R.e.m. Beauty Is Here—and This Is Our Honest Review

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first drop.

By Tynan Sinks Updated on 07/03/22 06:16PM

r.e.m. beauty

Well well well, if it isn’t all of my dreams coming true right before my very eyes. My two great loves, beauty and pop music, are intersecting in the most exciting way, almost like I fever dreamed it into existence. My main pop girl, Ariana Grande, launched her very own beauty brand, r.e.m. beauty.

What place does Ariana have in beauty? Well, that’s the thing—Ariana has surpassed the need to prove herself to us or anyone else. She continues to move the needle, shift culture, and push trends with every song, every post, and every move she makes. The Positions album cover really (re)invented that floating wing eye trend we’ve been seeing all year, and the accompanying music video gave way to its very own TikTok trend that’s still going strong. And that’s all just within one year.

What I mean is, in big and small ways, Ariana has made an indelible impact on culture: the oversized sweatshirts, the thigh-high boots, bringing ’60s mod looks back into the everyday, and yes, the ponytail. Why wouldn’t she start a beauty line? Now, let’s get one thing out of the way. Before you hit me with the, “ugh, another pop star releasing a makeup line,” my only response is, “okay, and???” This is the way things have always been. What we’re seeing is just another version of the celebrity fragrance boom of the early 2000s on a larger scale, and it’s not stopping anytime soon.

While we knew her beauty brand was coming, we knew very little about what it would actually entail. After a lot of teasing, r.e.m. beauty has finally unveiled, and the whole thing just… makes sense. Throughout her career, Ariana has consistently pulled references from ’60s fashion, old sci-fi franchises, and Halloween monster movies. In the r.e.m. teaser photos, we see pieces of that coming through, and when she recently spoke to Byrdie about creating the collection, she often mentioned her points of reference, which include Barbarella, Twiggy, Star Trek, Star Wars, Lip Venom, and jelly sandals.

The first drop, Ultraviolet, launched on Friday, November 12, 2021, and it was comprised of Ari’s take on everyday essentials. While Chapter One is pretty eye-focused, it also gives you (a ton of) options for your lips and face. Below, we got all of the details on r.e.m. beauty straight from Ariana herself. Keep reading for a rundown of the products, the inspiration behind them, and more.