The Fenty Icon Velvet Lipstick has just launched, and we're reviewing every single shade
It really is a wonderful time to be a Fenty stan. And, we know we weren’t the only ones staying up until the early hours of the morning to watch that iconic Rihanna performance at the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show… Aside from her natural swag, epic choreo, flawless vocals, her beauty look got us shook. In fact, let’s talk about that epic Fenty Beauty plug.
The starlet was seen applying some Fenty Beauty Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder mid-performance, but the product that really caught our attention was whatever she had on her lips. Upon some research we found out that RiRi was in fact wearing a brand new product from the Fenty family, the Icon Velvet Lipstick – a highly-pigmented, long-lasting liquid lipstick with a bold, matte finish that's bullet-proof enough to see you through a 13 minute set in front of a 100-million strong audience (should you ever need to).
Ri wore the true red shade, The M.V.P which sold out very quickly post performance (no surprises there). But there's five shades to choose from in total, to suit every complexion.
The lightweight formulation for this liquid lipstick gives it a whipped feel for a creamy and comforting texture that glides across the lips easily and gives you smooth, immediate intense pigment in one precise swipe. The precision of course is down to its doe-foot applicator, which is designed to contour around your cupid's bow with ease. There's plenty of playtime if things go a little wrong, as the formula doesn’t dry out too quickly, which is probably a good thing for those of us with shaky hands. The end result should give you a dreamy hyper-pigmented velvet-matte finish.
Curious to know how all the shades faired? Five GLAMOUR staffers gave them a go and here are their truest and most honest thoughts.
The Product:
Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet LipstickThe Reviews:
Shei, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Writer
Shade: The M.V.P
Don't lie: You too were scrambling to find out what on earth Rihanna had on her lips at that Superbowl half-time show. I mean, I don't blame you, there is nothing like a power-red lip and that exact one was everything and more. I'm sceptical with red lipsticks, they can get messy and there are shades of red that fail to favour and enhance my darker complexion. Plus, matte lipsticks can feel so drying, while the sheeny ones don't hold that head-bitch-in-charge energy.
That's why I had to get my hands on whatever Ri had on her lips, and that I did. Much like its namesake, this shade is most certainly the most valuable player in this range, (in my eyes). It's hyper luminous, yet still with a matte finish. It complements my skin tone gloriously, and the formula is as soft and velvety as claimed – like smooth peanut butter but with a killer hue and full-proof staying power. All I needed was one swipe on my bottom lip, one swipe up top and BAMN! Magic! Thank you for not gatekeeping this one for us Mama RiRi.
Navy 1 - 0 everyone else.
Rating: 9.5/10
Luca, GLAMOUR’s Social Media Manager
Shade: H.B.I.C.
I'm a sucker for anything RiRi puts her name to, so having the Fenty Velvet Liquid Lipstick land in my lap was very welcome. I'm not a huge liquid lipstick fan in general nowadays, but this product is good enough to sway me that way. I tried the shade 'H.B.I.C.', which looks like a rusty orange-toned red in its packaging but was more of a classic red when I applied it (the only reason I knocked a mark off). The consistency is super soft and smooth, and feels insanely lightweight on your lips – no drying, sticking feeling at all. And when they say "one-swipe" they really mean it! The lipstick is super pigmented and coated my lips without needing to be dipped back into the tube.
Rating: 9/10
Lian, GLAMOUR’s Audience Development Manager
Shade: Bread’winnr
To really get me on board with lipstick I need it to feel relatively light and be easy to apply – a tall order, I appreciate. However, on application it's immediately obvious why this is called The Icon Velvet Lipstick, with one swipe applying with silky ease and giving high colour pay-off . Fenty has nailed the balance between a comfortable, whipped texture without being drying – often my main bugbear with lipsticks.
I went with the shade Bread’winnr, a deep chocolate brown which made for a cute moment beyond my usual pinky go-tos. It gave a sleek matte finish that didn’t feel heavy on my lips, and despite holding strong through the evening, it didn’t leave any staining when it came time to remove it – a win, win. Overall, I’m in. Needless to say, if it's good enough for Rihanna, it's definitely good enough for me.
Rating: 8/10
Elle, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor
Shade: Riri
If it can withstand a Super Bowl halftime performance, you know you’re onto a bullet-proof lipstick. I love that Ri’s shades work beautifully across so many skin tones and there’s no arguing with the pigment which is intense from the get-go. Since I suffer with dry lips I normally stay away from long-wearing formulas and opt for balms and stains instead.
After a little bit, this did start to set into the lines of my lips slightly, so next time I’d go in heavier with a layer of balm first. Or, I love dabbing a little bit of colour into the centre of my lips then diffusing it out with my fingers.
Rating: 7.5/10
Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet LipstickEmily, GLAMOUR’s Entertainment Director
Shade: C-Suite’ Heart
This is a real break from my standard issue red lippy comfort zone, but I need a lip colour for daytime when I’m feeling a little more chill, but still want to feel confident. Enter Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet Lipstick in C-Suite Heart. It’s a subtle dusky pink nude, but quite dark, not a colour I’ve tried before and I’ve never tried a Fenty lipstick before either. I am impressed, not only is it really, really velvety smooth (as it’s name would suggest) but it goes on in one swipe and is not too globby.
Any residual globbiness is smoothed over by the brush, which I found artfully shaped to create definition and doesn’t smudge. It also has extreme lasting power, taking me well through the day without too much reapplication and is very moisturising. It did a get a little on my teeth, but not masses and that was probably my application fail. 10/10, but would expect nothing less from our icon, Badgalriri.
Rating: 10/10
Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet LipstickFor more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
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