Not long ago, Rihanna was all ladylike topknots and coordinated pastels, only to move on from her bad-girl-gone-good phase in favor of a new obsession: pulling off a series of tricky lip shades with the same trademark swagger that gives her frothy copper curls their distinctive edge. Earlier in the season, she redefined beach-siren beauty with a slick of black pigment, brought back the grungy matte-plum mouth, and demonstrated the shocking chic of vinyl pink gloss. Her latest statement lipstick: a shade of metallic sapphire blue that was painted on with the same precision a classic crimson might call for. Soft nude makeup offered a natural counterpoint, while her curtain of eyelash-skimming spirals proved as effective a strategy for keeping the focus on her lips as a good pair of sunglasses.
André Leon Tally talks to Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala:
