Ketchup or makeup? That is the question, according to MSCHF and Rihanna's Fenty Beauty.
The prankster art collective and beauty giant are inviting ready, willing, and able customers to play a sort of Russian Roulette, one that won't leave anyone dead or injured but might have you ingesting more ketchup than you bargained for.
Let me explain: Ketchup or Makeup, MSCHF's 83rd drop, is essentially a $25 box containing six packets filled with either ketchup or Fenty Beauty lip gloss. The only way to discern which is french fry sauce and which is tomato-red lacquer is to rip open the packet and give it a taste (or smell, unless the lip gloss is ketchup-scented).
It's unclear whether the boxes — available to purchase at a dedicated website — are guaranteed to contain at least one lip gloss, or whether their contents are totally random. Knowing MSCHF, I'd guess the latter.
Some very helpful TikTok creators have posted unboxing videos of the drop, revealing that the collaboration's special lip gloss is a unique shade created just for the project.
At first glance, the gloss appears to be Fenty Beauty's Gloss Bomb in Hot Cherry. But as a side-by-side swatching by @anahitaxo reveals, MSCHF and Rih's creation is a deep red with gold flecks of glitter, while Hot Cherry is a light pink with no shimmer.
Is Ketchup or Makeup a fun novelty? Absolutely. Is it as clever as some of MSCHF's previous drops, such as the Museum of Forgeries or the Cease & Desist Grand Prix? Meh.
Still, it's impressive that MSCHF wrangled one of the world's biggest makeup empires, run by Ms. Robyn Rihanna Fenty herself, for the drop. Here's to more mischievous beauty.
