Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Makeup Swatches, Review + FOTD

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When I first heard about Fenty Beauty by Rihanna I probably looked/sounded like I was losing my mind. I sent my husband a text so excited (because you know how much men care about makeup) and went on about the promised range of foundation shades, how beautiful the packaging was probably going to be….. he’s like “cool, what’s for dinner”. Bless his heart.

Luckily due to a gift card hoarding situation I was able to pick up a few must haves from the line to play around with and review. There are hits, misses and more beauty lemmings to be had. I went ahead and enabled myself with this one!

what is it

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna isn’t just another random beauty line with a celebrity name slapped on it. Rihanna is actually the creator of the line. With trademarks secured by Rihanna and her team in 2014 Fenty Beauty didn’t happen overnight, which to me is reassuring because it gives the impression that there was a lot of thought put into the details. In this day and age, that’s incredibly important. There’s a lot of people to answer to even without social media being involved! Now, in partnership with LVMH-owned Kendo Brands (think Sephora, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kat Von D) Rihanna signed a 10 million dollar deal (source) to launch the brand in September of 2017.

Fenty Beauty was created with the intent of making skin look perfect, not covered. The shade range is on point from extremely light to extremely deep. There are other lines out there with 40 shades of foundation, but very few reach as far as Fenty Beauty. I hope to see other brands see this launch and work harder at making sure that all skintones are covered and not just the ones that they feel are most common.

Rihanna was inspired to create Fenty Beauty after years of experimenting with the best-of-the-best in beauty—and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones. She launched a makeup line “so that women everywhere would be included,” focusing on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones, creating formulas that work for all skin types, and pinpointing universal shades. – from the Fenty Beauty website.

the products

Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer ($32.00). This primer is said to be a “shine-stopping, pore-diffusing primer that smooths the way for better foundation application and longer wear with an instant retouch effect”.

I try to never start off a collection review with a negative but this primer is not for me. I was shiny within minutes of applying the foundation over-top of the primer and within the next half-hour the oil and shine showing through was almost exaggerated rather than played down. This primer did help the foundation apply nicely and kept any dry patches from showing through, but because I’m so oily it ended up ruining the end result of my look almost immediately.

I think that if you’re someone who isn’t super oily and maybe has a normal-to-combo or dry skin type this primer would likely work well for you while you’re wearing the Fenty Beauty Soft Matte Longwear Foundation. PLMK in the comments if you have that skin type and have tried both products together!

Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($34.00). This foundation is said to be a “soft matte, long-wear foundation with buildable, medium to full coverage, in a boundary-breaking range of shades”. 40 shades are available and using the Sephora IQ I was able to purchase my exact shade in 230 (medium skin neutral undertones).

I applied this foundation using my favorite Sigma 3DHD brush. I love this brush because it allows my foundation to apply perfectly, gets into all of the areas PLUS it applies every foundation at it’s fullest coverage. I found this particular foundation to definitely be a medium coverage (less than Estee Lauder Double Wear but more than most others I’ve tried). When used with the right primer it lasts all day long with very little shine breaking through. When the shine does break through it’s easy to blot away without worrying that you’ll remove the face makeup.

When you blend this foundation you’ll need to note that it does dry down a bit darker than it applies, so swatching it on your hand and thinking “yeah that looks right” isn’t going to be a good idea this time. I don’t feel that it’s “oxidizing” but it isn’t the same shade on my face as it is when I swatch. When I swatched I thought “darn, this is WAY too light” but once I tried it and it was set, the color was perfect.

To find my perfect primer for this foundation I went through several tried-and-true products as well as a few new ones. As stated above it did not work for me using the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer. I tried it next with a current, new fave Dr. Brant Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer and liked the result, though there was some dry spots showing. I received the Too Faced Primed & Peachy Cooling Matte Perfecting Primer as a sample freebie with my order so I gave that a go and liked the finish on that even more. It wasn’t dry in the least but it also didn’t allow for shine breakthrough until later in the day. On the same order as the Fenty Beauty I also bought the Cover FX Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment so I gave that a go also. It’s a freaking LOVE with this foundation. There is a bit of an issue with some dry spots but they weren’t as bad as with the Dr. Brant. I haven’t yet tried it out with my Double Wear, but if it works as well with that this might be my new fave, knocking out the MUFE Step 1 Matte Primer. (note: I didn’t try the MUFE Primer with this foundation because I’ve noticed with other foundations listed as matte the primer tends to break apart the foundation on my nose and cheeks for a less than flawless look)

Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter ($34.00). These highlighters are said to be “weightless, long-wear cream-to-powder hybrid highlighters in solos and expertly paired duos”. There are 6 shades available and I bought Ginger Binge/Moscow Mule. I’m not crazy, girl… I wanted them for eyeshadows!

Ginger Binge/Moscow Mule is decribed as a soft copper sheen/supercharged copper shimmer. These were gorgeous on the eyes. I did a look using this duo and also used the MAC In the Flesh Palette. It paired up nicely and worked well with the brands formula. The colors lasted all day on my eyes when worn over primer. I wasn’t in the market for adding an actual highlighter to my collection but based on my experience with this duo I’ve now got my eye on Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby.

Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer ($18.00). This gloss is described as the “ultimate, gotta-have-it lip gloss with explosive shine that feels as good as it looks—in one universal rose nude shade”.

There are just no words for my love for this lip gloss. It’s definitely shiny, not sticky at all and glossy enough to make it look like your lips are plumped. The gloss is so shiny that it looks thick but doesn’t feel thick (read: goopy). It actually wears longer than a usual gloss does on me also. There’s a light scent to the gloss but it’s not incredibly overpowering or noticeable.

FACE: Too Faced Primed & Peachy Cooling Matte Perfecting Primer, Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealing Pot, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser, Estee Lauder Double Wear Powder, Urban Decay Velvetizer, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Blush.

EYES: Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer, Anastasia Subculture Palette (shades used: Mercury, Adorn & Electric), Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Highlighter (inner part of the eye socket), Benefit High Brow, MAC Added Goodness Fluidline, Chanel Horizon Style Yeux, IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara.

BROWS: Benefit Gimme Brow, Benefit Precisely My Brow, Benefit 3D Brow Tones.

LIPS: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer

final thoughts

Of all of the things get you some of that gloss. It may seem so basic but when you put it on you’ll just be mind-blown over it. It’s pricey, but not so much so that you can’t justify it. Based on my experience with the above products I’m still intrigued enough to try more from Fenty Beauty. I’m hoping in the future we see some awesome eyeliners (that waterline like a dream) and some kick-butt eyeshadow palettes… and I’m definitely picking up a highlighter!

availability

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna is available exclusively at Sephora and fentybeauty.com.