(Image credit: Getty Images)
If I were to take an internet poll and ask people what the best date-night lip color is, I bet there would be one resounding and overwhelming answer: red. I get it! It’s a classic. Even Taylor Swift thinks so. However, Rihanna, the eternal cool girl that she is, just made the case for something even darker and richer.
Recently, the singer, brand founder, and fashion and beauty icon stepped out in NYC on a date night with her longtime partner, A$AP Rocky. She sported a signature chic outfit, glossy hair, and a bold makeup look. As a beauty editor, I was most interested in the latter. Thick lashes! Glowing skin! A bright pop of blush! And a rich, red-purple lip combo that I coined “winter berry.” It’s officially become my blueprint for how to create a cool mid-winter date-night look. Ahead, see the exact two products her makeup artist, Hector Espinal, used to create it.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rihanna’s Exact Lip Combo
Fenty Beauty
Trace’d Out Longwear Waterproof Pencil Lip Liner in Whiskey
The exact products come courtesy of Fenty Beauty (duh!). The first one Espinal used was Fenty Beauty’s Trace’d Out Longwear Waterproof Pencil Lip Liner in Whiskey, which is a deep mahogany. These lip pencils are waterproof and last up to eight hours with pure pigments that don’t fade, feather, or oxidize.
Fenty Beauty
Gloss Bomb Stix in Black’r Berry
Next, he applied Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb Stix in Black’r Berry, which is a deep, juicy berry. These Gloss Bomb Stix provide the pigment of a lipstick with the high-shine finish of a gloss. They’re even infused with vitamin E, shea butter, and squalane for a lip balm-like effect.
“To create a natural fade over time that still maintains the integrity of the deep berry shade, I lined the lips first to define and then also filled in the entire lip before applying the gloss on top,” Espinal said. “This gives the whole lip look more longevity and reinforces the wash of color at all levels, creating a really natural fade in the center of the lip over time.”
5 More Berry Lip Products I Love
Saie
Glossybounce High-Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil in Dream
Saie’s Glossybounce Lip Gloss Oil is so smooth and silky—never sticky.
Eadem
Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm in Bissap Glaze
Eadem’s Le Chouchou Lip Balms keep my lips smooth with exfoliating AHAs.
Dior
Lip Glow Oil Hydrating High-Shine Gloss in 006 Berry
Dior’s Lip Glow Oil is iconic, especially in this juicy berry.
Rhode
Peptide Lip Tint Nourishing Glaze in Raspberry Jelly
Rhode’s Raspberry Jelly Peptide Lip Tint is a mainstay in my makeup bag.
e.l.f.
Glossy Lip Stain in Berry Queen
E.l.f.’s Glossy Lip Stains are so underrated. I love this expensive-looking shade.