Santa works hard in December, but Rihanna works harder — her Fenty Beauty line is dropping a slew of new matte lipsticks on the day after Christmas.
Dubbed "Mattemoiselle," the plush mattes ($18 each) come in 14 shades and are encased in a shiny holographic bullet. From reds to nudes to pastel blue, Queen Rih says she made this collection to include a color for EVERYONE. "Lipstick is all about having fun and expressing your mood at any given moment," she said.
Lucky for us, RiRi's elves sent our press samples before Christmas — and we rushed straight into our studio to swatch every single one for you today.
SHADE 1: Ya Dig?!
My coworker Mary decided to start with this periwinkle blue.
"I think deeper blues look better on me," she said. "I wish this one was more flattering! I think the blue is pretty, but it’s just a little too light for my taste."
I am the complete opposite of Mary and live for ~wild~ colors.
I wouldn't expect anything less from RiRi. This color is as bold as she is and I am here for it.
About that formula: Since the lipsticks were described as matte, I was expecting them to apply dry and rough. Nope — these mattes apply creamy and slide across your lips like butter.
HOWEVER, they don't perform as a traditional matte is expected to, which I'll explain in my final thoughts at the bottom of this post.
SHADE 2: Candy Venom
The second color we tried on was an electric pink that made Mary audibly gasp.
"Since wearing them in college, I've been nervous to return to brighter pinks, but I am definitely getting this one when it hits shelves!" she said.
Like Mary, this bright pink was a color I would wear regularly during my college days.
I loved how bold this color was and how moisturizing the formula felt on my lips.
SHADE 3: One of the Boyz
By the third lipstick, Mary was starting to warm up to these bold lip colors.
"It's a bit lighter than I thought it would look, but I like the concept," said Mary.
One Of The Boyz reminded me of Fenty's Starlit Hyper-Glitz lipstick in the shade $upernova.
About two coats gives you full pigmentation.
SHADE 4: Single
When I first saw Mary with Single on, I fell in love with it.
Unfortunately, Mary wasn't a fan of this lip color on her skin.
"I knew going into it that the lighter colors wouldn’t look good on me, so I don’t really blame RiRi for this color looking ROUGH," said Mary.
The lighter pigment made the color a bit warmer on my skin tone.
Single is a nice orange tone nude that I'd wear during the fall with a smoky eye.
SHADE 5: Up 2 No Good
The room got a bit quiet when Mary put on Up 2 No Good.
"I think this color would be a good nude on maybe a fairer skin tone, so I’m not that surprised that it didn’t really work on me," said Mary.
Up 2 No Good definitely made my lips blend into my face.
I am clearly lighter than Mary, but I still didn't think this was flattering on me.
SHADE 6: Ma'Damn
It was finally time to try the only red lipstick in the collection.
"I think the name speaks for itself. This one was BY FAR my favorite..."
…which may be due to the fact that it resembles Fenty's Stunna Uncensored. I bought two of Uncensored, and I may buy two of Ma’Damn! Rihanna really is taking all of my money," said Mary.
Red has always been a staple in my lipstick collection, so I was excited for this.
I like my reds to be as bright as possible, with very little brown or orange undertones.
Unfortunately for me, this red has more orange undertones than I would prefer.
SHADE 7: Saw C
When Mary saw this bright orange color, she prayed for it to look good on her.
She had to apply multiple coats of the lipstick for this semi-sheer look.
"This color is definitely not for the faint of heart. I’d hoped it would look BOMB on me, but it was a little too sheer. Maybe if it was in liquid form I could’ve layered it better. I liked the orange in theory, though!" said Mary.
The pink undertones of my lips made this look less sheer on me.
I only had to do a couple of coats and the orange was lit.
SHADE 8: Midnight Wasabi
This was the shade neither Mary nor I thought we could pull off.
"I have stayed FAR away from green lip colors, but Rihanna may have converted me," said Mary.
"I felt like a fierce witch and I loved it."
I'm no stranger to green lipstick, but this one definitely took the cake.
The creamy, soft formula made this easy to wear. I almost forgot I had it on.
SHADE 9: Freckle Fiesta
After swatching this on her arm, Mary thought this might be a winner.
Sadly, she wasn't sold on the color.
"I was a little disappointed that it didn’t look as good on my face as it did on my arm. I thought it would be a perfect fall color, but it was a little too bright on me. It’s definitely a fun color, though!" said Mary.
I'm always down for a fiesta, but I don't think I'd spend my coin on this.
The color was nice, but not showstopping.
Next!
Shade 10: Spanked
Spanked is the lighter sister to Candy Venom.
"I like the touch of pink and how it adds a little bit of color without being overwhelming," said Mary.
Spanked is highly pigmented for a fully saturated hue.
On my skin tone, Spanked was somewhat similar to Freckled Fiesta.
SHADE 11: PMS
If you had any doubts about Rihanna being the feminist icon we all needed and wanted, this lipstick is proof.
The official description is "moody brown."
Mary was fan of the name and the color.
"First of all, I cackled when I heard the name, and I think Rihanna is a GENIUS. About the color: I thought it was a really good brown, and I could definitely see myself wearing this on a daily basis," said Mary.
I didn't even know my lippy collection was missing a moody brown, but I need this!
This would also make a great gift if you've synced your cycle with your BFF, lol.
SHADE 12: Griselda
Mary's inner witch fell instantly in love.
"I LOVE lip colors with touches of deep purple. I could see myself wearing this every day," she said.
I didn't even have to put the lipstick on; I knew this would be a winner for me.
Mary nailed it — I could wear this every. single. day.
Do not sleep on Griselda!
SHADE 13: Clapback
This dark blue won Mary over with just one coat.
"This one definitely suited me better than the lighter ones. It’s not for every day, but I’d wear it for a night out," said Mary.
This was the color I expected from Fenty Beauty: A shade that was different yet flattering to all.
I don't think I've ever seen a lipstick color like this.
SHADE 14: Shawty
Mary ended the collection with her new nude.
"Once again, the name made me chuckle. I wasn’t sure if this color would look good on me, but I really liked the final look," said Mary.
This was nowhere near nude on me but I still loved it.
This collection clearly was made with love and this color is proof.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Color Story: The color palette throughout all 14 shades is unexpected yet totally cohesive. There are everyday shades and bold outliers; Rihanna truly made something for everyone. Shades like Griselda and Shawty blew us away with their universal beauty and originality. That said, there are some shades in here that have drugstore dupes.
Formula: The texture is extremely lightweight and thus, not long-wearing. It felt more like a rich, creamy, and moisturizing lipstick in comparison to most matte lipsticks or liquid stains out there.
Packaging: In photos, this packaging is DROOL-WORTHY. In real life… it's extremely lightweight and the plastic feels a bit flimsy. But with a moderate $18 price tag and GORGEOUS visual design component, perhaps the cheaper materials were a compromise.
If you're a Fenty fan, you definitely need one of these lipsticks, maybe even two or three.
WATCH: Trying Fenty Body Lava — subscribe for more!
