While celebrity beauty lines are a dime a dozen these days, Rihanna was among the first to launch a makeup brand back in 2017 — and a successful one at that. Like many things the Barbados-born singer has accomplished throughout her career, it changed the game for good. Her brand Fenty Beauty introduced not 10, not 20 — but a robust selection of 40 shades with its inaugural foundation, a long overdue move in an industry that’s not exactly known for its inclusivity.
That move alone (which Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, did to account for a wide range of skin tones and undertones) forced other brands to level up, creating a new standard for what we can and should expect from our makeup — which is, simply, to feel our absolute best in our makeup.
While her emphasis on inclusivity has done a lot to solidify the brand’s success (with a slew of other makeup brands quickly following suit), it’s not the only thing that sets it apart from the crowd. For one, Fenty Beauty has attracted a dedicated and supportive fan base. “To see how the line has brought people together from all over the world has been really beautiful,” Rihanna exclusively tells PEOPLE.
And then there’s the important fact that Rihanna isn’t just a figurehead of the brand; she has a hand in each product, so you know they’ve met her exacting standards. “I test every product that we make before we put it out into the world,” Rihanna tells PEOPLE. “This brand is ‘Fenty’ — my name — for a reason… it’s gotta be something that I love and use.”
And Fenty Beauty’s growth shows no sign of stopping. Rihanna has since added Fenty Skin to the list, which offers skincare formulas for both face and body, and recently expanded into Ulta Beauty.
Below, we’re sharing some of the best Fenty Beauty products and what makes them so incredible, along with more insight from Rihanna.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
Foundation played a paramount role in Fenty’s initial success. As we mentioned, its original 40 shades raised the bar in the beauty world, introducing entirely new shade offerings to accommodate a wide variety of skin tones. And it’s only gotten better since then, expanding to 50 shades to suit a range of undertones. If that sounds overwhelming, no sweat — you can get shade-matched via an online shade finder tool, a virtual try-on, or even a free virtual consultation with a Fenty Beauty advisor on FentyBeauty.com.
But it’s not just the shades that make this so special; rather, it’s a matte foundation that doesn’t leave skin looking flat or dry. It also has climate-adaptive technology, which keeps your complexion looking fresh amid heat and humidity. Buildable yet lightweight, this long-wear foundation is one that keeps customers coming back.
Price at time of publish: $39
Size: 1.08 fl. oz. | Shades: 50 | Star ingredients: Glycerin, papaya fruit extracts
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty
For one, this formula is not your average lip gloss. Not only is it deeply nourishing, thanks to the shea butter, but the formula also doesn’t feel sticky or tacky. It delivers an intense gloss (as the name implies) and a sheer, shimmer finish that gives the look of plumper lips.
Not surprisingly, Rihanna always keeps this in her bag. “I’m addicted to applying it to my lips,” she tells PEOPLE. I first tried it in Fenty Glow, a rose nude that gave my lips a subtle wash of color with a single swipe of the fat, doe-foot wand. (“The XXL wand is everything,” she adds.) It eventually dried down a bit and felt almost like a balm, and while the shine didn’t last all day, it was almost like having the best of both worlds.
Price at time of publish: $20
Size: 0.30 oz. | Shades: 7 | Star ingredient: Shea butter
Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
One of the first Fenty Beauty products to hit the shelves, this highlighter changed the game for a reason: It starts as a cream and settles into a powder, offering both seamless blending and unmatched staying power.
It features a light shimmer that’s as subtle as shimmer gets — just enough to add luminosity to skin, to be exact — and is super-versatile since you can use it on cheeks, eyelids, shoulders, and wherever else for a touch of radiance. Better yet: You can choose between standalone shades and complementary duos.
Price at time of publish: $38
Size: 7.5 g | Shades: 7
Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Setting + Blotting Powder
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
Rihanna calls this her secret weapon, and for good reason: It works. “I have it with me anytime I’m being photographed… I don’t want to be caught on a red carpet or even in paparazzi photos without it,” she tells us. “I only want to glow where I want to and Invisimatte makes sure of that.” The powder, which is available in a single, universal shade, was reformulated just this past summer. The finishing powder — which minimizes the look of pores, soaks up excess oil, reduces shine, and sets makeup — now comes in refillable packaging free of magnets, lowering its environmental impact.
It’s also free of talc to give skin a shine-free finish without giving skin a white cast, making it more wearable for those with deeper skin tones (on whom translucent powders can often look chalky). What you will find in here: Chia seed extract, which helps control shine, and sodium hyaluronate, a form of hyaluronic acid, to comfort and hydrate skin. The compact comes with a sponge to gently press the formula onto the skin without disturbing your makeup, making touch-ups a breeze.
Price at time of publish: $34
Size: 0.30 oz. | Shades: 1 (universal) | Star ingredients: Chia seed extract, sodium hyaluronate
Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush
Also available Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
Rihanna sought to make an easy-to-use cream blush, and it’s clear she pulled that off with these blushes, which Fenty Beauty debuted in 2020. A little goes a long way with this formula, which offers a vibrant wash of color to the skin in a matter of seconds. Lightweight and non-greasy, it’s supremely easy to blend, lending itself to a seamless finish and natural pop of color. It’s also sweat- and water-resistant, which gives it more staying power than the average cream formula.
What really sets this one apart, however, is that the sheer formula still packs a lot of pigment; while a lot of other cream blushes have the tendency to wash you out, Fenty’s delivers a great color payoff. (If the bright shades seem intimidating, however, don’t sweat it; they’re more subtle and buildable than it looks in the pan, with the goal of being impossible to over-apply.) We also love how it melts under the warmth of your fingers, making touch-ups a cinch.
Price at time of publish: $22
Size: 0.10 oz. | Shades: 10
Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
If you want to take “shine bright like a diamond” literally, consider this shine-boosting makeup for both face and body. And, if you’ve used body shimmers in the past only to be turned off by all the glitter, allow this formula to convince you to give it another chance.
The shimmery powder, which has an iridescent effect on skin, adds luminosity and radiance to the cheeks, collarbones, shoulders, and beyond. And, unlike the dusty powders of body shimmers past, this one has a jelly-like texture that smooths easily into skin without any grittiness or fall-out — meaning you don’t have to worry about getting it all over your clothes. And since it’s housed in a compact, it’s easy to throw in your bag for touch-ups. While you can use Fenty’s dedicated face and body brush to apply it, we’ve found that it works just as well with your fingers.
Want to see it in action? Rihanna wore it in the How Many Carats?! shade to the Wakanda Forever premiere in Los Angeles.
Price at time of publish: $40
Size: 0.28 oz. | Shades: 3
Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
Fenty’s answer to lightweight, multitasking complexion products — think BB cream and tinted moisturizer — the Eaze Drop Skin Tint is the more casual sister to the OG foundation. It offers light coverage in just a few drops, blurring the appearance of large pores, blemishes, and fine lines without requiring a ton of makeup. (The secret is in the brand’s QuickBlur complex, which hydrates and diffuses the pigments.) In other words, it just looks like your own skin…but better.
And, even though it feels weightless once you apply it, the Eaze Drop’s staying power is not to be underestimated; the formula is resistant to humidity and sweat and won’t transfer, so it’ll last even on a hot summer day (when no one wants to mess with full-coverage foundation anyway). You can apply it with your fingers or a brush, too. It comes in 25 shades (since tinted moisturizer formulas are sheerer than foundation, it’s less important to get an exact skin-tone match).
Price at time of publish: $32
Size: 1.08 fl. oz. | Shades: 25 | Star ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycerin
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer + Plumper
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
For the high shine of the Gloss Bomb paired with some plumping action, look no further than this lip formula. While it still offers the intense gloss and vanilla-based scent of the original product, the Heat version also includes the brand’s Plump Job Complex; it includes spicy ingredients like ginger root oil and capsicum fruit extract (derived from cayenne) to trigger a warm, tingling sensation on the lips, gently (and temporarily) swelling them for extra volume.
The gloss wouldn’t be complete without hydration, so it’s infused with shea butter and vitamin E to keep lips comfortable and soft. Rihanna herself wears it alone or paired with lipstick or lip liner. It’s available in six shades, the newest being Lemon Lava; launched in early 2022, it has a gold shimmer that captures the light.
Price at time of publish: $24
Size: 0.30 oz. | Shades: 6 | Star ingredients: Shea butter, vitamin E
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Contour Skinstick
Also available at Ulta and Fenty Beauty.
Contouring your makeup — a.k.a. the best way to sculpt cheekbones, enhance the nose, and define the jawline — can be complicated, but these creamy sticks make it less so, making it great for contouring newbies. They’re also incredibly versatile. “I use them for everything — color correcting, contour, highlight,” Rihanna tells PEOPLE. “I even apply it as eyeshadow sometimes.”
Not only is the formula both lightweight and long-wearing, but it also comes in a range of shades divided by skin tone and undertones. (FYI: Rihanna opts for the Truffle shade.) The stick format makes it incredibly easy to use — just swipe on and buff into skin — and it won’t crease or get cakey, even if you add on a few layers. And while it starts as a cream, which makes for easy application, it transforms into a powder on the skin, giving it both that staying power and matte finish.
Price at time of publish: $28
Size: 0.25 oz. | Shades: 9 | Star ingredients: Coconut oil, hyaluronic acid
Fenty Beauty Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain
Not one for gloss? No problem. This past June, Rihanna dropped the brand’s first lip stain, which delivers the wet look of a gloss with the hydration of a balm. It has buildable color, so you can take the shade from sheer to bold, depending on how much you apply — all with a weightless feel and lasting shine.
It’s powered by a unique oil-in-water formula, which locks in the color and actively conditions lips throughout the day. (It also resists feathering and bleeding, making this lip stain true to its name.) And, beyond the rich color, you’ll also get squalane, a potent emollient naturally found in the skin’s moisture barrier that helps seal in moisture, leaving lips smooth, soft, and thoroughly hydrated. The lip stain is applied via a small doe-foot applicator, which allows for better precision and feels plush on the lips.
Price at time of publish: $24
Size: 0.22 oz. | Shades: 4 | Star ingredients: Squalane
FAQs
Does Rihanna own Fenty?
Yes, Rihanna owns Fenty; she’s not only closely involved in formulating and testing the products, but she also uses them for everyday life and red-carpet events alike.
Why did Rihanna call her brand “Fenty”?
Fenty Beauty is named for Rihanna, whose stage name is short for Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
Why is Fenty Beauty so popular?
Fenty Beauty is popular in part due to its huge shade ranges and mission of inclusivity, which ensures that all people can find the right shade for their skin tone for each product in the line. “Fenty Beauty was created for everyone — for people of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races,” Rihanna said in a brand statement. “I wanted everyone to feel included. That’s the real reason I made this line.”
Take Our Word For It
Deanna Pai has been writing about beauty and wellness for over a decade; her work has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and more. She’s tested countless beauty products over the years (including plenty of Fenty Beauty), which has given her a sixth sense for what makes a formula truly special. For this piece, she interviewed Rihanna about the brand and its top products. The top 10 bestsellers in this list were provided by Fenty Beauty.
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