If you haven’t heard of it by now, you must be living under a rock. I’m talking FENTY. Yes, Fenty Beauty by the one and only Rihanna. The long awaited beauty line was released a little over a month ago, and sales skyrocketed. Sephora can barely keep the darker shades in stock because of how popular they are.
To give a little background, Rihanna’s beauty line has been getting a lot of attention, mostly positive from what I’ve seen. There are many products available: highlighters, foundation, contour/concealer/highlighter trios, lip luminizer, primer, foundation brush, portable brushes, blotting powder, blotting paper, shimmer sticks, contour sticks, makeup sponge, and a highlight brush. The major reason for the attention is because it is being regarded as a groundbreaking development in the beauty world for its inclusivity. The products themselves are great, but the buzz appears to be centered around the fact that it has one of the highest number of foundation shades offered, boasting a variety of 40. It is well-known that many people struggle to find makeup, specifically foundation, that matches especially when someone has very light or very dark skin. Most makeup brands only offer around 20 shades or so; yet some, like CoverFX, do offer as many as 40 shades as well. For some reason though, Fenty Beauty has been very, very popular. Even as I write this right now, 14 out of 40 shades are sold out on Sephora’s website.
A few weeks ago, I went into Sephora to see what I COULD find. I was definitely curious since everyone had been talking about her line for a while. I could barely get to see what was in store since everyone was crowded around the Fenty section, but I did get to test out some products. I thought I could give a quick review since many people have been messaging me to ask my opinion on the line!
In store, I swatched the highlighter and the highlighter/concealer/contour trios. I can’t say much about them (since I didn’t buy them) except they were VERY glowy and pigmented. I personally loved them and how sparkly they were, but definitely stay away from them if you don’t like a glittery highlighter. The trios were cool because the highlighter/concealer/contour sticks are magnetized so that they can stick together, which would come in handy for keeping them all together. Also, the trios were pretty creamy and felt really nice on my skin. I would be curious to buy them and see how they blend.
I happened to get my hands on my own bottle of Fenty Beauty’s “Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundation”. I jumped to buy it since the Sephora employee (let’s name her Annie for simplicity’s sake) helping me told me they only had a few bottles of my shade left in stock. In store, Annie matched me for my shade, which I HIGHLY recommend since there are so many shades and undertones available that it would be really difficult to pick it on your own. She used the Fenty primer on my face before putting on the foundation. However, I personally don’t think there was anything special about the primer…I would stick to whatever one you have that is your favorite, or be like me and skip the primer (I know, I can hear the beauty guru’s screaming internally at that). I have used it a few times since buying it, and here are my thoughts so far.
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The packaging is very neutral and simplistic. Nothing too fancy. I’d like to think Rihanna was going for a “what you see is what you get” vibe and letting the quality of the product speak for itself.
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I like the finish because I am definitely a matte fan. This is soft matte, which is nice because it gives you a subtle dewy glow without making you look oily.
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It is a medium-full coverage foundation. It feels super lightweight going on your skin which honestly feels really nice, but you have the option of building it up if you need more coverage.
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“Annie” recommended that you apply the foundation with a foundation brush, and I would probably agree. That will give you fuller coverage. I always use a makeup sponge, and it still held up okay when I applied it at home, giving me more of a medium coverage.
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Beware that the foundation is very liquid, and it kind of drips a little if you push too hard when trying to dispense some. So far, that has been the only nuisance I have found.
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It is advertised that this is good for normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive skin. I would say I have combination skin. It didn’t make me feel oily, but definitely make sure your skin is properly moisturized because I personally think the foundation makes the drier areas of your skin show more/feel drier. I also have sensitive skin, and so far I haven’t had any breakouts from it! This is a major compliment from me since my skin is so sensitive to makeup.
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Sephora’s site recommends letting the swatch dry completely while trying to match to your shade, as the formula needs a moment to show its true color. Also, if you are stuck between two shades, go for the lighter one.
I was impressed by the variety of shades and how well my shade matched my skin. So far, I like the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation. At $34 a bottle, it isn’t ~cheap~ but it also definitely isn’t the most expensive. I would say it is around the price range of other really popular brands. Also, keep in mind that at Sephora you can return the product if you aren’t satisfied, as long as you have used up less than 50% of the product! It really can’t hurt then to try it out and see how you feel about it. I hope any of this was helpful…I hope you’ll like RiRi’s foundation as much as I do!