“Hide that double chin! I learned how to contour when I gained weight.”
—Rihanna
There’s nothing like painting your face with your BFF before you get ready to go out and have some fun. Only in this case, your best friend is now Rihanna.
RiRi makes us feel that way throughout her unguarded 10-minute tutorial that went live Thursday. The superstar’s self-love is evident in the best way, as the beauty mogul and star of the upcoming movie Ocean’s 8 stages a ubiquitous press campaign in her quest for world domination.
All eyes are on her fashion moves as host of the upcoming 2018 Met Gala on May 7, along with Donatella Versace and Amal Clooney. Her tutorial shows us how she turns flaws into assets with the swipe of a contour stick. Fenty Beauty Matte Skinsticks in Mocha are her instrument of choice for contouring.
As she mugs for the camera, the crew breaks out laughing more than once at her antics and goofy outtakes. Looking girl-next-door sweet in a baby-pink silk robe and comfy matching bra from Savage—her lingerie line set to debut May 11—she assures us, “Contour always looks crazy when you start out.”
We can all feel better seeing that even a goddess like RiRi has to go through some not-so-pretty stages with her makeup to get the spectacular results. It takes time and practice, and most reassuringly, she lets us know that there are some things with makeup that look the best when “you do them yourself.”
Yes, “I’m super caught up about my nose contour, because I’m black ... and that’s a special thing,” she says as she shapes her nose by shading the sides of it with a brush. Her forehead is another area she likes to bring down to size by shading her hairline in with contour. If you want to live your best lace-front-wig life, heed her tips on making sure you blend your foundation ALL the way up to your hairline. A little “finesse” on the forehead, she says, is key: “The blend is real.”
When bad decisions in life show up as dark circles and bags under your eyes, Fenty’s got you covered, as Rihanna blends concealer from her tear ducts to the tops of her cheekbones.
“More is more” is the pop icon’s summer vibe, starting with makeup that’s head to toe. She does this using two palettes. The first is Beach, Please, a pink-and-orange duo that does double duty on eyes and cheeks. A second, unnamed palette ensures full highlighter penetration.
Then we get into dangerous waters when she pulls out “what I call my ‘shark-tooth brush,’” perfectly angled to highlight cheeks, nose and brow bone. Baby, I know we’re only friends in my mind, but I think you might need a highlighter intervention—we’ve all been there. I know I have, when the gold dust goes to your brain and you highlight your face to the point where you look like a lighthouse ready to stand in for the Statue of Liberty when she’s off-duty for the night. RiRi is probably better than most of us, so she can pull it off, but viewer beware: This next-level highlighter is for clubs and candlelight scenarios only.
“Drama!” Rihanna declares as she slathers herself in Fenty Beauty Body Lava with Fenty’s Kabuki brush. Head to toe, she’s ready to go—and we’ve got the look.
So, RiRi, any chance that you might FaceTime us on Monday night as you’re getting your glow up for the Met Gala? I’ll DM you my number just in case.