Audacious colors and wearable gemstones—beauty looks once primarily seen at EDM festivals—are going mainstream, thanks to HBO’s hit series Euphoria. Lead makeup designer Donni Davy, who collaborates with actors like Hunter
Schafer, Alexa Demie, and Barbie Ferreira to create the show’s viral 3D looks, says she hopes the style will enable “people to feel like they have permission to pair bold colors with rhinestones or glitter—and bring it into everyday wear like it’s not a big deal.”
Helping to advance the trend is a fresh crop of beauty lines, including Pley Beauty, which boasts reusable gems and floral appliqués, and Half Magic, Davy’s own new makeup line, set to launch next month.
Euphoria is also influencing looks on the red carpet, the catwalk, and social media. Etro, Fendi, Valentino, and LaQuan Smith all sent models down spring ready-to-wear and couture runways with tactile beauty effects, such as a smattering of stones, fluttery eye fringe, and glittery lids. Makeup artist Nikki Wolff used gems to play up TikTok star Addison Rae’s eyes for Britain’s Fashion Awards. And singer-songwriter FKA twigs posted a photo of herself on Instagram “crying” diamanté tears.
You don’t have to go with full-on, jewel-encrusted lids to dabble in the trend. Start simple with a few coats of colored mascara, such as Eyeko Lash Alert Mascara, which comes in blue, green, and purple—or experiment with candy-colored eyeliner from Lady Gaga’s makeup line, Haus Laboratories. You can also get creative with temporary tattoos from Inked by Dani (seen on Bella Hadid), available in diamonds, stars, or dots.
The purchase of rhinestones increased 2,607 percent from December 2021 to February 2022, according to shopping service app Klarna.
Feeling bolder? Up the ante by using Simi and Haze Khadra’s Eye Play gem packs (rhinestones prearranged on stickers) to create the perfect cat-eye—or don lashes from Tai-Lite, a brand that creates attention-demanding eye adornments with elements like delicate flowers and sparkly hearts.
Regardless of how daring you decide to be, Euphoria-inspired makeup is all about redefining what everyday beauty means. Being fearless can be fun: “Just go for it,” Davy says.
This article appears in the April 2022 issue of ELLE.