Selenators, rejoice: Not only is Selena Gomez's first beauty brand, Rare Beauty—a collection of liners, luminizers, and lips, as well as 48 complexion shades—live on Sephora now, but acolytes everywhere can use a Rare lip cream to create Gomez's exact look in the video for her glorious BLACKPINK collab, "Ice Cream." To personally introduce the launch, Selena herself hopped on Zoom with editors last Friday, answering question and showing off her signature red lip (courtesy of a Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream called Inspire) and glossy blowout.
Here, a few choice highlights from the virtual meetup:
Why Selena Wanted to Start a Beauty Line
"I started working since I was seven. So my relationship with makeup has constantly evolved. And I think that through that, there has been moments where maybe I don't feel my best. Maybe I'm really self critical. Maybe I compare to other people. And that's kind of the standard I wanted to break. I wanted [beauty] to be accessible for people. I feel like I can transform when I wear makeup because it's such a crucial part of my life. In film or TV, it creates your character. In music, it can almost be the whole point of the video.I love imperfection. There's complete beauty in that. [Beauty] is meant to be yours. And it's meant to be something that you know what you're doing. Not professionally, but this is exactly how I feel makeup should be: an accessory, something that you are proud of wearing, highlighting what makes you feel beautiful."
Rare Beauty (from left): Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner, Lip Soufflé Matte Lip Cream in Inspire, Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation, Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer, Blot Glow Touch-Up Kit, Positive Light Liquid Luminizer, With Gratitude Dewy Lip Balm, Soft Pinch Liquid Blush'
Shop Selena's Rare Beauty Favorites
Why Her Mom is Her Beauty Icon
"[My mom] was such an icon. She had the whole nineties thing—Drew Barrymore cut, little safety pins in her shirt, Butterfly clips. She was so cool to me, almost like my big sister. We have that relationship and friendship and beyond. She was very young and worked multiple jobs when she had me. When she was in Dallas, she started working with a model agency doing the makeup. So I would get to go with her and see what she was doing. And sometimes at night, my mom would go into her room and she'd open up her [makeup] box and she'd [light] candles and [have] music playing. I think that felt like a sense of therapy for her. I would go in her room and sit next to her in the mirror and I would do the makeup. She would have a little glass of wine and she'd give me a little glass of apple juice. That memory is something I'll never forget."
What She's Learned About Makeup
"I've learned some tricks from my makeup artist Hung [Vanngo]: For one, applying [blush] up more, so that you can kind of blend it up and not have so much redness on the cheek, which I found really helpful. I've also learned that Scotch Tape eyeshadow trick from YouTube."
Her Belief That Bright Lips Boost Moods
"I'm such a sucker for a red, it just seems to always be my color. [Her go-to red is called Inspire; the fuchsia she wore in BLACKPINK's Ice Cream collab is Ascend.] When my little sister is over, she'll love playing with the makeup. Finding moments of joy is what's kept me going, from my sister, to my friends, or seeing what people are doing around the world."
What Accessible Makeup Means to Her
"The most important part [of making Rare Beauty] at first was the foundation because I'm very particular with what I use. I tend to like very breathable makeup, and I love things that don't feel too much. And then having 48 shades, making sure that it was going to be so easy for people to find [their match].
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation'
Why Mental Health is Personal for Her
"I have struggled very openly about anxiety and depression and mental health. I would say that the time that I've taken for myself has actually just reflected in everything that I've been releasing. And I don't know if anyone can tell or cares, but you could just see the amount of happiness that I do have with what I'm given and what I'm blessed with. The whole reason I started the [Rare Impact] Fund is to raise $100,000,000 in 10 years for mental health researching and researchers. I've been in a few of the [fund] conversations and it's remarkable to see all these women. Women who have kids, women who are business women, and young girls who just want to take a cute selfie. So to me, I just say there's beauty in imperfection."