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Fenty Beauty bright fix eye brightener review: Can it tackle our dreaded dark circles?

Designed to colour correct, hydrate and brighten the under-eye area, we find out if Rihanna’s most recent launch delivers

Ellie Fry
Monday 10 May 2021 11:06 EDT
We considered application, the brightening result, how it felt to wear, packaging and cost
We considered application, the brightening result, how it felt to wear, packaging and cost (iStock/The Independent)

Before we get into this review, our first question has to be: does Rihanna ever sleep? It seems not, as her coveted beauty brand is launching new products thick and fast this year, with Fenty Beauty’s most recent debuts including a skin tint, eye cream and body luminizer, to name a few.

Its latest launch is sure to come in handy for Ri-Ri’s busy schedule. The new bright fix eye brightener, launched on 7 May, aims to hydrate, brighten and colour correct the under-eye area – a dream product for those of us who are lacking sleep or struggle with naturally dark circles.

To be clear, Rihanna’s latest endeavour isn’t a concealer as such, but is marketed specifically as being an under-eye brightener, designed to use in conjunction with your favourite concealer on top, or on its own for a no-make-up make-up look.

Available in 16 shades, four of which are designed specifically for colour correction, the offering is as diverse as we’ve come to expect from the brand.

Like many of Fenty Beauty’s launches (aside from the recent clip-on lip gloss, which felt uncharacteristically gimmicky), the eye brightener is a clever move into a relatively untapped area of the make-up market.

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Aside from YSL’s classic touche éclat highlighter and Becca Cosmetics’s under-eye brightening corrector (soon to be discontinued, sadly) we can’t think of many similar products from major beauty brands.

Rihanna isn’t playing it safe here; the brand is still a newcomer in the great scheme of things, so to launch an arguably niche complexion product this early on is admirable.

But how does it actually fare on the eye? We struggle with dark under-eye circles and dryness, so we were the perfect candidate to put it to the test.

We put its long-wearing, sweat- and crease-proof claims through their paces, considering how well it applied both alone and when layered with other products, the quality of the brightening result and how it felt to wear all day, alongside the packaging and price point.

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Fenty Beauty bright fix eye brightener

Fenty beauty .jpg

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First up, let’s talk packaging. The squeezy tube has a plastic ball applicator that dispenses the liquid, and while it’s a far more hygienic design for make-up artists than wand concealers, it is quite difficult to disperse the right amount of product. The formula is initially quite watery before it dries down on the skin, meaning a little goes a long way, so this is really good value at £18 for 10ml, considering the brand’s 8ml concealer costs £19.

We’d argue that no eye product can be really ever be crease-proof, but we noticed that our concealer creased less when wearing the eye brightener underneath, thanks to its hydrating properties. If you have dry skin and find that heavier concealers can cake or crumble under the eye, we’d recommend trying this. We found it easy to layer if you are looking to build coverage, and it didn’t disrupt any of our base products underneath.

Once we got the hang of the applicator, we found that gently tapping the product in with your ring finger was the best way to apply it, as the light consistency means it easily absorbs into a brush, meaning you’re wasting product. The liquid formula dries down quickly into a velvety, soft-focus finish that lives up to the brand’s blurring claims.

Read more: 10 best eye serums to treat dark circles and fine lines

We tried the “butter” shade, which is a soft yellow that works to brighten light-medium to medium skin tones; the shade worked well for us, brightening the under-eye without looking chalky or unnatural, but on its own the brightener didn’t eradicate our dark circles. With that said, it doesn’t claim to, as the focus is on hydration and brightening rather than full coverage.

When paired with our usual concealer, it worked more effectively as a colour corrector, as the concealer provided the coverage that we were missing while the brightener worked to illuminate and hydrate the skin underneath.

If you don’t struggle with a lot of discolouration under the eye but just want to look more awake, this would work alone without a concealer, particularly on minimal make-up days. It sits beautifully on the skin, feeling comfortable all day and keeping the area looking bright throughout.

The verdict: Fenty Beauty bright fix eye brightener

If you don’t struggle with dark under-eye circles, you don’t need this product. However, if you are in the market for a colour corrector that feels lightweight and hydrating on the skin, or find that your concealer tends to crease badly during the day, the Fenty Beauty bright fix eye brightener is a clever product to have in your make-up bag, particularly if you have dry skin.

Fenty Beauty has found a gap in the market for an eye brightener that works effortlessly with other products, and that can be worn alone or with a full-coverage look. It’s another well-thought-out launch from Rihanna that we’ll definitely be reaching for in our kit.

  1.  £18 from Boots.com
Prices may vary
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