‘Rihanna pushes us to become better makeup artists’

DID YOU KNOW that global superstar Rihanna wears lipstick shades according to her mood? Also, that she does her eyebrows and lips on her own? The superstar brought about a revolution in the makeup industry by inventing the concept of 40 shades of foundation, celebrating women of every colour. The makeup industry had hitherto catered only to lighter skin tones. Rihanna will be in Dubai on Saturday to give a makeup masterclass where she will share the inspiration behind the Pro Filter foundation and kilowatt.
Joining her would be the maestros of makeup in person, Hector Espinal and Priscilla On. “It’s going to be something historical and beautiful. Rihanna chose Dubai and she will share it herself with the audiences this weekend,” said Hector while talking to City Times on Tuesday at Al Quoz. 
 
Since you work so closely with Rihanna, can you share with us how involved she is in the making of Fenty products?
Rihanna is such a huge artist and everything she touches becomes gold. She is so involved with Fenty and you can see that. It’s not a brand where a celebrity puts his or her name on it. She is involved and if she doesn’t approve a product, then it will never reach the market. She tries each and every product. Clients feel more like family than consumers. We want everybody to feel welcome and included. And that’s been the reason behind the unprecedented success. We have broken the rules. With our highlight, it doesn’t mean that it’s only for someone with light skin. No. For us, it’s makeup and everyone is meant to have fun with it and feel empowered. There is no limit on Fenty beauty.
 
Being an international superstar, how does she find time to be so involved?
Sometimes, I don’t know how she finds the time. She is very hardworking.  Everything she does, she is 100% involved. She needs to approve everything. This beauty is one of those things in life that has made me grateful to be here. For the first time ever, we are doing a masterclass like this for the brand and for Rihanna. We are glad that we get to share our love for the UAE with Rihanna and Fenty. 
 
What’s Rihanna’s favourite lipstick and skin shade?
Rihanna has no favourite lipstick shade because she changes her lipstick shade according to her mood. If she is feeling upset then she might wear blue or red and if she is feeling happy then she might wear a pink. We never know what lipstick she is going to wear. She does her own lipstick and brows. She loves matte skin. She likes her skin to be dewy but not oily. 
 
What do you think is the reason behind the unprecedented success of Fenty beauty?
I know that we are making history in the beauty world. So many things that we thought were not possible are becoming possible. Like women of every colour have their foundation. And seeing every gender, culture and religion love Fenty is amazing. The challenges have been few because we have been getting to know women of  different countries. A Dubai woman is different from an American woman or an Indian woman and we have so many things to learn. 
 
How did you meet Rihanna?
I started my career in 2009 with Sephora and it just naturally happened. I was with them for a long time. Then I started doing a lot of fashion weeks and celebrity work. I became a global artist for Sephora and in 2016, I met Rihanna.
And I was like, ‘Wow, You might become my best friend.’ We had an automatic connection. I started working with them on Fenty Beauty and worked closely on the foundation. She pushes us to become better makeup artists. She always wants to try something new and it keeps us on our toes. For a lot of people it must be annoying but for me, it’s rewarding since she is always making me think out of the box. 
arti@khaleejtimes.com