It's been one year since Rihanna disrupted the beauty world with the launch of Fenty Beauty. In case you've been living under a rock, she started with a foundation range that includes a whopping 40 shades (!) and gave way to a movement towards more shade diversity that the internet now calls "the Fenty effect." Next came gorgeous eyeshadows, liners, and glitter highlighters that are anything but subtle — in the best way possible — and she hasn't slowed down since.
So, what better to celebrate one year of being a groundbreaking brand than with lots of glitter? For its anniversary, Fenty Beauty released the Diamond Anniversary Collection, which includes Diamond Milk, a pearl-finish version of its original lip gloss, and Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil, a jelly-powder highlighter that has a 3D shimmering finish. "You can never have enough diamonds! This is the closest thing to bathing in it. The sparkle in this is just insane," Rihanna said in an official statement.
Of course, glitter can be intimidating (even if Rihanna says to bathe in it), so we put the shimmer to the test. Ahead, five staffers pack on the glitter and give their unfiltered opinions.
Fenty Beauty Diamond Anniversary Collection Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Diamond Milk, £16, and Diamond Bomb All-Over Diamond Veil, £30, available at Harvey Nichols.
"The bouncy, jelly texture of the highlighter had me fascinated, and I loved how easy it was to dab on my finger and transfer onto my cheeks — it melted right in! I love a no-grit highlighter, versus a chalky one, because it makes for a more natural glow, which is what I got with this formula. It says it's for the face and body, and I honestly wouldn't mind bathing in it like Rihanna would.
"Sticky lip glosses aren't my favourite, but I love how this formula looks on top of a colour, so I'd go for a few light dabs of the product, but nothing beyond that." — Thatiana Diaz, Beauty Writer
"I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of the Fenty Trophy Wife, so I was happy to see this highlighter has finer particles. This looked like a fine dusting of fairy dust on my cheeks. Close up, you can see all the purple and silver specks. In the photo, it just looks like I’m beaming. Typically I go for golden highlighter shades, but I might be willing to make this silver a regular thing.
"The gloss is very similar to the original Gloss Bomb formula, but the texture reminds me of the childhood 'play' makeup that I used to wear during my princess dress-up phase." — Jessica Cruel, Deputy Beauty Director
" This lipgloss immediately reminded me of the Lip Smacker Vanilla Frosting gloss that I was obsessed with as a kid, which made me love it. The texture's a bit thick so a little goes a long way, but it definitely feels just as nourishing as the Gloss Bomb. The glitter in both the lipgloss and highlighter isn't too silvery, and shows up as a really pretty light shimmer. I would absolutely wear the highlighter on a night out, or really any day I feel like being sparkly."— Rachel Lubitz , Senior Beauty Writer
"I feel very luminous with this highlighter on. I would pick this up for nighttime or anytime I was going to have my photo taken, but it’s a bit too much sparkle for the office for me.”
"The lipgloss is perfect for adding some shine on top of a bold lip. I like to tap some in the centre of my lips to make my lips look poutier. Definitely leaving this in my to-go bag. Ladies, leave your hair up though, this lippie is tad bit sticky, but worth it." — Vanessa Chui, Employee Experience Manager
"My favourite part about the highlighter has to be the texture, which is velvety soft, surprisingly bouncy, and squishy in the pan. I went rogue instead of using a brush and pressed my ring finger into the palette, then tapped the glitter pickup on top of my cheekbones and over my eyelids. As a sheer sparkly shadow, I would totally recommend it, but as a highlighter for my face, it was a little too glittery for my aesthetic.
"As for the gloss, it was likewise full of sparkle if you glob it on thick, but just one light coat rubbed between my lips and the shine was actually pretty subtle." — Megan Decker, Beauty Editorial Assistant
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