How To Wear Shimmer & Metallic Makeup At Every Age, According To Euphoria’s Makeup Artist Donni Davy
Donni Davy, the woman behind Euphoria’s most experimental beauty looks and the founder of makeup brand Half Magic, shares her tips for wearing high-shine finishes and vivid pigments – no matter your age or experience.
Teen drama Euphoria burst onto our screens in 2019 in a frenzied blur of glitter tears, rhinestone gems and ornate winged liner.
It spawned a makeup revolution of sorts, a sparkle-saturated distraction from the heaviness of the pandemic. Cue the invention of the term ‘Euphoria makeup’ to describe the many experimental beauty looks created by makeup lead Donni Davy and her team.
Virtually overnight, colourful eyeshadow and bejewelled eye looks exploded in popularity, with #euphoriamakeup spotted everywhere from social platforms like TikTok to the runway. So much so that it earned Davy an Emmy award for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup in 2020.
This glittering revival sparked the idea for Davy to create her own makeup line with Half Magic, born out of her needs on set.
As the name suggests, Half Magic signifies that products offer only half the magic, while the wearer’s individuality and imagination provide the other. The launch of the brand’s debut collection in 2022 highlighted a variety of products, colours and textures.
Davy’s new Euphoria collection is coming to Mecca next month, timed alongside the show’s third season which premiered on April 13. The range’s eight products are described as “a bold, high-impact celebration of experimental beauty, drawing directly from the show’s iconic, boundary-pushing makeup looks”.
Each product puts artistry squarely in the hands of the wearer, with metallic textures, high-shine finishes and vivid pigments able to be mixed, blurred and blended to create a multitude of looks.
How To Wear It
Ready to give metallic, shimmer or sparkly makeup a try? Davy shares her hot takes on how to approach glitter or metallic finishes with confidence.
Prep Steps
Davy says she’s “pretty minimal” when it comes to skin prep, mostly because she doesn’t like the feeling or product slipping or sliding on each other.
But she does love starting the process with a layer of rich cream (Davy counts the Sofie Pavitt Omega Rich Moisturiser, $108, as her current go-to) that she massages into skin with a vibrating facial massager tool. Viva loves the Skin Gym Beauty Lifter Vibrating T-Bar, $123.
The most important part of her process? Don’t rush. “I let that sink in for a minute before I go in with makeup.”
Laying A Good Foundation
Before you dip your brush in something sparkly or shimmery, you’ll want to ace your base. Davy advises working complexion products into skin in light layers to ensure a natural, skin-like finish.
“Don’t be piling on product. I like to use a foundation that’s high coverage, but use less of it. My whole goal is to use the least amount of layers of makeup on the skin,” she says.
“I feel that way with concealer, too. I use something high coverage, and only a tiny dot of it just in areas where you want coverage.”
For a full-coverage foundation that doesn’t feel cakey, Viva loves the new NARS Natural Matte Longwear Foundation, $107, or the recently renovated Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Longwear Matte Foundation, $93.
As for concealers, consider Tarte Shape Tape, $60, or the M.A.C Pro Longwear Concealer, $66, both of which promise full-coverage with a matte finish.
Glitter For Everyday Wear
If you’re new to wearing glitter, Davy recommends seeking out gel-textured products that stay exactly where you put them.
She counts the Half Magic Euphoria Glitterpuck Fairy Dust, $66, as the perfect “converter product” for those who are scared of wearing glitter.
“[Glitterpuck] is not messy like a crafting material – it’s got a water-infused texture which makes it luxurious to apply, but without the mess of fallout. It’s for every age and every level of glitter enthusiasm.”
Her favourite way to wear glitter for daily life includes using fingertips to smooth a light wash of colour over eyelids, or dotting it onto the high points of the face.
Another excellent way to wear sparkle subtly is to seek out metallic eyeliners, which can be blended along the waterline or flicked outwards to the temples for a winged liner look. Try it with the Mecca Max Eye Max Shimmer Gel Eyeliner, $28.
For body, Davy prefers a soft, fluffy brush to dust glitter across your neck, decolletage and shoulders. The Ilia Perfect Buffing Brush, $78, makes easy work of buffing product into skin, and works best when used in circular motions.
Tips For Mature Skin
To create a seamless, shimmering eye look on mature skin, Davy suggests choosing a product with a buttery, shimmer finish to create a look that appears “neutral, but still magical”.
“There are a lot of beautiful shimmer eyeshadow finishes out there, which you can apply with your finger to glide the formula over your eyelid,” Davy says.
“These types of products look amazing on eyelids that are crepey and aged, it just makes your eyelids look more magical.”
Otherwise, creamy eyeshadow sticks that dry down to a powder finish are an excellent pick, but consider placement carefully so that any product fallout doesn’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles. Viva loves the new Bobbi Brown Crystal Eyes Shadow Stick, $69.
You don’t have to apply metallic eyeshadow all over eyelids, either, and strategically placing shimmer only on the centre of the lid, or the inner corners of your eye, will ensure you avoid accentuating texture. Consider working with neutral metallic hues in the crease for definition, like champagne, bronze, or rose gold to brighten your eyes.
If you’re feeling bold and want to try metallic hues elsewhere around your face, Davy recommends reaching for a balm texture rather than a powder. Illuminating balms and highlighters can be applied with fingers or a sponge to melt the product into skin.
Try these products on bare skin for a lit-from-within glow, or worn on top of foundation and concealer for a touch of radiance.
Just remember to stick to the high points of your face rather than your orbital bone, Davy says.
“Make sure you don’t place it too close to your eyes, like where your crow’s feet are, but more on your cheekbone that’s a little bit more smooth. It really stands out,” she says.
Add To Cart
Our top picks of products to create metallic or shimmer makeup looks on all skin types, including mature skin.
Half Magic Euphoria Glitterpill Eye Paint & Eyeliner, $53 in shade Glitter Tears.
Bobbi Brown Crystal Eyes Shadow Stick, $69, in the shade Brilliant Moonstone.
Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow, $59, in the shade Gold Foil.
M.A.C Dazzleshadow Liquid Eyeshadow, $55, in the shade Silver Surfer.
Mecca Max Eye Max Shimmer Gel Eyeliner, $28, in the shade Diamond.
Dior Diorshow Mono Couleur, $68, in the shade Celestial Grey.
Violette_FR Yeux Paint Twinkling, $63, in the shade Violette Sauvage.
Half Magic is available exclusively from Mecca stores or Mecca.com.
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