On September 8th, 2017 the World was changed forever. Our Queen Rihanna dropped Fenty Beauty into our little peasant hands – and boy did we lose our collective minds!
Fenty Beauty has only been out on the market for about 6 days, and already the makeup line has broken the internet. With its luxurious formulas and classic packaging, the line boasts makeup staples such as foundation, highlight, contour, and a lip-gloss. Fashion Vloggers Dina Tokio, Patricia Bright, Irischel5071, and many others have raved about its high moisture and breathability. The highlight compacts have already become a cult Must-Have, with ‘Trophy Wife’ being the shade everyone is dying to carve their cheekbones with. The contour sticks are easily blend-able, with a lot of product in the tube (a massive complaint of the Kim Kardashian line).
Although the hype of the products has been exploding on the internet, what has really left the impression on the beauty community is the diversity Fenty Beauty has brought into the limelight.
When the ads for the makeup line first dropped, we were met with models of various races and ethnicities. This was a refreshing change from our typical makeup advertisements. What really got people going – and what broke the internet – was our first look at the 40 shades of foundation! While other high-end brands of makeup (think NARS, MAC, and Estee Lauder) have more than typical color range, there has been a rise in concern about an explicit lack of color diversity in the beauty industry. Fenty Beauty has been a catalyst to change the narrative.
I spoke with two makeup enthusiasts to get their take on what the Fenty Beauty Line could mean to women, and where they saw the future of the makeup industry. And to get more info on the products of course!
Her Campus: Hey, so why don’t we start off with some introductions and what you know about Fenty Beauty!
Emily: My name is Emily, and I’m Ghanaian-American! I know that Fenty is by Rihanna…and I love Rihanna.
Abbie: Hi, my name is Abbie! I’m a member of HerCampus Pitt Chapter. I love experimenting with makeup, and I know Fenty dropped a few days ago…
HC: Rihanna deserves all our love. So how is Fenty price wise?
Emily: It’s cheaper than my NARS, and it actually comes with more product in the tube. My NARS is only 1 ounce, and the Fenty foundation is 1.8.
HC: So how is the product in regards to packaging and quality of the products?
Emily: Well when I first got it in the store they unpackaged in the store, and it’s really easy to take it out of the bottle. The bottle is beautiful! It’s not clear, but, it’s opaque. Like opaque glass it’s really nice, and it comes with a pump. I love it. And the quality of it, when they put it on my face, it didn’t feel like there was a lot of makeup on my face. So it felt weightless. It didn’t make me look as oily as I do with my NARS foundation. ‘Trophy Wife’…is beautiful. She put it on my face, and I ran through Oakland running after busses, and by the end of the day it was still glowing! She didn’t put on any setting powder or anything!
HC: We all saw the ads that Rihanna had put out on her Instagram, and we all saw the shade ranges on Instagram and Twitter. What were your initial thoughts when you saw the shade range had 40 different colors?
Abbie: My first thoughts when I saw the wide variety of shades and colors in the range was that I was very excited because this is not something that has been done on such a large scale by anyone else in the beauty community. I am excited to see how this affects other beauty companies and the beauty industry in general.
Emily: I liked it because people are always talking about how we need to go as dark as possible, but I really like how she went really light as well. Like people have Albinism, so they were able to get those colors too. So I like the range of that. Like my color wasn’t the darkest color there. Like usually, I’m usually the darkest color there, but there were 2 or 3 different shade after mine, so that made me really surprised.
HC: Do you typically have a tough time finding the right shade of foundation?
Emily: Yes. They (drug store makeup) just started making foundations that are my shade, but before that, I would have to go to Sephora or MAC to get my shade. Like, if I go to the drugstore, their darkest is ‘Mocha’.
Abbie: I have had trouble finding foundations in my shade in the past.
HC: So when you’re not able to find your shade, do you resort to any other techniques?
Abbie: I usually end up combining colors until I get a shade that matches. This process was normally frustrating, and also led me to being a slightly different color everyday! Because of this, don’t usually end up wearing any foundation at all.
Emily: I’ve tried skipping foundation, and I’ve tried the concealer trick. People have told me that if you just put on concealer and you blend it, it looks like you’re wearing foundation. But that’s a lot. My other friend mixes foundation, but I haven’t gotten to the level of mixing my makeup yet.
HC: How do you think the beauty industry has done so far in regards to bringing in more diversity?
Emily: I feel as though it’s doing a lot better, but it could be better on both spectrums, lighter and darker. But, I feel like we’re getting there. Like, I have some friends where their foundations are too dark for them, and they can’t find their right foundation shade, and I know for me I have struggles finding my right shade. It’s getting there, and I have more options now then just the one.
Abbie: I would say there has definitely been an increase in varieties of shades. However, there are still not nearly enough, especially for people with a very very dark skin color.
HC: So do you think Fenty is the product that finally brings the change we’ve been looking for?
Abbie: I think so! I am really excited to see how this affects other beauty companies and the beauty industry in general. I am hopeful that this will only lead to more diversity in shades of products as well as representation!
Emily: Yeah I think it is, I saw this Instagram post, and it showed that Marc Jacobs was getting darker shades too, and so is another company. I think Estee Lauder? So I think a lot of companies are now thinking, “Oh wow we need to create darker shades, because if not we’re going to loose our revenue to Fenty.” So now they’re jumping at the chance.
Fenty Beauty has taken the chance to give beauty cultists something we’ve been calling for, and it is clear that they work has paid off. The company has not only provided us with an actually luxe and effective product, but has delivered on style and representation. In an industry that has gotten away with advertising and servicing certain people, Fenty has gone above and beyond in providing makeup for many shades. One could argue that there still needs to be more inclusion. I think it is necessary to remember that this is only the first launch. If sales continue to do as well as they have been, I think we can be secure in saying that this line will be back soon, with more hype and favorites in it’s wake.