Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

It seemed like the Fenty hype came out of nowhere. Maybe it didn’t; perhaps I fell outside the subset of cosmetics consumers being targeted by the brand. Maybe the behaviors I practice on my No Buy shielded me from the information.

Not a Collab

Unlike RiRi Woo with MAC, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is not a collaboration. Granted, I’m sure Rihanna’s team is working with a lab that manufactures for multiple brands like any other brand does. It seems as though they’ve positioned themselves well and, if my prediction aligns with reality, will perform well (sales-wise) in contrast with other celebrity beauty lines.

  • Honest Company? Epic sunscreen failure. Is it Jessica Alba’s fault? Realistically, she didn’t make all the reformulation decisions. When your name is married to the brand that way, though, you’re accountable.
  • Flower Beauty? Underwhelming. I love that Drew and her team brought their line to market at a lower price point! But it just isn’t exciting.

Fenty Shade Range

Fenty is getting a ton of praise for a generous range of foundation shades. It is a good thing but I’m reluctant to slap a, “revolutionary!” moniker on it for them simply having 40 shades. It is excellent is the fact that Fenty launched with 40 shades.

Indeed, people of color are woefully underrepresented in the cosmetics industry. It stands to reason that Rihanna’s brand would be sensitive to that reality. Frankly, I’d expect no less. It is right, it is necessary and I hope Fenty beauty’s steps in this direction will encourage other, larger brands to do the same. (Looking at you, L’Oreal – you have so damn much operating capital! There is NO EXCUSE not to offer a generous range of shades when launching a product!)

The Bottom Line

All that said… I’m just not feeling the hype, personally. Nothing I’ve seen, exclusive of review and demo influence, is something I’m even adding to a, “someday,” wishlist let alone a, “OMG I NEED,” for anything in the collection.

After having seen reviews and demos I’m even less excited. The colors look nice but the formulas don’t seem mindblowing.

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