This Euphoria makeup artist’s beauty line branding is everything we need: fantastical, futurist and fully rhinestoned

A mysterious gas station campaign shoot and diamond-heavy packaging await Half Magic buyers and Euphoria fans everywhere.

Date
31 May 2022

If you’ve been desperately missing your weekly dose of HBO’s Euphoria since the close of season two, get in line – no, really, get in line for Half Magic, a new makeup line from Euphoria’s very own makeup artist, Donni Davy. Just launched in collaboration with A24 and with the help of Manhattan-based creative studio Mythology, Half Magic’s branding and packaging have gone the way of iridescence and shimmer; positioned somewhere between real-life and a Gen Z fantasy wonderland. In short, Mythology has turned to the very makeup looks and artistry Donni summoned for the HBO show.

“We wanted to create a world for Half Magic that belonged in the same fantasy space as the makeup itself,” explains Sophie Mascatello, creative director and head of design at Mythology. According to Sophie, one of the main ways to do this was to create a “tension in the name and in the graphics between total fantasy and creation, and real life”. For example, while certain elements of the work – such as the wordmark – remain more restrained, bold maximalist details, such as luminous, airbrushed illustrations from Sara Rabin bring a sense of dreamy wonderland into the equation. The airbrushed nature of the work felt to Mythology “like an extension of Donni’s makeup itself”, and so the perfect backdrop for the brand.

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

Meanwhile, in a brilliant brand theme, Donni’s iconic use of rhinestones on the show received equal representation on the project in the form of a diamond logo, wordmark and cut out pattern on the primary packaging – revealing a dash of vibrant makeup pigment beneath. “The shimmer and iridescence signature to Donni’s artistry was a big springboard for the graphic identity,” says Sophie, “that diamond mark is a little breadcrumb that shows up everywhere – even in the emojis on social!” While the makeup’s packaging is all about dialling up fantasy, the colour palette was kept minimal and largely neutral, serving as a foundation to amplify the shimmer of the makeup.

Coinciding with the Half Magic launch is a campaign shoot and film from director Heidi Bivens, DP Marcell Rev and photographer Eddy Chen – who actually worked as a costume designer, DP and behind-the-scenes photographer on Euphoria. For the shoot: “We were inspired by artists like Philip-Lorca diCorcia who brought cinematic fantasy to mundane scenes,” explains Audrey Attal, Mythology creative director. For a quotidian but still mysteriously cinematic setting, Mythology opted for a gas station; “the symbol of everyday Americana”, confirms Audrey. Much like the rest of the Half Magic brand, the photography is meant to “feel very different from what we usually see in beauty”, colliding full-blown expression with a more everyday context.

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Mythology / Heidi Bivens / Eddy Chen / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sergiy Barchuk, 2022)

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Sara Rabin / Mythology / A24: Half Magic (Copyright © Half Magic / Sara Rabin, 2022)

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About the Author

Liz Gorny

Liz (she/they) joined It’s Nice That as news writer in December 2021. In January 2023, they became associate editor, predominantly working on partnership projects and contributing long-form pieces to It’s Nice That. Contact them about potential partnerships or story leads.

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