Trends may come and go, but a signature beauty look endures. Ariana Grande, speaking over FaceTime while adjusting her iconic ponytail, describes herself as “anti-trend” and explains that the main inspiration for her brand, r.e.m. beauty, is classic ’60s makeup. She loves using eyeliner to create a story or character, a technique she’s mastered through her role as Glinda in Wicked.
To transform into Glinda, Grande bleached her eyebrows weekly, a process she continues to maintain with a light brown tone. Despite the changing brow color, her love for the cat eye remains constant.
r.e.m. beauty’s newest product, a gel eyeliner pencil priced at $19, is designed to help fans achieve dramatic eye looks. The pencil is available in 10 shades, including black, brown, white, creamy nude, cobalt blue, shimmery plum, reddish-brown, champagne, lavender, and baby blue. Grande emphasizes that the expanded color range and improved formula make it the best vegan eyeliner possible.
In addition to the gel eyeliner pencil, r.e.m. beauty offers an eyeliner marker in black, but with the new launch, Ariana Grande is introducing four new shades: white (Knee Socks), chocolate brown (Teddy), navy blue (Foxy), and metallic silver (Starlet). Grande expresses pride in the new colors, especially highlighting Knee Socks as a particular achievement. The waterproof formula provides a rich, inky finish, and the tapered tip allows for precise, one-stroke application.
After trying both formulas, I was impressed by the vibrant colors on my cocoa-brown skin. Typically, it’s challenging to achieve a distinct color contrast with gel liners, but r.e.m. beauty has created a liner that offers the bold impact of a liquid formula while applying smoothly without tugging, which is crucial for the delicate eye area. The liners also complement the rest of the collection well, especially the metallic eyeshadows, enabling various striking combinations. Grande notes that the color story is both unique and innovative, yet nostalgic and contemporary, and the team has eagerly anticipated this release.
