Fenty Beauty’s first-ever refillable lipstick is here: Rihanna approves, but do we?

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Rihanna broke the internet this week by announcing her pregnancy in true Rihanna style: with an “impromptu” photoshoot to showcase her baby bump (adorned in body chains, no less) while wearing a hot pink vintage Chanel puffer coat. But that’s not the only thing the singer-turned-beauty mogul unveiled.

No, it’s not a new album – following the footsteps of its sister brand, Fenty Skin, Rihanna’s make-up company is launching its first-ever refillable product in the form of a lipstick named icon. And the pop icon herself heavily influenced the new product, with the bullet shape being inspired by the star’s prominent cupid’s bow.

Thanks to the brand’s trailblazing efforts to improve shade diversity in the beauty world, we tend to associate Fenty Beauty launches with large collections, but this new range takes a different approach, with just 10 shades that were personally curated by Rihanna, comprising reds and nudes that were tested across a range of skintones.

The launch follows a shift toward refillable compacts that we’ve seen from other beauty heavyweights of late, such as Charlotte Tilbury and Glossier. Boasting a semi-matte formula that claims to be “high pigment but low maintenance”, the hero shade in the collection, “MVP”, is Rihanna’s other baby: a blue-red hue that took her almost a year to perfect.

We spoke to Rihanna’s make-up artist, Priscilla Ono, to get the tea on Fenty Beauty’s first refillable. Thanks to the angled shape of the lipstick bullet, Priscilla never feels the need to use a lip liner with the icon shades, and praised the versatility of the formula, claiming that it’s perfect for everyday use. According to the artist, if you’re a gloss bomb fan, you’ll love pairing these together too. “Rihanna is all about layering, we both often think that more is more,” she said, adding that “wearing icon and gloss bomb is game over”.

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We got our hands on two icon lipstick shades ahead of the launch (”board member” and “major magnate”) to see if the Bajan beauty guru has struck gold once more. In order for consumers to make the refillable switch, components need to be slick and easy to use, so we considered this in our test. We also considered the colour pay-off and feel of the formula, as well as the shade range.

Sign up for the lipstick case now £10, Fentybeauty.com

Sign up for the lipstick now £18, Fentybeauty.com

In true Fenty style, the chrome case is as chic as it is bold and almost feels like an accessory in itself thanks to its oversized feel and pentagonal shape. This is a clever move for the brand, as framing the component as a statement addition to your handbag will encourage shoppers to invest in refills after the initial spend on the case itself. Rather than feeling like a sacrifice for sustainability – a common criticism of other less-refined refillables – this experience feels luxe.

It did take us a little while to figure out how to swap out each bullet in the casing (Priscilla made it look wonderfully slick when she showed us over Zoom) but once we got the hang of it, it was incredibly satisfying to feel it click in and out. The bullet slots firmly into place, so much so that it takes a bit of elbow grease to get out, but we appreciated this security given it is a refillable component.

The lipstick feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips, gliding on nearly effortlessly and drying down to a semi-matte finish. We love hybrid products like this, as they offer the best of both worlds: the cushiony feel of a satin formula with the instant colour pay-off of a matte. If you’re a fan of the brand’s sheer lipstick formula, you’ll love this, as it feels similar but with more pigment. The brand’s signature peach-vanilla scent is addictive and lingers on the lips after you apply. Infused with hydrating powerhouse hyaluronic acid as well as vitamin C and E, it feels instantly nourishing.

We’ve never seen a lipstick bullet shaped like this one – it almost echoes the pentagonal shape of the case itself, with a pointed edge at the top to help define the lips. We found that it hugged the contours of our pout well, but was a bit tricker on the cupid’s bow as we’re not blessed with Rihanna’s wonderfully defined shape. It wasn’t a deal-breaker, but if you have smaller lips it might take a while to get used to.

Read more: The Body Shop’s new foundation comes in 40 shades – but how does it perform on different skintones?

A word of warning: the colour does stain slightly, especially the reds. We didn’t mind, but it caused issues when we accidentally smudged it around the lip line or wanted to correct a mistake. We loved the “major magnate” shade which is a rich chocolate brown that taps into our continued obsession with Nineties make-up looks.

One bugbear we did have was that patience is required if you want to layer up. When we tried to, it caused the product to come off the middle part of our bottom lip and we couldn’t get it to stick there again without removing and starting again. This will be down to the hydrating formula, and we’d suggest waiting for it to dry down fully before applying another coat.

With that said, the formula is seriously pigmented with one swipe, although it did fade quite quickly after application. Our lips stayed hydrated and defined, but you’ll need to top up throughout the day to retain full colour coverage. It doesn’t claim to offer the longevity of the brand’s other fully-fledged matte formulas, however, and is far more comfortable to wear.

Rihanna has really nailed the refillable packaging with this launch, creating a system that’s easy to use and swap over to, even if you’re an avid lipstick hoarder. It shows that Fenty Beauty is taking its eco-conscious ethos seriously, as it has committed to creating a luxury-feeling compact that makes ditching plastic even easier. We loved how hydrating the formula is, but would have liked a bit more staying power.