Viola Davis Loves That Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Has the Perfect Shade For Her
Rihanna may not have released any new music this year but she’s still dominated it thanks to Fenty Beauty. The line has garnered countless fans and one of them is Viola Davis. Like many others — who were quick to praise Fenty Beauty before it even arrived thanks to the brand’s commitment to inclusivity, from the marketing to the actual products — the actress is here for its unprecedented 40 shades of foundation.
“The thing about Fenty, which I own, is that I can get a base makeup that is exactly my skin tone,” Davis told Refinery29. “I don’t feel like I have to get something five shades lighter, or mix two shades together in order to get my shade. And it feels like my natural skin. It’s full coverage, and I’m honored by the fact that I’m recognized in this beauty line. I thank Rihanna for that. As opposed to going to a drugstore and another drugstore, especially if you’re somewhere in like, I don’t know, Montana where you can’t find anything for you,” she said. “It makes you think then, Ok no one is thinking of me. It’s something that I struggled with a lot.””
Viola Davis’ words echo Rihanna’s explanation of why she wanted to create foundations that work for so many different individuals. “I wanted things that girls of all skin tones could fall in love with,” she said earlier this year. “In every product I was like, ‘There needs to be something for a dark-skinned girl; there needs to be something for a really pale girl; there needs to be something in-between.’ There’s red undertones, green undertones, blue undertones, pink undertones, yellow undertones—you never know, so you want people to appreciate the product and not feel like: ‘Oh that’s cute, but it only looks good on her.’”
Obviously, Rihanna’s approach has worked. Outside of the fact that many of the darker shades sold out at Sephora immediately, Fenty Beauty also has the numbers to back up its success. Last month it was revealed that the brand raked in an incredible $72 million in earned media value just during its first month. And, listening to fans like Davis explain their personal connection to Fenty Beauty, it’s easy to see why.
Related: How Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Is Ushering in a New Era of Inclusivity in the Beauty Industry
Everything You Missed at Rihanna’s Delightful Fenty x Puma Fashion Show
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Inside the Fenty X Puma show by Rihanna at the Park Avenue Armory on Sunday night during New York Fashion Week. Photo by Serichai Traipoom for W Magazine.
Model Beauty Secrets:
The Best Fall Foundations to Buy Now, According to W‘s Editors
“It was always hard for me to find a foundation that has my color; having to mix foundations and live with looking too light, too dark, or too cakey. Fenty Beauty finally offered the perfect shade, that also has light to medium coverage so it doesn’t cover up my freckles and looks completely natural. It lasts a full day without creasing, and can last even longer with the Retouch Primer!” – Alyssa Pena, Fashion Credits Editor
Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, $34, sephora.com
“This foundation offers a little bit more coverage than the tinted moisturizer I use over the summer, but feels just as lightweight.” – Sarah Leon, Digital Editorial Director
Hourglass Veil Fluid Makeup Oil Free Broad Spectrum SPF 15, $60, sephora.com
“I don’t use foundation as it feels too heavy for every day, instead I use Clarins Instant Conclear in the places I need coverage and tap away until it sets and is traceless.” – Sarah Zendejas, Fashion Market Editor
Clarins Instant Concealer, $32, ulta.com
“I’m a big fan of a tinted moisturizer. As a girl with a face full of freckles, I hate covering up the obvious. As the weather gets colder I lightly cover up the red areas on my face with Nars Tinted Moisturizer, mixed with some Haloscope from Glossier and that does trick. Conceals with a glow.” – Courtney Costello, Fashion Market Assistant
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $45, nordstrom.com
“I love the Double Wear Foundation from Estée Lauder—it allows my skin to breathe while giving me coverage all day and into the night. I am always recommending this foundation to my friends when they are searching for a product that isn’t heavy on their skin.” – Christy Key, Fashion Assistant
Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup, $42, bloomingdales.com
“I love this foundation because it’s super lightweight, but covers up so well giving me a flawless complexion!” – Chrystin Bunion, Executive Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief
NARS Velvet Matte Stick Foundation, $45, neimanmarcus.com
“This foundation builds for more coverage, or works as a light layer.” – Nada Abouarrage, Beauty Assistant
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $64, nordstrom.com
“I am not a fan of foundation, but when my skin needs a little pick-me-up I reach for bareMinerals Complexion Rescue. I mix this tinted gel with my daily moisturizer and sunscreen for a subtle sheen.” – Kristin Auble, Research Director
Bareminerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream, $30, sephora.com
