Rihanna on the ’90s Beauty Icon Who Has Inspired Her Many Looks
[vogue.com] More than a decade before Rihanna arrived at the 2014 CFDA Awards in only a smattering of fishnet crystals and a prayer, there was Lil’ Kim and her sequined pastie seen round the world on the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet. The rapper’s legendary risk-taking move—coupled with her anything-goes approach to beauty, fashion, and music—left a lasting impression on a then-eleven-year-old Rihanna. “There are a lot of nineties supermodels that I love and I’m inspired by—but Lil’ Kim, for me, she had so many different looks,” said the pop star yesterday afternoon during the Brooklyn launch of her latest perfume, RiRi by Rihanna.
In more recent years, the modern-day chameleon has adopted her predecessor’s penchant for candy-colored wigs, lush furs, and risqué ensembles, but she next plans to pay homage to the music icon by bringing back one of her era’s beauty signatures: “Dark brown lipsticks and the metallic lipsticks with lip liner,” said Rihanna. “There’s a good and a bad way to do it, but back in the nineties they seemed to get it right.”
And while the singer may forgo the fragrances she wore during the decade—Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers, White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor—in favor of her own namesake blend, borrowing a statement-making lip look from a fellow bad girl sounds like a makeup move worth celebrating the second time around.
Posted on 02 Sep 2015 by LilKimZone
Pitchfork.com: 5 Women in Hip-Hop Who Deserve Their Own Biopic
1. Lil' Kim
Lil Kim’s disappointing feature in the 2009’s Notorious B.I.G. biopic Notorious is a great example of why her biopic should have existed ages ago. Unsurprisingly, Kim was upset by being seen as a mere love interest, and later spoke out against the film’s "false portrayal and lies." She told NME two days before the movie’s release, "The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent." Kim’s own story could easily double as its own feature, as she’s far more than a footnote in B.I.G.’s career—her story spans homelessness, abuse, and her eventual rise to the top of the rap game.
