways. If you want to pick of just one item from the Fenty Beauty range, you could try the ‘Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer’ which is a steal for €17! The most expensive product from the line is the ‘Match Stix Trio’ at €52, but at this price you are getting three ‘Match Stix’ which would cost you €72 separately. Disappointingly, if you want to try any of the products before you buy them, ‘Fenty Beauty’ is only available in Ireland in Dublin. ‘Fenty Beauty’ is exclusive to Harvey Nichols in store at Dundrum Town Centre and online at harveynichols.com or you can buy directly from fentybeauty.com or at sephora.com