Rihanna as Smurfette Is My Roman Empire—And Her Pastel Glam Just Set the Tone for Summer
Glossy lips, peachy cheeks, and tousled hair? Mama said soft serve, not subtle.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
At this point, Rihanna doesn’t just attend premieres—she rebrands them. And at the world premiere of The Smurfs movie in Brussels, the beauty billionaire showed up serving soft glam with a side of cartoon couture. This wasn’t a regular red carpet moment. This was ethereal, flirty, pastel perfection—executed with the kind of finesse that makes the rest of us want to re-do our entire summer makeup bag.
Wearing a baby blue strapless gown to match her animated alter ego, Rihanna turned heads with tousled waves, glowy skin, and glossy lips. The look was created by her longtime glam team: makeup artist Hector Espinal, hairstylist Yusef Williams, and hair assistant Naphia White—aka the dream team responsible for making “rich but soft” look effortless.
“The soft pastel color of her dress really drove the inspiration for the beauty look,” Espinal explained. “We took beauty notes from the 1950s and modernized it in the true Rihanna way.”
In other words: she looked like a vintage doll with a billion-dollar bank account.
The Base: Velvet Skin and Champagne Glow
To start, Espinal created Rihanna’s signature filtered-skin effect with Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, layering in dimension with the Match Stix Contour Skinstick in ‘Truffle’ and Sun Stalk’r Bronzer in ‘Bajan Gyal.’
Then came the glow—because when Rihanna steps out, you know the highlighter has something to say. Espinal tapped on a mix of Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter duos: Mean Money/Hu$tla Baby (a champagne-peach shimmer) and Afternoon Snack/Mo’ Hunny (a soft bronze-champagne). The combo gave a radiant finish that caught the light without looking greasy.
“We always layer makeup. It’s part of the iconic Fenty technique,” said Espinal. “We did a delicate blend of matte and satin finishes to create that fresh and refreshed shimmer—never shiny.” Basically, it’s that kind of glow that makes strangers ask what serum you use, even though it’s definitely just Rihanna’s genetics and a $200 product drawer.
The Lips: Gloss Bombshell
To prep for that perfect pout, Espinal started with Fenty Skin’s Plush Puddin’ Intensive Recovery Lip Mask to hydrate and soften her lips. Then he lined them with a neutral pencil before finishing off with the now-iconic Fenty Gloss Bomb.
“For summer, there’s no better look than a high-shine finish,” Espinal said. “Gloss Bomb gives you fun, feminine, pouty lips in one swipe.”
And let’s be clear—if there’s one thing Rihanna is always going to do, it’s make lip gloss feel like an act of power.
The Hair: Tousled, Textured, and Ethereal
Williams styled Rihanna’s hair in long, loose waves, with the top section pulled back for that dreamy, half-up moment. It was giving softness. It was giving beachy but royal. And to prep her strands, he started with The Clear Thinker Clarifying Shampoo, which is one of Rihanna’s go-to staples—especially when she’s switching between styles.
The Body: Smurfette, But Make It Glowy
To finish off the look, Espinal coated her in the Fenty Skin Butta Drop Mini Shimmering Whipped Oil Body Cream – Smurfs Edition. With its subtle shimmer and nostalgic Smurfberry scent (think fruity meets sexy), it gave her skin that just-bit-into-a-peach glow. You could see it glistening across the carpet—and honestly, the carpet should feel honored.
“We love this Smurfberry scent, too,” said Espinal. “It smells just like summer fruits and gives skin that sexy glow.”
So what have we learned? Rihanna is still the blueprint. Whether she’s running a billion-dollar empire, casually voicing a cartoon, or redefining pastel glam, she gives main character beauty in every shade, every finish, and every country.
If this is what Smurfette looks like in 2025, then honestly—blue is the new black.