Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty

Halle Burk, Layout Manager

Pictured are four arms showcasing the wide variety of foundations from Fenty Beauty to fit nearly any skin tone. This product range is unique because of the wide variety of shades; previously foundation came in 10 to 15 shades. (Photo courtesy of Fenty Beauty)

Following in the footsteps of celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Drew Barrymore, Rihanna has launched her first makeup brand.

Fenty Beauty, Rihanna’s very first cosmetic brand, hit the Sephora shelves at midnight on September 8th after being announced in early 2016. The line is produced by Kendo Beauty, who also produces high end lines such as Kat Von D and Marc Jacobs Beauty. According to Bustle, the line is animal testing free, and speculation suggests Rihanna even tested it for herself.

Fenty Beauty includes 40 different foundation shades, and has received serious social media recognition for its extensive reach of skin tones that it can cover. On Fenty Beauty’s official site, Rihanna explained why she created the brand.

“Fenty Beauty was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures and races. I wanted everyone to feel included. That’s the real reason I made this line,” said Rihanna.

The line’s incredibly inclusive selection sets the bar high, and certain beauty lines are doing their best to meet the newly set expectations. According to BET, after the release of the brand on Friday, lines like Kylie Cosmetics and Estee Lauder have been using women of color as models and increasing the range of shades in their collections.

Kylie Cosmetics have also promoted the shade Brown Sugar, a matte lipstick from her cosmetic line and thought to be one of the only shades for women of color, five times in the past week.

Along the same lines, Estee Lauder, an extremely well-known high end cosmetics brand, took to Instagram on September 12th promoting their Double Wear Nude Water Fresh foundation, while also showing the different pigments the foundation comes in.

In addition to the variety of foundations that Fenty Beauty provides, the brand also includes a range of matte and shimmery skin sticks, iridescent powder highlighters, and a rosy nude lip gloss.

Rihanna’s line has gotten stamps of approval from many celebrities and models. Naomi Campbell, a world-renowned supermodel, congratulated  Rihanna on the diversity of her first line according to a report by POPSUGAR.

“It’s about time! It’s 2017, so for all those who are doing it, congratulations. The world is moving so quickly, and you’ve got to move with it.” Campbell said.

Gabourey Sidibe, an Academy Award nominee and author, tweeted out on September 9th giving the brand a big thumbs-up.

In case you’re wondering about #FentyBeauty on dark skin, issa YES for me dawg,” Sidibe tweeted.

Rihanna believes that every single person should be able to find a foundation shade that suits them, no matter what ethnicity, race or shade, as stated in Blasting News. After the release of her line, she came forward and spoke on what makeup should mean to all.

“Makeup is there for you to have fun with,” Rihanna said. “It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform. Feel free to take chances, and take risks, and dare to do something new or different.”

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