There is a digital graveyard full of folks that lie in Rihanna’s wake. Rest In Power Piers Morgan, Kendall Jenner, Celebuzz, and especially you, Fishy Poom Poom. However, the Badgal, soon-to-be Badmom, promises we haven’t seen anything yet when it compares to the defense she’ll put up for the Badbaby. “I feel like that's the type of mom I'm going to be,” she tells ELLE.com. “Psycho about it.” But for at least one night inside an Ulta Beauty store, the new home for the full line of Fenty Beauty products, everything was peachy.
Rihanna is always flanked by a team of people who precipitate upon her arrival. There’s the team of publicists, the managers, the hair and makeup folks who start to trickle in and signal her imminent entrance. Now, Rihanna has one more person preceding her when she steps in: the baby inside her exposed pregnant belly. She’s wearing a shimmering, silver custom Coperni top, which is really more bra than blouse, a belly chain, and a matching glitter skirt from from the Spring 2022 collection. Rihanna describes her beauty look, by her makeup artist Priscilla Ono, as Y2K-inspired and it perfectly pairs the beat with a snatched high pony.
The reason for the celebration is the launch of Fenty Beauty across Ulta’s full network of stores. Fenty Beauty has always been about expanding the access of the best products to the wideset group of people. A partnership with Ulta furthers that mission. “We have been dying to come to Ulta Beauty for a while now, and it finally happened,” Rihanna says. “It felt like the right fit. Fenty Beauty, our brand, is for everyone. We want everyone to feel included, and to be able to expand our doors with the Ulta Beauty family is a beautiful thing.” Speaking of family, Rihanna is growing hers in what might be the most iconic maternity style ever put together. Ahead of the event and the arrival of her baby (she’s in the third trimester so we are close, people!), Rihanna talks about the best advice she’s received plus the housewife moms she relates to most. Her rationale is table-flipping good.
You’re glowing! Is it Fenty Beauty or is it pregnancy glow? Are they working together?
I mean, they go hand in hand. There's a pregnancy glow. There's also those days, girl. Especially in the third trimester where you wake up and you're like, oh, do I have to get dressed? Makeup for sure helps you feel like a real person. I just focused a lot on moisturizing and on contouring. The face gets a little round and chubby. The nose starts to spread. Everything is a challenge, from getting dressed and how you're going to do your makeup. But I like challenges. I like things that force me to be creative and create in new ways. And with beauty, there's so much that you can do.
When are you feeling your most beautiful these days?
Whew. Truth? When my whole glam team shows up on a day like today and just beats me from head to toe. I feel snatched.
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten around motherhood so far?
A lot of advice. Probably the best advice is to sleep now because I won't get much later. I need to work on that before it's a thing of the past.
You’re a Bravo TV fan—which Real Housewives mom are you most looking towards now that you're going to be a mom?
Heather Dubrow is so chic while being a mom. Just love the way that she just allows her kids to be who they are. And that's really inspiring to me. But Teresa [Giudice] from Jersey does not play about her kids.
She will fight for those little girls.
She will flatten you about those kids. And that resonates with me a lot because I feel like that's the type of mom I'm going to be. Psycho about it.
Flip a table.
Worse. You talk about my kids, it's over.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.