By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about Selena Gomez’s new makeup line, Rare Beauty. If not, you’re at least familiar with Selena herself. Her collection joins a growing roster of celebrity makeup lines and like those that have come before, it’s generated its own hashtags and review videos. But if you’re still curious about the verdict, I’ve got you covered.
Before the release, fans and curious consumers were all waiting to see what the collection would look like; though Gomez isn’t the first celebrity to create a makeup line, that didn’t alleviate the pressure to make it likeable. For example, consumers of color need more shade options, as Refinery 29’s Molly Fleming dove into, and thanks to social media, “consumers now have a more direct channel to raise criticisms with brands which might previously have never reached the top,” Fleming wrote.
With this recently found proximity that consumers have to popular makeup companies, they can send direct messages about exclusion or comment on photos that show limited foundation ranges, demanding more and better of popular companies.
Really, Rare Beauty had the chance to become a brand that they could purchase from – or another to reject. The outcome, however, was positive. It was included in an article by Who What Wear audience engagement editor Jasmine Fox-Suliaman, who spoke with four makeup artists about the best foundations for darker skin, and seems to have successfully added to the group of diverse brands that consumers can pick from.
I have to admit that I was definitely a part of the group of women who were excited for the release of this brand, and I still am. Not only did the brand try to pass itself off as inclusive, but it actually was. The hype around it wasn’t quickly silenced by criticism, as highly-anticipated releases in the past have been, and I was glad to see women discussing the brand so positively. I didn’t feel like I was being pandered to, since it felt like my fellow Black women and women of color were being uplifted. With inclusion being so valued, you may find that Rare Beauty is a good brand to include in your makeup looks.