Rihanna's red waterline matched her manicure at the AWGE show in Paris

Celebrity & Entertainment journalist
Rihanna performing on stage in 2019
Rihanna performing in 2019 Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Rihanna's latest Paris Fashion Week beauty look hid its best detail in plain sight. She arrived at the AWGE spring 2027 show on Wednesday supporting her partner A$AP Rocky, her eyes behind dark sunglasses, and it was only when she lowered the shades that the full effect appeared — scarlet red worked tightly into her lower waterline and matched exactly to her manicure.

The rest of the look went big on shine. She wore a soft leather jacket over an oversized white button-down with a crystal-encrusted collar, Balenciaga leggings, and a pair of as-yet-unreleased Amina Muaddi pumps finished with crystal straps. More sparkle came from Majesta pear-shape diamond studs and two rings from the maison's Kali Collection.

For glam, the nails were painted a sharp, glossy red, and the same shade traced the inside of her eyes, finished with heavy mascara. The detail calls back to a heavily lined lower waterline, then a tightly rimmed, smudgy-kohl '90s signature — but reaching for color instead of black or brown brings the trick straight up to date.

A colorful waterline spreads through the front row

Rihanna is not the only person experimenting. At Dior's spring 2027 show, actor Inde Navarrette sat front row in a wash of cool pastel blue around the eyes, created by makeup artist Kayli Rachelle. The color traveled from the lid down along the lower lash line, with plum eyeliner adding definition and a bright highlight at the inner corners.

Two takes in two different front rows is enough to call a mini-trend, and both make the same point: the lower lash line is the easiest place to test a color you would never commit to on the lid.

The appeal is that a colored waterline is a low-commitment way to bring color into an otherwise familiar makeup look, and you do not need Rihanna-level scarlet to try it. For fall, Vogue suggests working oxblood, navy, bronze, or dove gray into the waterline for the same unexpected jolt. The only real requirement: keep your hand steady, please.

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