The celebration of beauty in its purest connotation, without taboos and stereotypes, but a lot of uniqueness. Thus Rare Beauty enters the beauty world and, from the last week, also in Italy as a Sephora’s exclusive. The brand of the beloved star Selena Gomez has quickly become a symbol of how beauty is synonymous with uniqueness, an annulment of the standards to enhance beauty it in all its forms. The product line, which has already become a must-have among beauty addicts, combines a strong message with a unique quality of its kind with make-up proposals designed to celebrate every woman. We had the honor of talking about it, on the occasion of the extraordinary Italian launch, with Selena Gomez, hear what she told us:
TBS: Hello Selena, we’re super honored to finally have the chance to chat with you about your amazing and super awaited brand Rare Beauty. What struck us and fascinated us the most is the profound message that Rare aims to communicate with its products: don’t mask what makes you unique. Can you explain this to us?
Selena: Rare Beauty is makeup that is meant to make you feel good without hiding what makes you unique. I want to help people embrace their differences and give them products that make them feel their best. The things that make us different make us our most beautiful, and I hope Rare Beauty can encourage people to focus on that rather than trying to look like everyone else.
TBS: Your beauty brand has the same name of one of your most loved album ever, Rare, is there any link between the brand and the emotions you wanted to share with those songs?
Selena: Rare has been such an important word in my life for a long time. We are all unique and special, and the word rare explains that perfectly. That album and the song Rare are meant to be reminders that we are meant to be exactly who we are and should embrace it.
TBS: When did you start being passionate about makeup and how did you develop this beauty passion?
Selena: Since the age of seven, I have been getting my makeup done on sets. Growing up in the spotlight was tough at times and I spent a lot of years believing that the only way for the world to see me as beautiful was with makeup. My views on beauty and makeup have changed so much though and now I see makeup as an accessory and something I can have fun with rather than something I need.
TBS: With Rare Beauty you speak openly about the “myth of beauty” and the unrealistic expectations imposed by society and impossible to achieve. Is it something that you have become aware of with your career in the entertainment world? And how much do you think social media influences in increasing this false myth today?
Selena: Constantly being shown images of what you should look like and being told you need to change in order to be seen as “beautiful” is so harmful to your mental health. Most of the images we see online and in magazines are edited and that is so unfair for anyone to compare themselves to that. Taking a step back to remind yourself of this is so important, and that’s why I’m a big advocate for social media detoxes.
TBS: Self love and acceptance is the goal Rare Beauty wants women to reach, could you share some useful tips that may help girls achieve this?
Selena: When I stopped trying to conform to this unrealistic standard of beauty that society has and started embracing what makes me different, my perspective on everything shifted. Some days are harder than others and I hope people know they are not alone. I would say to start by taking a break from scrolling on social media – it’s a great place to start if someone is ever feeling down or overwhelmed. I have found personally, taking time away from my phone and unplugging is a great way to take care of my mental health.
TBS: You personally followed every step in the creation of Rare Beauty products, how much has this been important for you and what’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned?
Selena: It was very important to me when launching my own brand that I was very hands on with everything we created. I work very closely with our head of product development and try everything! I absolutely love the process that goes into creating a product and have learned so much about it over the past few years!
TBS: One percent of all Rare Beauty sales will go to the Rare Impact Fund which aims to improve access to mental health resources. What do you think is the best way to spread awareness about this and how can brands or celebrities concretely help?
Selena: I strongly believe that mental health and beauty go hand in hand. I knew when I started Rare, I wanted it to be more than a makeup brand, which is why we created the Rare Impact Fund. We recently launched our Mental Health 101 Campaign. This campaign works to raise awareness on the importance of having mental health education in schools – you can sign the petition at change.org/mentalhealth. I know the importance of mental health now, but can’t imagine how different things would have been for me if I had learned about it in school. I want young people to know they are not alone in their struggles and hope we can make access to mental health resources a reality for everyone.
TBS: Let’s go to what we were all waiting for: Rare Beauty will finally arrive in Italy! What are the Rare Beauty products we must try and why? Which one is your favorite?
Selena: I am genuinely so proud of all our products. It just depends on what you are looking to add to your collection because we have something for everyone! I love a sunkissed look for summer and love using blush to get the look. Our Soft Pinch Liquid Blushes are so pigmented, blend beautifully, and last all day.
TBS: Looking to the future, what do you think will be (or should be) the next steps made by the beauty industry? What will be those that Rare Beauty will make?
Selena: I hope we can tear down the idea that there is only one way to look that is “beautiful”. This perpetuates an impossible beauty standard. Our uniqueness should be celebrated, and I hope the beauty industry can start to move in a direction where we highlight people for what really makes them beautiful, which is our differences.