Gateway Glitter and Mood-Ring Make-Up: Five Minutes With Euphoria Make-Up Artist Donni Davy

When HBO’s Euphoria aired in 2019, it sparked a beauty movement. Its dizzyingly bold, experimental looks – conceived by make-up artist Donni Davy – dominated social media: glitter tears, crystal-encrusted eyeshadow, pastel graphic eyeliner.

Davy, whose make-up brand Half Magic is jointly owned by Euphoria production company A24, uses make-up as a deeply emotional storytelling device.

“The show was a vehicle to bridge the gap between fantastical make-up and everyday life,” Davy says. With the Emmy-winning series now streaming its highly anticipated third season, there’s a noticeable shift. The make-up is less whimsical, more grown-up. It makes sense, given the characters’ five-year jump out of high school.

In Melbourne last month for a Mecca masterclass, Davy revealed the Half Magic products she used in Euphoria season three, her desert-island make-up pick and her favourite Euphoria looks to date.

Where do you draw inspiration from when developing a new make-up look?

Art and emotion. My parents are artists; I went to art school and have always had a close relationship with colour. I have a vivid imagination when it comes to colour and different colour combinations. When I’m creating a look, I’m thinking of the mood of the person. For me, make-up is the most fun when it evokes a mood or emotional state.

Looking back at your career, are there any make-up looks you’re especially proud of?

It’s so hard to name my favourite look. I love Kat’s Halloween look from season one of Euphoria. In season two, I was drawn to Cassie’s make-up and how it tells the story of her emotional state. I also love how Lexy started experimenting with make-up more in season two.

Euphoria influenced beauty trends around the world. Were you surprised by how widely it resonated?

I didn’t anticipate that it would take off as it did! I was completely shocked, but I think the reason #euphoriamakeup became so popular is because the show was a vehicle to bridge the gap between fantastical make-up and everyday life. I think people were used to seeing bold, colourful and glittering make-up on the runway or in fashion at times, but not on TV. Seeing these looks on a group of relatable TV characters who were portraying real-life scenarios and really living in these make-up looks helped to redefine this kind of make-up as accessible and totally wearable.

Is there a Euphoria character whose beauty evolution you’ve particularly loved shaping?

In seasons one and two, Jules and Kat’s make-up represent my make-up philosophy the most. Always experiment with different colours and styles. Make-up can be like a mood ring, ever-changing. There’s more to make-up than fixing ourselves. It can be fun, it can be artistic, it can be sarcastic, it can look like a drawing, it can look like a colourful explosion, or it can be barely visible. I’m particularly excited to have shaped the looks of new characters in season three, including Magick, played by Rosalía.

Have you felt pressure to try and push the looks somewhere new or unexpected this season?

The make-up has evolved every season. It’s not a goal to repeat over and over. Designing the make-up looks is a very collaborative process, and I work closely with both the director and the actors’ visions. First, I learn what the director’s vision is: how much he wants to see and feel the make-up, and if he wants anything specific for each character. Then there’s my interpretation of the script, the costumes and their colour stories, and the set dressing and how this may inform their make-up looks.

I think about colour combinations and what the character’s current emotional state may be at the time. I consider the lighting and potential camera angles that may be used on set and I try to create looks that will look and feel amazing in the scene but also be appropriate for the scene.

How do you play with glitter and embellishment in your work and keep it feeling fresh rather than gimmicky?

Just like any make-up product, there are infinite ways to wear glitter and shimmer, from ultra-minimal to completely extravagant. Half Magic’s Glitterpuck is my go-to product for the quickest and easiest modern glitter. I call it “grown-up glitter” or the “gateway to glitter”. It’s a water-infused pressed powder that has the glide of a gel and the staying power of a powder.

If you want to try a rhinestone look but keep it glam and chic, use a few different sizes of gems because different-sized gems will reflect different-sized twinkles, making the look feel multidimensional. Tiny rhinestones can be used to create more defined and delicate corners, angles and tapered moments.

What’s a beauty rule you love breaking?

I don’t believe in rules, so I guess I break all of them. No one should ever be intimidated or conformist with make-up. Try a coloured wing, a wash of glitter or a few face gems. The more you experiment with colour and glitter, the more you realise how it increases your mood and confidence.

What’s your desert-island make-up product? 

My desert island beauty product is a tubing mascara. It won’t budge or smudge or leave you with raccoon eyes, no matter where you are. My favourite is Half Magic’s Eyelectric Extreme lengthening mascara, which also comes in really fun colours that subtly enhance your look.

What do you think will be the biggest beauty trend this year?

I have been saying for a while now, juicy lips are coming in hot and I think the shimmer lip is finally here. I used two products all over Euphoria season three: Half Magic’s Magic Drip glitter lip gloss and the Crystal Butter lip balm. A glitter gloss is a modern way to get a juicy lip because it gives your lips a wash of colour and tons of sparkle that catches the light in every angle while also letting your natural lip colour shine through. I always start with a lip liner and then add a glitter gloss on top.

A beauty trend you’re ready to retire?

Clean girl make-up and these neutral micro make-up trends based on food and beverages where everyone looks the same.