WHY RIHANNA IS SHOWING MAKEUP BRANDS HOW IT IS DONE!
I will admit that I am not the biggest Rihanna fan, I definitely listened to her music more when I was younger but nowadays there are other bands and artists that I listen to more. But I was excited to see that she was releasing a new makeup collection that would be exclusive to Sephora and Harvey Nichols. I usually won't buy makeup collections from celebrities because I find that it is often the case that the prices will be so high just because it has their name on it. For example, I have never purchased anything from Kylie Cosmetics or from Kim Kardashian West's KKW Beauty range because firstly the prices are quite high (without tax and shipping added on) and there has obviously been controversy over some of the products and customer service. However, I felt more reassured with Fenty Beauty as it was not going to be an online brand but would be exclusive to Sephora and Harvey Nichols online and in store. This has probably been the most hyped up brand of all of 2017 and everyone was going crazy over the fact that Rihanna was bringing out 40 foundation shades in her first collection; meaning there is a shade for everyone whether you have a fair or deep complexion (obviously some people might need to mix a couple of shades for the foundation to be a perfect match). Usually we never see this with a new brand, and instead a core selection of foundations are brought out that will sell well and then new shades will be added at a later date; but this is not the case with Fenty Beauty. They really are showing other brands how it is done!
What I loved about this range was that it is not for a select group of women and men (often brands will have shade selections that are perfect for fairer skin tones but don't cater to those who have a deeper complexion) and instead there is something that will suit every skin tone. Rihanna, herself, mentioned that she wanted a collection that "was created for everyone: For women of all shades, personalities, cultures and races," and so that every women would feel included. It would have been so easy for Rihanna to have just brought out a couple of products but instead she has given us the opportunity to create a flawless base that anyone can achieve and will look good in. Some brands will bring out purple lipsticks and bright eyeshadow palettes that won't suit everyone but I feel like this collection has really been thought about so that every product can be worn and there are different shades catered to every skin tone. I really admire the fact that every product is so wearable, even that stunning gold highlighter which will work beautifully as a highlighter and an eyeshadow. Actually all of these products can be used as other products which makes this brand a winner in my eyes.
The packaging of this collection is very simple and clean; I personally love how this collection looks. I think the packaging looks beautiful with the nude and white and it is definitely giving me some KKW Beauty vibes with the nude shade used for some of the products. I really like the fact that Rihanna has kept everything so clean and simple, but I love the hexagon and octagon shapes used for the compacts and cream Match Stix products. Also, I love the fact that the Match Stix products all have magnetic packaging, meaning that when they are placed together they will stick to each other to make it look like honeycomb. This just looks so cool and will make it so much easier to take these products with you when travelling.
In the collection, there are beauty tools, primer, foundation, cream stick products, powder highlighters, blotting powder, blotting paper and a lip gloss. Some of the products, like the lip gloss and blotting powder come in one universal shade that can be worn by every skin tone. Then there are products like the cream sticks that have a whole range of colour selection that can be used as a concealer, contour, blush or highlighter; plus they come in either a matte or shimmer finish. I decided to buy eight products from the collection as there was so much hype that I wanted to test out most of the range. I did spend a long time on the Harvey Nichols website, looking through every product and shade to see what products would work best on my skin. I have tried out every product at least twice now and I definitely have some impressions of the product. I have normal to dry skin so that is something to consider when I am reviewing these products.
A lot of the products in the Fenty Beauty collection are selling out quickly, especially the deeper foundation shades, but I know that most of the products are still in stock at the time of me writing this post, I am just not sure which shades are still in stock. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna is available online and in store from Sephora and Harvey Nichols (if you are in the UK).
PRO FILT'R INSTANT RETOUCH PRIMER, £24
At first I was not going to buy the primer from the collection, because it was described as being a soft matte finish. I have normal to dry skin, so I usually stick away from matte products because even though I have normal skin, I do suffer from very dry patches around my T-zone. However, I watched Jamie Paige review this primer on YouTube, and she absolutely loved it even though she suffers with dry skin. The primer claims to be a shine-stopping and pore-diffusing primer; I would agree with the latter that it does diffuse my pores but I would not say it absorbed any shine. This creates such a smooth base for the foundation to be applied on top and it felt more like a moisturiser and felt quite hydrating. However, if you are oily, I would only recommend this if you are using a matte foundation over the top. I didn't think this was a matte primer and instead made me look quite shiny at first. I also found that this primer left my skin feeling quite tacky, which meant that the foundation stuck to it really well and made my skin look flawless. I would be interested to see how this works on oily skin, but for me this was perfect and I am so glad I purchased it. The Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer is quite expensive at £24, but it just left my skin looking and feeling amazing and was the perfect base for my foundation, making it definitely worth the price.
PRO FILT'R SOFT MATTE LONGWEAR FOUNDATION, £26
I have never been a fan of matte foundations, as I have already said I have normal to dry skin, so matte products never usually work on me as they always cling to the dry areas around my T-zone. I have tried this foundation three times and each time I have had a different result; the first time I absolutely hated it and it clung to every dry area, the second time it looked good and only bunched up around my nose and the third time I absolutely loved it. This foundation will be perfect for anyone who has oily skin as this is a mattifying foundation, but if you have dry skin you can still wear this. How I applied this foundation was to exfoliate my face with the Clarisonic Mia 2, then I applied the Tatcha Water Cream, then the Fenty Beauty primer, then I applied some concealer to the dry areas to help smooth that area out and then I applied the foundation with a damp BeautyBlender. This might seem like a lot of steps but the result was amazing and my skin has never looked so good. It has not clung to any of the dry areas of my face when I completed all those steps, and because I used a damp BeautyBlender, the foundation does not look too matte or cakey on me, as I can still see my skin looks glowing even though it is a matte finish. I just love the end result that this foundation has given me and my skin looks flawless. This is definitely a medium coverage foundation that can be built up to a full coverage (two layers covered every patch of redness on my face). I think if you have dry skin everywhere on your face then this will be a miss, but if you only have a couple of dry areas then you can definitely make this foundation work for you. The only problem I have is that because there are so many shades in the collection, it is hard to know what shade is perfect for you. I have seen a lot of reviews where they have chosen the wrong shade, so I would suggest to go into a store and colour match or if not look at every shade and see what looks more like your skin type. I chose the shade 120 which was a bit too light for me but I managed to make it work by using a warm cream bronzer from the collection and it looked great. I think the price of the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation is not a bad price at £26 (it is not cheap but its not as expensive as Hourglass) and I love the fact that there are so many shades for everyone, whether you have a fair or deep complexion. I really hope that a luminous foundation is added to the collection as I really love this one even though I have normal to dry skin.
FULL BODIED FOUNDATION BRUSH 110, £26
I don't know why I decided to buy the foundation brush from Fenty Beauty, and I wish I had chosen either the beauty sponge or the highlighter brush, as I never apply my foundation with a brush. I will always use a BeautyBlender to apply my foundation as I love a more dewy and glowing look to my skin and I feel like the BeautyBlender helps to achieve that look for me. However, I thought I would give this foundation brush a try and it has just confirmed that I prefer to use a sponge to apply my foundation. The brush is very soft and feels amazing, so I will probably try the other brush in the collection (which is a highlighter brush) but I found that this brush did not blend my foundation out at all. In the end I had to use my BeautyBlender, otherwise my foundation would have been patchy and would have looked awful. I think if you have oily skin then the brush will work for you as you won't want a damp beauty sponge blending your foundation but for me this brush did not work. It did distribute the product well but it just did not blend my foundation at all. I also feel like there are better products to buy from the collection and there are cheaper brushes from Real Techniques that are just as good and they are half the price of the £26 price tag of the Full Bodied Foundation Brush.
MATCH STIX MATTE SKINSTICK, £21
Usually cream products are something that I tend to stay away from; I have a few cream contour palettes that just don't work well for me and they end up looking greasy when I use them. However, I have recently become a fan of cream stick products, as they are easier for me to use and apply the product, so I was interested in trying some of the Match Stix products in this collection. These can be used as concealers, contour, blush and highlighters; plus they come in two finishes, matte and shimmer. I really wanted to try a cream product that would work well as a cream bronzer rather than a deep contour shade and the shade I ended up choosing was Honey, which is a beautiful warm toned bronzer shade. I thought this would be perfect to help warm up my skin and to use rather than a powder bronzer. The formula of these cream products are beautiful; they are blendable and don't move the products underneath when blended out. I did find that these were quite stiff when I was applying them straight to my face but they are really pigmented and blend out to give a natural warmth to the skin. There is also quite a bit of product in the Match Stix, which I know was an issue many people found with the KKW Beauty products. I would recommend warming up these products with your finger before applying to your face to make it easier to apply to your face. Even though they are quite stiff they don't move the foundation around, so this is not a major problem for me. The Match Stix Matte Skinstick is quite expensive at £21, although is definitely worth it and I will definitely be buying a deeper shade to use as a cream contour product. A better deal is to buy the Match Stix Trio for £46, which comes with three different shades that will work well for your skin tone (there are four shades in total; light, medium, tan and deep). The only problem with this is you cannot choose what shades are in the set.
L-R: Blended and Not Blended
MATCH STIX SHIMMER SKINSTICK, £21
A shimmer blush is not always something I am a massive fan of, but when I saw the YouTuber Jamie Paige reviewing this collection and using the Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick in the shade Yacht Life as a blush, I knew that I wanted to try it out for myself as it looked stunning on her. This is a really pretty peachy pink shade that has a slight champagne gold shimmer running through it. I have never tried cream blushes before, but I really liked the finish that it gave. I just warmed up the product with my finger and applied it directly onto my cheeks and blended it out with my finger and then I would use a BeautyBlender to make it look more natural. I really love the colour of this blush and I didn't find it too bright or shimmery - instead it looked really natural. I think if you blend this out enough, you almost lose the shimmer and it becomes a soft matte blush that has a slight sheen in some lights. Like with the other Match Stix product I bought, I did find this quite stiff when applying it but once it was on the cheek it blended out beautifully and just gave a really nice flush to the cheeks. I do not believe there are any blush shades in the trio of Match Stix, so this is something you will have to buy separately for £21, but it is definitely worth it and will suit so many skin tones.
L-R: Blended and Not Blended
INVISIMATTE BLOTTING POWDER, £24
I was initially not going to buy the blotting powder from Fenty Beauty, as I have so many powders and I didn't think that I really needed another one in my collection. But I thought I would try it out so I can give a review on each product type from the whole Fenty Beauty collection. The foundation does not really need to be set with powder as it does set itself pretty well, but I did think that I would need to set the dry areas of my face with powder as that would be the first place where the foundation comes off. I did notice that my foundation lasted a lot longer when I used the blotting powder with it, but I'm sure it would last with any powder product. This comes in one universal shade and when swatched it is a white colour but once blended it just blends into your natural skin colour. I have not tested whether this has any flash back when taking photos, and there might be some because it initially swatches white but I am not sure as I have not tested this out yet. My makeup did look flawless and I think the powder helped to blur out my skin, but I think the primer and foundation did that as well. I think this powder is nice, but there are drugstore powders that are just as good, so I think its better to spend your money on one of the other products in the collection rather than this powder. This is more expensive than the Match Stix and they are amazing, so I would recommend buying them rather than spending £24 on the Invisimatte Blotting Powder.
KILLAWATT FREESTYLE HIGHLIGHTER DUO, £26
Highlighters are my makeup obsession, besides nude lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes. Whenever a new collection is released I am always drawn to the highlighters and Rihanna has created some beautiful highlighters for this collection. There are two single highlighter shades (in a gold and white gold that look really intense) and then there are four highlighter duo compacts. I really wanted to buy Trophy Wife as I thought it would make a beautiful eyeshadow, but I decided to buy the highlighter duo instead in the shade Lightning Dust/Fire Crystal, as I knew I would wear it as a highlighter and an eyeshadow. Lightning Dust is a beautiful soft pearlescent peachy champagne gold and Fire Crystal is a supercharged pearlescent champagne gold. I really liked these highlighters are they worked well with my skin tone and were not too glittery - they just gave a beautiful glow to the skin. These are probably not for someone who loves a really intense glow to their cheeks as these are fairly subtle, but they are perfect for everyday and look so natural on the cheeks. They blend beautifully and are so soft that they don't need to be blended too much to look really natural. You can layer these highlighters to give a more intense look if desired but these are perfect for those days where you just want a gentle glow. I also used these as an eyeshadow which looked beautiful; I just used my fingers to pat the product onto the lids to create a soft shimmer look. I think the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter Duo are the stand out products from the whole collection and I will definitely be buying more in the future and they are worth the £26 price tag.
L-R: Lightning Dust and Fire Crystal
GLOSS BOMB UNIVERSAL LIP LUMINIZER, £16
One of the things that really surprised me about the Fenty Beauty collection was the fact that they had 40 foundation shades but had only come out with one universal lip gloss (in the shade Fenty Glow) that is meant to suit all skin tones. I really did think that there would have been more than one lip gloss shade, but I am guessing there will be more shades in the future. The lip gloss is absolutely beautiful and will suit so many skin tones as it is a beautiful rosy nude. In the tube, you can see a slight shimmer but that is very subtle when applied to the lips; I can only see any shimmer when I am up close to a mirror. The formula is beautiful, it leaves a gorgeous shine to the lips and feels very moisturising on the lips. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who suffers from dry lips as this is so hydrating and makes any dryness vanish. It is not too sticky either and feels really comfortable to wear. I love this on its own or paired over a nude lip liner or lipstick. This is 100% going to be my most worn lip gloss for the next few months (it is all I have worn since I received this) and I will definitely be repurchasing and buying more shades if they are released. The only thing that some people may not like is the scent, which reminds me of strawberry sweets I would eat as a child, but I personally like the scent but some might not. The Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer is £16 and I think that is really affordable as it is going to suit every skin tone and will look great with any makeup look. This is your lip colour but better!
IS IT WORTH THE HYPE?
I usually will just write a whole paragraph summarising why I think a product is worth the hype or not, but because I have bought so many products I am not going to do it like that; instead I am splitting the products into three categories - stand outs, hits and misses. Stand outs are the ones the I think are definitely worth looking at and are needed, hits are products that I liked but aren't essential, and misses are products that I didn't think worked for me. Overall, there was not one product that I hated, but there were some misses that didn't work well for me. My makeup, in the end, looked amazing and the longevity of the makeup was amazing. I never had to touch up my makeup throughout the day and it stayed looked flawless all day; the only product I had to reapply was the lip gloss but that was to be expected. Now here are my stand outs, hits and misses from the Fenty Beauty collection ...
Stand Out Products from Fenty Beauty
Hit Products from Fenty Beauty
Miss Products from Fenty Beauty
The whole Fenty Beauty by Rihanna collection is available from Harvey Nichols and Sephora.
I hope you enjoyed this review of the Fenty Beauty. Let me know in the comment if you have purchased anything from Fenty Beauty and what products are your stand outs from the collection. If you haven't got anything from the collection, then let me know what products you are interested in getting!
xoxo
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