Am I over-thinking Fenty Beauty?

I’m always one to give credit when due, and I read something on Byrdie yesterday that I can’t stop thinking about. It was a story about Fenty Beauty secrets, and there are several reasons why this is interesting (at least to me).

I might possibly be the only beauty writer/editor who has never tried Fenty Beauty. There are a few reasons for this… First, I really dislike shopping for makeup at Sephora, unless I’m just popping in to replace something I’ve already been using. I just don’t find the environment to be conducive for playing—and I’d much rather go to a department store and have someone show me options and how to use them. Second, I’m intimidated by the breadth of the Fenty Beauty line. There’s so much going on I don’t even know where to start. Third, although Rihanna has more talent in one of her artfully-embellished, talon-like fingernails than I ever will—and is an extraordinarily beautiful woman no matter what she wears (or doesn’t)—her personal style doesn’t resonate with me. And finally, I’m just not into super-glittery, shimmery makeup so I take my business elsewhere.

Back to that tidbit of advice from Byrdie… Apparently Fenty Beauty’s Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter is worn almost as often as eyeshadow. They can also be used as-is (which is a cream-to-powder) or applied with a damp brush for more intensity. (BTW, this holds true for many eyeshadows.) Perhaps this caught my attention because I like playing with eyeshadow more than highlighter—so I immediately checked it out online.

Available in four solo shades (the gold “Trophy Wife” looks so FUN!), there are also five duos that I had to inspect further. Four of them are perfectly-paired neutrals (one more subtle, one more supercharged) that I would totally wear on a daily basis—and who knows, maybe I’d step up my highlighter game too if I had one. To get even more granular, the “Fire Crystal” shade brought memories of Stila’s “Kitten” eyeshadow flooding back. This was my ride-or-die in the late 90s-early 00s—but the formula changed at some point and it just doesn’t suit me like it used to.

So is this going to be my first foray into Fenty Beauty? I’ll let you know after my next trip to the mall, and if any of you have tried this product, please let me know your thoughts!

UPDATE: I was just rifling through my beauty closet and I came across Pixi Beauty’s Glow-y Gossamer Duo. Although I still haven’t tried the Fenty first-hand (yet), Pixi’s “Delicate Dew” combo seems to be just what I found so alluring about the Fenty version above—so I’m all good for the time being!