When Rihanna hits the screen, sudden zoom fatigue is nothing to worry about. In honor of Fenty Skin (open in new tab), a line of essences that is already making a scene (open in new tab) in the skincare world, the music superstar practically gathered a group of beauty editors together to tell us more about her latest launch. Standing in front of Bad Gal's Lili, we were struck by her beauty and the same aura that exudes through her laptop.

If you have never empathized with singer/designer/entrepreneur Rihanna, you will now. Rihanna shares the same skin concerns as many women and speaks about them in a very real way. 'In quarantine, it was rough at first,' she said. 'I don't know what kind of changes my skin was going through. [My skin] wasn't used to being home for that long. Since I started taking care of my skin consistently every day, my skin has been so much better. I feel more confident in my skin. I don't wear a lot of makeup. I like to keep my skin flexible." She sticks to just moisturizers before zoom calls.

Simplicity, efficacy, and accessibility were her main goals when creating this collection. When I go to the counter, people ask, "What does Platinum One mean?" I'm asked. " she said. My goal is to keep this really effective." Below, Rihanna's no-BS approach to sunscreen and growing up in Barbados. And keep reading to find out how fenty skin has (so far) worked for me.

"Oh my gosh, we've all been there. It means you are a woman. It means you're human, whether you're a woman or a man. I have had different issues with skin care at different phases of my life. It started with acne as a teenager and acne treatments that left me with really blotchy skin and took away the "good stuff" I already had. It was a hard road to get that back. I have sensitive skin, so I was really skeptical about the products and their performance. That's a big part of what Fenty Skin is all about. Pigmentation, blotches, acne, dry and oily areas - all my sensitive skin and skin care issues are difficult to deal with.

"Growing up on an island, you are exposed to the sun every day. So (I thought) SPF was for tourists and not specifically for black people. Over time, the sun was not kind to my skin because my skin was not resilient. I began to develop hyperpigmentation in certain areas. I think the biggest misconception about SPF in particular is that black people don't need SPF. As a woman of color, I want to tell you that is not true. We need it and we need it every day."

"Being from an island country, I'm fortunate to have access to a lot of key ingredients that really work well for my skin. As for the ingredients, I tried to make that a big part of the process. My mother's cousin had a Bajan cherry tree in her backyard. We used to run past it by the dogs. I loved cherries. The first thing I would do when I caught a cold was to drink bajan cherry juice. [11] [12] "[As a child] my mother was my beauty billboard. Literally, everything she did was monumental to me, and she was beautiful. I wanted to be like her. I was obsessed with everything she did, from makeup to hairstyles to skin care. She is my inspiration in everything. The message I am sending out to the world without even realizing it is the same sense of inclusivity, because it started in my home. Even when I launched foundation as my first beauty product, I had no idea it would have such an impact on the industry. That hasn't changed in anything I do. Whether it's clothing, lingerie, or skincare, my goal has always been to include every woman."

First impressions of Fenty Skin

Disclaimer: I have a regular skin care routine and rarely change it. (What follows is my mini-review of three new products that I tried for two days. I stress that they are minis because it takes time to see enough improvement in the skin to form a solid opinion. However, these are my initial impressions.

Cleansers As a preface, cleansers and I have a complicated relationship. I admit that I am particular about cleansers because I have very high skin standards and reactive acne-prone skin. I have been mostly vegan during my quarantine, and naturally I want my skin care to follow suit. So I like that all of these ingredients are vegan, clean, and gluten-free.

I started with a full face of makeup on to test the true power of this makeup remover. After dousing my skin with water, I squeezed out a medium amount and was pleasantly surprised by its baby pink color. Upon contact with damp skin, the texture turned into a luxuriously thick and creamy lather. It felt as if I was wearing a mask, that's how rich and thick it was. If you like light cleansing, this may not be for you. It smells very fruity, with ingredients of Barbados cherry and coconut. After massaging for a minute or so, I used Eve Lom's muslin cloth (opens in new tab) ($22) to remove the remaining makeup from my face. After one glide, all traces of makeup were gone. Even the mascara came off perfectly clean, without any need to abuse my lashes. The advertising claims that it removes makeup are not true.

Sunscreen: The mention of sunscreen brings back bad memories from my childhood. I share the same concerns as many women of color: ghostly white casts, chalky finishes, and non-absorbent textures that just sit on your skin and start to flake off. Good times.

This little lavender gem is here to liven up the saturated SPF market. Don't be fooled by the cream's pink color; once applied, it provides a sheer finish that leaves a glowing sheen. It is oil-free, which my sensitive pores love, and absorbs quickly into the skin with a feather-light feel. Really, really strong scent, a little too strong for my liking, so I only used a tiny bit. My skin has been dry lately, so I layered a little of my regular moisturizer over it to keep it moisturized.

Lotion/serum hybrid: Sorry for the profanity, but this is my shit. Fat Water is my favorite of the products in this line. Not only is the packaging pretty, but it actually works very well. I twisted the cap and squeezed the bottle to get the product out onto my fingers. I didn't use a cotton ball because I wanted to see how it felt on my hands. It has a gorgeous gel-like texture and almost no scent. The silky texture melted into the skin in seconds and immediately reduced the appearance of pores and brightened and lifted the skin. Pigmentation is my biggest skin concern, so I look forward to continuing to use this and seeing what effect it has on my dark spots.

Click here to see all Fenty Skin products (opens in new tab).