Rihanna Subtly Referenced Fenty Beauty During Her Super Bowl Performance

Did you catch it?

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.
(Image credit: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It's safe to say Rihanna knows how to stage a big comeback. In her first performance since the 2018 Grammy Awards, the singer took to the biggest stage in the world, a.k.a. the Super Bowl halftime show, on February 12. Dressed in head-to-toe red with a killer boiler suit and breastplate, RiRi performed some of her biggest hits, including "Bitch Better Have My Money," "We Found Love," and "Umbrella."

One moment from RiRi's performance that will live rent-free in our heads for the next several weeks, if not always: Her nod to Fenty Beauty. Midway through her performance, the Fenty Beauty founder stopped to grab a compact from a backup dancer for a quick touch-up of the brand's Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder. Leave it to Rihanna to plug her beauty brand on of the most legendary stages in the world.

Ahead of her big halftime show, Rihanna was laser-focused on her performance. "Sunday, now that's the one. I've been so focused on the Super Bowl I totally forgot that my birthday's coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine's Day," she admitted during a press conference before the show.  

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

(Image credit: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

(Image credit: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

(Image credit: Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

And the roughly 13-minute set was no easy feat to prepare for. "The physical challenge has definitely been immense for many reasons, of course," Rihanna said. "I haven't done this in a minute. You're just running around for 13 minutes, trying to put a 2-hour set in 13 minutes, and you're gonna see on Sunday. From the time it starts, it just never ends until it's the very last second…It's a jam-packed show, and it takes a toll on your body, it really does." Not to mention, Rihanna's representative confirmed shortly after her performance that the singer is pregnant with her second child.

We're going to go ahead and say all of that hard work paid off, because Rihanna absolutely killed it. 

Brooke Knappenberger
Associate Commerce Editor

Brooke Knappenberger is the Associate Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she writes across the board from fashion and beauty to books and celebrities. As a pop culture junkie, Brooke obsessively consumes and writes about the latest movie releases, streaming TV shows, and celebrity scandals. She has over three years of experience writing on fashion, beauty, and entertainment and her work has appeared on Looper, NickiSwift, The Sun US, and Vox Magazine of Columbia, Missouri. Brooke obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with an emphasis on Magazine Editing and has a minor in Textile and Apparel Management.