We can’t get enough of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s inauguration look! From her gorgeous curls, to her purple and burgundy Sergio Hudson look, she stepped out in style for the swearing in of President Biden. So of course, it’s only right that she kept the flair going with some Fenty Beauty.
In conversation with Elle, her makeup artist, Carl Ray, revealed that he wanted to make her look pop, even though you’d only be able to view a portion of her face. “I wanted her to have a powerful beauty look that would need to be achieved by playing up the top half of her face,” he said.
Ray also talked about Obama’s overall impact and how it feels to work with her. “It’s such an honor,” he said. “I am humbled to be able to work with such a strong, confident, and iconic woman that is a role model to so many women everywhere. I knew that this was a monumental day for our country but particularly for women. Her entire look really was powerful and I am so glad that people loved it.”
He accentuated Mrs. Obama’s natural beauty with Fenty Beauty’s long-lasting eyeliner, Fenty Flyliner. He also contoured her face with Fenty’s Matchstix Contour. That’s not where the Black-owned beauty ended though.
Obama also wore the smokey-colored Divine Mink eyeshadow from Pat McGrath’s Eyedols Eye Shadow palette, as well as some of McGrath’s Permagel Eyeliner in Xtreme Black. McGrath is getting tons of recognition these days—and she deserves every bit of it and more. She was recently granted Dameship by Queen Elizabeth II, making her the first makeup artist to achieve this. She also recently covered Allure for her beauty prowess, in combination with her business acumen.
It goes without saying that Fenty Beauty boss Rihanna is forever the moment. She is on the first 2021 cover of ESSENCE, in collaboration with fine artist Lorna Simpson. For her looks throughout the 12-page shoot, she also wore her highly successful makeup brand.
Other beauty brands included in Mrs. Obama’s look were: NARS, Anastasia, Viseart, Glossier, Lily Lash, and Laura Mercier.