Fenty Beauty | Worth the hype?

Fenty Beauty ... it's ALL the hype lately. Rihanna's new makeup line has made a big splash in the beauty world, and it seems like everyone is talking about it. It appears PR packages were sent out to influencers in the beauty world, but fear not - I spent my own money on a couple key items from the line, so you can bet (as you always can, sponsored or not), that my opinions are entirely my own and I'm being 100% honest about these products.

Much of the hype around Fenty Beauty surrounds the foundation, and it is completely warranted. The foundation line has an unprecedented 40 shades to choose from.... yes, you read that right, 40 SHADES. How amazing is that? The beauty industry has been majorly lacking for way too long, offering a variety of beige and dark beige foundation shades, but nothing for those of us on either end of the spectrum... whitest white to darkest dark. I really, sincerely hope that the buzz around Fenty forces other cosmetics brands to up their diversity game.

I'm not sure what possessed me, but when I went to place my order, I meant to only pick up the foundation... but lo and behold, I ended up throwing a highlighter in my cart, too. There are four different highlighter duos, and I nabbed the Lightning Dust/Fire Crystal duo. The shades are buttery and soft, and great for pale girls. These duos are $34, which is pretty steep actually, but justifiable for me because highlighters last ages.

It was really tough to capture the beauty of this highlighter on camera, but you can see the left shade is not quite as creamy. It's a perfect highlight with a subtle glittery shimmer. The right shade is very buttery and could even be used as an eyeshadow. Both of these are pretty intense nude-colored highlights - you can glow like a disco ball if you don't use a light hand. After my initial swatching, I considered returning them, but after a couple uses I changed my mind and I really do like how they look on my skin. I think they look much better on than swatched on my arm.

I'm most excited about the foundation. The hype is SO REAL about this foundation, and it's more than just the 40 shades. You get 1.08 oz in a bottle, which is a little more than the standard 1 oz you get with most all foundations. It is a tad pricey, ringing in at $34, but I'm going to spoil the rest of my review for you and tell you it's completely worth it. 

This foundation is a DREAM. For reference, I have normal to combo skin that's acne-prone. I also have fine lines, on my forehead, underneath my eyes, and extending from my nose to my lips.

I purchased shade 110, the second lightest shade, and it's a perfect match for my very fair skin. A pump and a half covers my whole face using my preferred method -  a damp beautyblender. You can build the coverage, but I'd say you get medium to full coverage with one layer of foundation. As you can see above, it covers up my blemishes but not entirely.

It does have a slight fragrance, which I find pleasant, but something to consider if you're really sensitive to fragrance in your makeup. The finish is a satin matte, which is really quite nice. It's not quite as chalky and flat as say, L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation, it's just skin-like and light with the same amount of coverage. The wear time is fantastic - it looks great after an 8 hour day of work, and like some black magic, it doesn't sink in to my fine lines the way so many other foundations do. I'm so in love - this is one of the best foundations I've tried recently.

I will say, if you have dry skin, this will cling to patchy areas, and I could see this being a bit too matte of a foundation for you. 

Overall - I think the hype really is worth it for the Fenty Beauty line. These two products are just a couple of the things available for purchase at Sephora. There are also brushes, lip gloss, cream color sticks and more. Look through the line here.