The beauty industry has been SHOOK since early September.
The 8th marked the Friday your favorite bad gal and secret bestie, Rihanna, launched her eponymous makeup line Fenty Beauty. The collection that would change black girls and makeup shelves everywhere.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you can't escape the discussion about Fenty Beauty. Everyone is talking about it, and rightfully so. The brand is all that! One of the main praises is the wide range of foundation shades, namely the darker tones. Rihanna met the demand of the cries from women who felt their voices were unheard by makeup brands, who didn't care to cater to their complexions.
A couple of weeks ago, when Make Up For Ever shared their "40 shades is nothing new to us" post, some people felt it was Fenty Beauty shade. After Rihanna responded with the comments "Still Ashy" and "Shook," her fans filled the comment section with posts claiming Makeup For Ever had "casket ready" shades, among other insults, and I grew curious of how the two brands measured up against each other. I already owned Make Up For Ever, and decided to get Fenty Beauty to put them both to the test.
For an entire day, I wore Fenty on the right side of my face and Make Up For Ever on the left. My skin type is combination and I tend to get oily in the t-zone area on my nose, forehead, cheeks, and chin.
To start, I used a blurring primer by Becca, then applied each foundation with a flat kabuki brush and used the Fenty Match Stix Trio (the concealer, contour, and highlight set) and Trophy Wife Killawatt highlighter to complete the look. I documented the performance of each foundation in the morning, afternoon, and night to see which would perform best.
Here's what I found:
Fenty Pro Filter Foundation
Shade: 360 (it's honestly a smidge too light for my preference, I'm going to swap for one shade darker)
Finish: Matte, smooth natural finish
Coverage: Buildable to medium coverage
Price: $34
Review: I love Rihanna (drops mic). I kid, no, but seriously I do. It was so hard for me to get my hands on this foundation, and I could shoot myself for selecting the wrong color when the restock was briefly available online again for 2.3 seconds. All biases aside, the Pro Filter really does give you a natural “filter like" appearance without your skin looking overly cakey or dry. I had a smooth finish all day, and with a couple of oil blotting touchups my skin still held on to the soft matte look. There was little to no transfer and Trophy Wife had me glistening for the gawds all day long.
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation
Shade: Y455 Praline
Finish: Natural dewy finish
Coverage: Buildable to medium coverage
Price: $43
Review: I already owned the Ultra HD foundation and have always loved it. I really like the way it makes my skin look dewy and healthy while still providing good coverage. It applies smoothly and dries down with a dewy finish. There was a bit more transfer with this foundation because it's not matte, but nothing that would be considered a deal-breaker. Still a top pick in my foundation stash.
Here's how both held up throughout the day:
9am
(Left: Fenty Beauty, Right: Make Up For Ever)
1pm
After the first time blotting for the day.
6pm
Final Thoughts
Both foundations were very similar. They leave your skin looking like skin, they are both buildable, and provide a natural-looking coverage, while still allowing your skin room to breathe. The only difference I noticed throughout an 8-hour day was that the Make Up For Ever side of my face got a little dewier (or oilier in my case), and the Fenty Beauty was a little less oily and nine bucks cheaper. That's it. They both performed well and it all boils down to your preference of wanting either a matte or dewy finish.
I'm giving a round of applause to Rihanna and her team for bringing Fenty Beauty to life and paving the way for other women to trail blaze down a lane that caters to all skin tones from light to dark. Although both brands have similar foundations with a wide range of shades, there is enough room for everyone. It all boils down to preference and what your needs are from a makeup line.
Have you tried Fenty Beauty and Make Up For Ever? What are your thoughts?
- I Tried It: Fenty Beauty vs. Make Up For Ever Foundation - xoNecole ›
- 16 Best Foundations Offering Range For Dark Skin 2020 - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- The Best Fenty Beauty Products Of 2023, Worth Buying - xoNecole: Lifestyle, Culture, Love, Wellness ›
RELATED
Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
pixelheadphoto digitalskillet/ Shutterstock
“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock
While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by AS Photo Family/ Shutterstock