Eye Gems have gone mainstream

Not so long ago, eye gems were a shiny detail only for little girls playing make-up with stickers found in toy shops or newsagents and for grown-up girls on special occasions like Christmas or New Year's Eve. Then Euphoria came along and everything changed. Suddenly, placing small crystals or colorful, glittery applications on the eyelids or the lower lash line became normal, a must, even if you go downstairs in your pajamas to go shopping at Lidl or if you have to open the door for the Amazon courier. If before the show the best effort was a swipe of red lipstick on the lips, now it's a whole new level. It's all down to Donni Davy,  the creative genius behind the make-up of the HBO series, who has developed a series of innovative and cool beauty looks for Rue Bennett, Jules Vaughn, Maddy Perez, Kat Hernandez and Cassie Howard, based on the characters' emotionality, that have resonated with audiences and inspired millions of ordinary people and celebrities to experiment with ever more daring combinations. A legion of aspiring MUAs are eagerly awaiting the launch of Half Magic, the make-up brand created by Davy in association with A24, the production company behind Euphoria, which will hit stores at the end of May. 

"Facial adornments are a hybrid between beauty and fashion, it’s a way to customize your beauty look to match your outfit like a piece of jewelry would."

Points out Allison Bringé, CMO of Launchmetric (a company that measures and optimizes brands' performance on social, online and offline media), who along with the Glossy website attested to the powerful impact of the show with Zendaya on fashion and beauty. 

"There is no doubting the impact that Euphoria has had on fashion since its release. Each character’s unique style has had a strong influence on fashion and beauty trends through fan-inspired content on social channels. Wearable face gems are also becoming more popular, thanks to their ease of use, especially with the constant return of festival season, including the recent Coachella 2022."

"Le decorazioni per il viso sono un ibrido tra bellezza e moda, è un modo per personalizzare il proprio beauty look e per abbinarlo al proprio outfit come si farebbe con un gioiello".

Before the arrival of Euphoria, eye gems were mainly available in cheap versions on Amazon, while now more and more beauty brands are taking an interest in the phenomenon by producing crystals, stickers and other applications to decorate eyelids and face, such as Pley Beauty's Love Child Pley Things. 

Launchmetric and Glossy also conducted research into the new trend, establishing the five most popular eye stickers, decals and gems in April. Based on Media Impact Value (MIV), clean makeup brand Pley Beauty, founded by actress Peyton List, topped the list, followed by Face Lace by Phyllis Cohen, who has previously collaborated with Donni Davy. In third place is Colourpop, fourth is Simihaze,  launched by DJ duo Simi and Haze Khadra, and fifth is Elf Beauty.

If according to a survey by shopping services app Klarna and published in Elle "rhinestone purchases increased by 2,607% from December 2021 to February 2022", it is easy to assume that the arrival of Davy's make-up line and the summer season with its many music festivals will give the phenomenon a further boost.