There’s more to Rihanna’s British Vogue May cover look than her always arresting stare. With the word “Truth” emblazoned across her eyes, cheeks and the bridge of her nose, the image attests to her authenticity as a woman, as a CEO, and as one of the most famous faces in the world.
“The idea came from a desire to express a philosophy or belief in the most direct way,” Isamaya Ffrench, the make-up artist behind the look, tells me. “Nothing seems more absolute than tattooing your beliefs on your face. It’s a permanent message where everyone can see it.” When searching for a word that was “an important sentiment for the coming year” (the cover was shot before the Covid-19 pandemic), “truth” felt relevant to both Rihanna and Ffrench.
Of course, creating the look was never going to be a case of “paint-and-go”. Ffrench worked with Ben Ditto and the tattoo artist Reverend Leaf on the font, design and finish of the temporary tattoo, which was painstakingly painted onto Rihanna’s face freehand. This level of detail was despite the fact that it was one of two looks, the other being the historic first appearance of a durag on the cover of British Vogue.
The statement look follows a surge in the popularity of facial tattoos, with singer Kehlani and Presley Gerber among the latest to join the ranks of a gang that already includes Justin Bieber, Halsey and, the OG, Mike Tyson. Of course, Rihanna’s was created with make-up, and anything more permanent requires some serious thought.
In fact, in lieu of a real tattoo, you can head to British Vogue’s Instagram page, where you’ll find a specially created filter to apply your very own, Rihanna-esque “Truth” face tattoo (just click on the smiley face icon beside IGTV), without having to commit to the real thing.
Rihanna Vogue collection
