It looks like we can add Ariana Grande to the ever-growing list of celebrities who are venturing into the world of the beauty industry. The singer worked with Forma, the same company behind brands such as Morphe and Emma Chamberlain’s “Bad Habit,” to create her own little piece of the makeup industry, titled “R.E.M. Beauty.” In a recent interview, Grande states that she was initially very intimidated to join the beauty sphere, saying that she wanted to produce products that were authentic to her and her vision.
“I was so nervous to even discuss stepping into the beauty space because of course there are so many amazing fellow people,” Grande said in a recent interview. “I don’t ever want to just jump into something that is popular or whatever, it has to feel super intentional and super fueled by passion. It has to feel authentic to me.”
Apparently, this project has been in the works for over two years now. Of course, one of the hardest parts of solidifying yourself as a makeup mogul is getting the formulas right, just ask Kylie Jenner. Grande claims in the interview that the process was a lot of back-and-forth processing of products, as well as a lot of “over-expressing” herself.
“We made sure it’s vegan, it’s cruelty-free, it smells delicious and lasts over a long time.” Grande said. “Just being able to hold the finished products in my hands is thrilling.”
But what’s up with the name? R.E.M. usually sparks images of sleep, as it is the acronym that’s usually associated with the dream-state stages of slumber. As we all know, Ariana is a dreamy girl, full of fantasy and light, so the name is on par with her aesthetic that we’ve come to know and love.
“I decided to name it r.e.m. because I feel like that song really encompasses a lot of my favorite parts of my sound. But also, r.e.m. – rapid eye movement – focuses on dreams and the eyes which are our main storytellers. They’re our most emotional communicators,” Grande said. “Like you can say more with the way that you look at someone than you can say with words sometimes. Our eyes are what we use to dream and rest. So much beauty happens there. I sort of love that.”
