Selena Gomez On Busting Beauty Myths, Mental Health And Why Rare Isn’t Your Typical Celebrity Make-Up Brand
“That’s always been my thing throughout my whole life: trying to make people feel good and heard, that they’re not alone”
Do we really need another celebrity beauty brand? It’s something I found myself wondering as I tuned in to the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Masterclass weeks ago, logging on to Zoom along with dozens of giddy Gen-Zers and beauty fanatics from the region, eagerly awaiting a special virtual preview. Surely, I thought, I can’t be the only one who feels as if we’re living in an era of full-blown overload, with the make-up industry certainly being no exception.
After Kylie Cosmetics’ Lip Kit launch back in 2015 (which sold out within a matter of minutes), followed by Rihanna unveiling FENTY Beauty with a full range of 50 different foundation shades in 2017, it seems as if just about anyone with some kind of a social-media following or fanbase has tried their hand at becoming the next beauty mogul. Meanwhile, make-up industry professionals-turned-entrepreneurs (think Huda Kattan and Charlotte Tilbury) have been working tirelessly to keep up with the cycle, churning out new products on a regular basis to satisfy the demands of Insta-obsessed consumers. 2020 was the year of the beauty launch, just as much as it was the year of throwback, pint-sized accessories and face masks.
Selena Gomez, however, has clearly taken an entirely different approach to developing her own range of cosmetics, one with an ethos behind it that is committed to doing good. Having launched the brand stateside in September 2020 the award-winning singer-songwriter and actress was determined to create both products, a community (Rare Beauty boasts a cool 2.5 million followers on Instagram) and an initiative that works to lift up others, truly dedicated to busting the beauty myth of striving for perfection.
“For a long time, I wanted to create a brand that also had an important message,” Selena told Bazaar, touching on why it was important to her to launch the Rare Impact Fund alongside the line of cosmetics. “When we created the Rare Impact Fund, we made a promise that we wanted to raise $100 million in 10 years for mental health. We want people to have resources, we want people to know that there are places out there in the world… We just don’t want people to feel like they’re alone.”
It seems as if Selena understands the toll striving for perfection and feeling alone can take on one’s psyche better than anyone else. Having started her career at the age of seven, working as a child actor on Barney & Friends alongside friend Demi Lovato, before becoming a Disney Channel sensation and being rocketed to international stardom, she has undoubtedly grown up in the public eye. And while the beauty industry has become a more inclusive space, there are clearly many people who still feel like outsiders, especially if they don’t have an aesthetic that pleases the algorithms of social media.
“It’s really important to me that I stay connected to the reason why I’m here – which is to help people and to, you know, talk to people who maybe don’t have the voice that they wish they had,” Selena says. “That’s always been my thing throughout my whole life, trying to make people feel good and heard, that they’re not alone.”
Naturally, Rare Beauty’s social-media platforms reflect this mission. Featuring fans of all ages, genders and races sharing their own spin on how they use the products, alongside uplifting content and updates from Selena herself, the accounts are a positive force in an overly curated and filtered digital space, celebrating the beauty in individuality.
“Unfortunately, there’s the good and bad,” Selena says, acknowledging that social media is very much a double-edged sword – especially so for those of us who feel the need to stay constantly connected and struggle with the inevitable comparison culture that comes with spending too much time online. “It’s all about what you’re putting your eyes on. I tell friends or people who don’t want to get off social media, but can’t avoid certain things… if there’s places that make you feel safe, why don’t you visit those places? Even with my social media and Rare Beauty’s, we want people to feel good.”
“It’s really hard for me to look at other people and not compare myself,” she notes. “So I try to try to avoid it as much as possible.”
Selena has clearly put just as much love into creating the products as she did into the mission behind the brand. The packaging is slick, thoughtfully made to be both convenient and accessible for all beauty lovers. Selena took a Goldilocks approach when testing out formulas, noting that shade range was also a priority, as the brand unveiled 48 different concealer colours at the time of launch – which included foundation, eyeliner, lip products and an array of blushes.
“It seemed like a lot, but the reason why we chose those products is because we immediately wanted to create the foundation [of the brand] first,” Selena notes. “I was excited for people to get their hands on it – so, essentially, it was just your essentials. Now we’re just adding more and more.”
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And which products are her favourites? “I hate this question,” she says, smiling, making it very clear it’s a tough choice. “I would say that my liquid eyeliner… because I had no idea how to do winged eyeliner – I learned how to do a winged look from my actual product… ” (she’s referring to the Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner), “and my Soft Pinch Liquid Blushes, I think are also really fun.”
But the true foundation of Rare Beauty goes much deep than simple attaching a good cause to a brand or creating quality products. Selena makes it clear throughout our conversation that the inspiration behind it all has strong families ties.
“My mum, actually, worked at a small modelling agency in Texas where I’m from,” she says. “She used to do a lot of these photoshoots and work with all these models, she would do their make-up and would take me to work with her. I just loved watching her create, I loved the colours. I loved how she could make someone look completely different,” she reveals. “My mum, personally, never wore a lot of make-up. So it was cool because I felt like I didn’t need make-up, I wanted it – and that really is a part of my brand,” she says. “Being open, saying you don’t need to look perfect… enhance what you already have. We want you to be proud of who you are and know that you are special, and you are unique and that nobody in the world looks like you.”
Rare Beauty will be launching exclusively at Sephora across the GCC as of July 1. For more information, visit sephora.ae.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s July 2021 issue.