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Depending on the source you read, between 50 and 100 celebrity-fronted beauty brands have launched in the past five years. This might seem like the golden era of celebrity beauty, but in reality many have already crashed and burned.
Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley has exited (the very good) Rose Inc; Harry Styles’ Pleasing seems to be little more than a merch stall with a great name and some mediocre beauty thrown in; Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. makeup line has withdrawn from the UK; Jared Leto quickly severed all ties with his somewhat baffling skincare enterprise Twentynine Palms. Many more, I believe, are teetering on the brink. But which brands deliver more than an additional revenue stream for the rich, making products worth buying regardless of the name?
Rihanna’s Fenty hardly counts as a celebrity brand any more, such is its mainstream power and influence on beauty, but I must mention the Beauty Eaze Drop Blur & Smooth Tint Stick (£28), a foundation so natural-looking and absolutely foolproof in application that it is barely a foundation at all.
A cursory swipe evens skin tone, subtly (but not drily) mattifies and blurs and then blends out to practically nothing in seconds. It is a lazy makeup-wearer’s dream.
Selena Gomez is another whose beauty line overdelivered. Rare Beauty is a phenomenal achievement that succeeds in part by not relying overly on its founder’s fame, and therefore appeals to a demographic beyond the Disney Channel generation.
Its focus is on high-quality products, packaged in disability-considerate tubes and wands (Gomez herself suffers from lupus). Soft Pinch Liquid Blush (£22) is rightly the bestseller. A dot on each cheek gives the instant appearance of better health and a tube lasts aeons. Virtue, a peachy beige, is a good choice for many.
Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs (developed under Sephora’s incubation division) is far better than I was expecting. If you scoff at what most concealers describe as “full coverage”, try her Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating Concealer (£27). It means business.
Newer is Rhode Beauty, Hailey Bieber’s capsule line. While the Rhode mobile phone case with built-in lipbalm is her most famous product, and her Pocket Blush blushers are creamy, pretty and easy to use, I’m most impressed by the skincare (formulated by excellent US chemist Ron Robinson of the well-respected BeautyStat brand). Peptide Glazing Fluid (£30) is a light, refreshing moisturiser for those who crave hydration but fear grease. For those who like something richer, the newly launched Barrier Butter (£38) delivers comforting, bouncy moisture to face or body.
Lighting tech: Declan Slattery. Set design: Yvonne Achato