Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty fashion show has become easily the most lucrative and anticipated fashion show every season, and the third installment — which is live on Amazon Prime today — was absolutely no exception. A story told in four acts, featuring one of the most diverse and inclusive roster of models, continued to challenge and redefine what “sexy” means, and the fact that “sexy” and “confidence” come hand in hand.
“I’m always rooting for the underdog, and there’s always someone left to represent. Everything that’s been going on in the world has influenced not just this collection, but the way we look at our talent,” Rihanna told Vogue. “It’s really influenced the way we look at representation—which, I think, is actually more important than even the collection. It’s a fashion show, yeah, but when people see someone like them, they suddenly feel represented. It brings a lot of confidence out in someone; it gives them a lot of reassurance that they have a space in this world. And that’s something that we push ourselves to expand every single year.”
It wouldn’t be a Savage x Fenty show without a Fenty Skin and Fenty Beauty appearance, though — this year, the Fenty Beauty artistry team, led by Fenty Beauty global makeup artists Hector Espinal & Priscilla Ono, created four unique looks for over 200 models and dancers that was game-changing whilst being fun and approachable — kind of like Rihanna herself.
To prep the skin, the artist uses the Rihanna Special on their faces: Fenty Skin Total Cleans’r Remove-It-All-Cleanser, Fat Water Pore-Refining Toner Serum, Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, and Flash Nap Instant Revival Eye Gel Cream. This base was built upon using Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r complexion range. And it’s Rihanna, so we can’t forget about the bawdy: The models were slathered in a healthy dose of Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream to give their skin a gorgeous, sexy sheen.
ACT 1: “STAIRS”
“This look was all about an edgy graphic eye for a modern rocker type of look – bold liner and metallic shadow to enhance everyone’s unique eye shape. We wanted the shininess of the hair to pop against a bright bold liner,” explains Espinal. For the eyes, the team used Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Chillz on the lid, Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette in 6 smoky in the crease, and Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in Lady Lagoon for the waterline. On the cheeks, Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Petal Poppin brought a gentle flush, that was accentuated with a highlight: Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil in How Many Carats? The look was finished off with Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Unbutton, a warm-toned, medium-dark matte peach shade.
ACT 2: “PLAZA”
Espinal calls this is the ultimate flirty look: Feminine, sexy and provocative. “The key to this look is that both the eyes and the lips feature an ombre design that ranges from a doll-like pink to a deep purple on the eye and a fuchsia-lined lip that blends into a softer pink.” He lined the upper and lower outer line of the eyelids with Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in Purp-A-Trader, and the same pencil in Cute Ting to the inner corners and lower lash line. The cheeks were dusted in the trifecta of Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Bikini Martini, Drama Class, and Petal Poppin, but the lip look is what really stands out here. Espinal and the team used three shades: Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Undefeated as lip liner filled the lips with the same lip color in shade Unlocked and pressed a little of the Stunna Lip Paints in the center of the lips, in the shade Unattached.
ACT 3: “ATRIUM”
Ono and Espinal found themselves inspired by the use of latex in the show and wanted to emphasize the “wet” look on the eyes and lips. “I like to call this the ‘red latex eye,’ which is actually super simple to recreate! It’s striking yet really user-friendly with just liner and then a gloss topper,” explains Ono. The brows were filled and set using Brow MVP Ultra Fine Brow Pencil & Styler and Brow MVP Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler, and the eyelids were covered in Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in Spaghetti Strapz, a red eyeliner that somehow doesn’t look like pink eye. Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer dotted the cheeks, while the lips were first painted in Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncensored, Underdawg, and Uninvited, before adding a layer of Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Glass Slipper.
ACT 4: “BRIDGES”
“We wanted to create a really cool metal eye that complimented the metal mesh designs that all the models and dancers were wearing,” explains Ono. “It felt very 70s, very Studio 54. I love working with silver in a really pigmented way because it actually looks good on all skin tones – it’s striking and stands out on everyone when you go for it!” For this look, the team started with Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette in 1 True Neutrals and the limited edition Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in CLF Edition. The eyes were lined with Flypencil Longwear Pencil Eyeliner in Cuz I’m Black, and the brows finished with Brow MVP Sculpting Wax Pencil & Styler. The cheeks were bronzed using Sun Stalk’r Instant Warm Bronzer in various shades, and on the lips, Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Unbutton, Uncuffed, and Unveil.
Oh, and of course, all of these looks were finished with a layer of Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara in Cuz I’m Black. RihRih, you did it again. Did the entire venue smell like Fenty Perfume, too?
