In 16 years of makeup artistry, I have lost count of the number of women who have told me they can't wear glitter at their age. "Could you do something like this to suit mature skin?" they’ll ask, showing me a glittering reference photo that they would look lovely in as it is.
I love nothing more than dispelling this myth, putting something shimmery on them and making them feel a million dollars. This is one of the reasons why Donni Davy, the Emmy-award-winning makeup designer from HBO's Euphoria, has come to be my favourite makeup artist.
When the show first aired in 2019, viewers from all over the world recreated her glittery makeup looks online. Davy had cultivated a community of fans keen to learn from one another and be creative.
© InstagramThough younger viewers seemed to dominate the #EuphoriaMakeup movement, generating over 3 billion views, her theatrical eyes and glowing skin appealed to women of all ages. Soon after the show's debut, she launched her own brand with the filmmakers behind Euphoria, A24, called Half Magic Beauty. Their goal was to make high-performing, easy-to-use products that made it easy for fans to recreate the looks from the show.
"At our Half Magic Beauty events, I meet a lot of people of all ages who are fearful of makeup," she tells me. We're sat in the back of a taxi travelling from Liverpool to Manchester, and I've been assisting Davy all week as she launches her brand into Sephora here in the UK.
"They're nervous to dabble, but I can tell they're interested because they're hanging around. Sometimes they'll be at one of our pop-up events with their daughter or their sister. We'll do the makeup on the person they came with and then turn to them. At first they'll say, 'oh no, no, no.' And then we get Glitterpuck on them, and they're like, 'No way! Are you kidding? This is so incredible. I love it.' And it's full conversion, right then and there."
"It's depressing when people experience limitations with makeup, because makeup is such a joy-inducing, cool, positive thing in our lives."
Glitter fear over 50
"Even though our core customer tends to be age 25-35, some of the most passionate emails we get are from consumers in their 50s and 60s," Davy divulges. "They finally feel like they've found their tribe in us, and they love our glitter products because they're so wearable."
I was curious as to where Davy felt that this makeup fear had stemmed from. "I think it comes from years of reading magazines and having certain ideas about makeup and what's age-appropriate. They'll tell you what's appropriate for your undertone or your profession. 'This is okay for a dinner party. This is okay for a holiday party. This is okay for your birthday.' It's all such trash."
She continues: "It's depressing to me when people experience such limitations with makeup, because makeup is such a joy-inducing, cool, positive thing in our lives. But it's actually kind of a stressful thing for a lot of people, too. There's a lot of, 'I can't, I shouldn't, I want to, but I have more mature skin. I've been told to just stick to mattes.' And I disagree with that so much."
A cut above the rest
I've been buying Half Magic Beauty online from America since they launched nearly four years ago. After years of road testing, I can hand on heart tell you that their glitters are a cut above the rest.
The reason for this is that Davy formulated them specifically with her film and TV work in mind, designing everything to be quick, easy and deeply striking. "I made the range alongside working on Euphoria. I would think of what I'd love to use on the characters and quite literally create it."
This in mind, a special, full-circle moment comes in the form of the Euphoria x Half Magic Beauty makeup collection, launching in Sephora UK on April 29th. A limited-edition capsule collection, the signature piece is a glittery eyeshadow palette, with shades named after all of the fan favourites. You'll also see heroes from the core collection such as Magic Flik waterproof eyeliner and Flik Eraser makeup correcting pen, housed in a limited Euphoria-style packaging.
© Danny MustarGateway glitter
Glitterpuck is one of the more unique innovations from Davy's makeup brand, and one of their bestsellers. This large glass jar contains a pressed iridescent glitter, available in four different shades. If you don't know where to begin, the golden Glimmer Pop would be my favourite gateway glitter for you.
It's universally flattering and offers a buildable, peachy-gold sheen that will look lovely on skin of all ages and races. You can smudge it on simply with your ring finger, and the unique wet-to-dry formula doesn't drop down or flake away.
"It's not that we purposefully designed it to look great on mature skin, but it just looks magical on everyone," Davy says. "You don't need other layers, and I think the less layers the better when you're working on skin of all ages. That way, you don't see different layers of makeup starting to settle and get cakey."
More than glitter
Though she’s known for her avant-garde makeup looks from the likes of Euphoria and the kooky Under the Silver Lake, Davy's peers associate her with fresh, glowing skin.
"I first heard about Donni when the movie Moonlight came out," explains Alexandra French, a celebrity makeup artist who worked on Davy's team for Euphoria. "It was such a beautiful story and people in the makeup world were talking about how the skin looked like skin. No powder. No foundation. Skin."
Davy's commitment to natural complexions led to the inception of one of my favourite Half Magic Beauty products, Beam Trap illuminating balm. For anyone worried that glowing skin will accentuate fine lines or texture, this product is the perfect antidote. It's like a great night of sleep in just one sweep.
"Beam Trap is great for fresh-looking skin. It's less of a highlighter, more of a luminiser that makes your skin glow from within. It comes in two shades, and they're together in the pan so you can mix them.
"You just swirl your fingers in both of the shades and apply on top of makeup or underneath makeup. Even alone on fresh, hydrated skin, it looks super juicy. It's not like a high beam highlight; it's more for a softer glow that you get in a sunset lighting."
Included in the limited Euphoria collection will be a blusher counterpart to this, ideal for adding a flushed sheen to the apples of the cheeks.
© Danny MustarIs this too young for me?
Given that her whole ethos involves inspiring people to express themselves freely, I wondered what words of advice she had for anyone who might say, 'This is too young for me' when experimenting with makeup?
"Makeup isn't an age thing, it's a mentality thing. It's really limiting to have that belief, and in modern makeup we don't subscribe to that. Anyone telling you that colour is for a certain age group? That's really antiquated. Don't listen to them anymore. The only person you're holding back is yourself, so, stop it. Stop it right now!"
"Season three of Euphoria will be a cool source of inspiration for all ages," she reassures me. And if, each week, you find yourself keen to recreate the glittery makeup looks from these girls in their anguish, the Euphoria x Half Magic Beauty collection launches in Sephora on April 29th.
