Why This Isn't Just Your Average Red Lip...#Fenty

2017 couldn't be a better time for inclusivity!

There have been so many new beauty trends that have hit the scenes this year. From Pat McGrath's blinding skin illuminators, to au-naturale Korean beauty skin care routines, to incredible magnetic face masks, there are numerous innovations that send consumers running to their nearest Neiman Marcus or Sephora.

One trend that so many people are speaking about now that is long overdue: inclusivity to all people of all skin tones. For too long, many makeup brands have neglected to produce the necessary variations of shades to cater to different ethnic groups—particularly that of the black community. Too many times has a black woman wandered into a CVS to pick up that popular talked about "Fit Me" Concealer only to find there are five shades—and that "deep" is about the same color as any European woman with a slight tan. You know what I'm talkin' about.

2017 has paved a way and a new appreciation for developing makeup for black girls, myself included, that has resulted in a lot of wig-pulling and elbow nudging trying to wrestle the next girl for the last shade of 490! (Kidding...well, maybe.) One of those brands we can't even attempt to push aside was developed by that signature bad gal, the girl who has us twerking in the club: pop-star and fashion icon, Rihanna.

Rihanna, along with other celebrities, has led and spoken about the BLM movement in the midst of racially-fueled events that have happened in America. And many of those campaigns are needed to show that the black America has a voice and we are, in fact, beautiful. In November of 2017, Rihanna released her long anticipated makeup line called "Fenty Beauty." The brand is owned by KENDO, a company that facilitates several brands within Sephora, but this one was really special for us. Her line included 40 foundation shades, 10 Matchstix, Killawatt highlighters, a Pro Filt'r primer, invisible setting powder and tools for every girl of every shade to do her beauty routine her way, any day, every way.

It's an incredibly difficult task to formulate 40 shades of foundation for an initial launch, and it's really something we rarely see in the beauty industry. But man, did her fans go NUTS! Countless YouTube reviews and blogposts went viral praising Rihanna for her line being so universally inclusive that her brand made over $72 million in one month!

Talk about throw it up, throw it up! *throws bands in the air*

Her line became a catalyst for many other brands to re-think formulating their shades to cater to a much wider range of consumers, that we've all purchased a ticket and boarded her train to diversity town! Good job, Rihanna for filling in those 5-shade-gaps. From the lightest of light to the deepest of deep, we appreciate you!

What can't Ri-Ri do?!

Fenty Beauty's Stunna Lip Paint in "Uncensored" is a richly pigmented, universally flattering lip paint that wears seamlessly for up to 12 hours. It retails for $24 on Sephora.com