Euphoria Makeup Artist Donni Davy Is All For Breaking Beauty Rules

“I never wanted to be the type of artist who just makes beautiful people look even more beautiful and unattainable,” says Doniella Davy over a video call. “I just knew that wasn’t going to be my contribution to the world.” The makeup artist, who goes by Donni Davy, is calling from her home in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised by artist parents — her father is well-known sculptor Woods Davy, and her mother has a background in graphic design and works as a tour guide at the Getty Villa Museum.

Davy later moved to the East Coast, where she studied photography at Pratt. “I graduated and then interned at some galleries in New York and just realized it wasn’t for me,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oops, wrong choice!’ I missed painting and colour.”

After she left the world of photography, a friend’s mom suggested television and film makeup. “I was like: ‘You mean monster makeup? Hell no!’” says Davy. “That’s so not my thing.” Eventually, she took a two-week crash course in (non-monster) TV and film makeup. “What attracted me to the film and television world was reading scripts and getting to help tell the story, which is what I initially liked about photography — the storytelling aspect of it and what you can convey in an image,” says Davy.

She quickly learned that a lot of TV makeup doesn’t actually convey all that much. “For the most part, TV makeup is incredibly boring — and it’s meant to be, for practical reasons,” she says. “It’s supposed to be the same look every day [for]. The makeup artist’s job is usually to make the actors look normal and pretty.”

But then came Euphoria — the show that changed the trajectory of Davy’s career, with its rhinestones, glitter and loads of colour. It remains one of her most-well-known and consistently referenced projects.

“Sam Levinson, the director of the show, told me, ‘I want the makeup to be a thing.’ The makeup was almost a character in itself on the show, yet there was this consistency to it. It was not like there was one episode where everybody was in really bold, sparkly makeup and then the rest of the show was like back to normal,” laughs Davy. “It was intentional. I wanted the audience to learn more about the characters based on their makeup.”

Considering that Euphoria came out more than five years ago, one might assume that Davy is ready to move on from the conversation and focus instead on current projects (of which she has many, such as her makeup line, Half Magic, which launched in 2022, and frequent work with Chappell Roan).

“I’m always excited to talk about Euphoria,” says Davy. “If it wasn’t still a part of beauty culture and we’d gone back to a very stagnant look and the show was just a moment in time, then maybe I’d be like, ‘OK, that was years ago — come on.’ But it’s still having such an impact. I see girls going to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift concerts wearing rhinestones and glitter makeup. I really feel like it reset things.”

The most important aspect of Davy’s work on Euphoria was that it “took the focus off of makeup being used to help you blend in or make you prettier,” she says. “I grew up as a young girl in L.A., so I know what it’s like to feel insecure about how you look. The show went against, and even tore down, the antiquated beauty notions that tell us if we look a certain way, this is the kind of makeup we should be wearing.”

Top Shelf

Donni Davy’s tried-and-true beauty favourites.

Half Magic Glitterpuck

“This is the most luxurious and chic pressed glitter. It’s a water-infused pressed powder, so you don’t get any fallout when you apply it. I like to call it ‘glitter for grown-ups’ — but it’s for any age, of course.”

Loving Tan Deluxe Bronzing Mousse

“I’m new to self-tanner, and I’ve found that this one is a really great shade for me. It’s more brown and less golden, which looks more realistic on my olive skin. The mousse is tinted, so you know where you’re putting it, and it fades really evenly. I can’t believe I only just started using self-tanner. It’s way easier to apply than I thought.”

OPI Xpress/On Press On Nails

“These feel like real nails because they aren’t too thick and they stick really well. You can clip or file them super easily, and the shiny finish does not wear off like with other press-on nails I’ve used.”

Keracolor Clenditioner

“I have bleached-blond highlighted hair that I often dye light pink using this colour-depositing shampoo/conditioner. I like to mix my own custom shades in a bowl and then apply them in the shower. It’s the quickest and cheapest way to have fun with non-traditional hair colours.”

Live Tinted HueGuard Sunscreen

“This is a gorgeous sunscreen that looks and feels like an easy everyday lightweight foundation. It has a dewy but not greasy finish and has become my daily base makeup.”

This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2025 issue. Find out more here.