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I Never Thought I'd Try This Beauty Trend Again as an Adult, But Here We Are

Summer 2022 is already shaping up to be a fun season for beauty looks. Between the return of blinged out nails and statement lips, I’m ready to lean into the maximalism of it all because dopamine dressing is in (and it really does help boost your mood).

Admittedly, there is one trend I was initially hesitant to bring back and that’s bedazzled eyes. There was a time long ago, when, along with coordinating the rubber bands of my braces to my fire Limited Too ‘fits, I would painstakingly apply little gems to my face and body. But I’m an “adult” now. I pay bills and am regularly in professional settings where I’m expected to project an image of “having it together.”

Could I still do this with glittery gems on my face?

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Half Magic

I was about to find out because when Donni Davy (the makeup artist behind the captivating looks in Euphora) launched her much-anticipated line a few weeks ago, any hesitation I felt prior promptly went out the window.

The collection is complete eye candy—from the unicorn adorned packaging to the actual products themselves. It includes everything from glittery eye paints to holographic highlighters and, of course, face gems in various shapes and sizes. I felt giddy with excitement as I marched over to the bathroom to begin experimenting.

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Jenny Jin for PureWow

The Look:

After applying my usual base of cc cream, blush and highlighter, I zeroed in on my eyes. I started off by sweeping a neutral-toned eyeshadow all-over my lids, before lining them with a deep brown gel-liner and gently smudging the color with my index finger. Next, I dabbed on a little Chromaddiction Shimmer in “Spirit Guide,” which is a mesmerizing periwinkle-lilac hue that twinkles on your skin. Another smudge with my fingertip and it was time for the main attraction: the face gems.

I was delighted to find out that each gem has medical grade adhesive on the backs of them, so you can apply them directly to your face without needing any sort of glue. Using a pair of tweezers to pick them up from the sheet, I gently placed the smallest gems in the set along my lower lashline in three, evenly(ish) spaced dots.

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Jenny Jin for PureWow

The Takeaway:

Here’s what surprised me most about the gems: They held up extremely well. I wore them all day and even sweat through a dance class with them on, and five out of six gems stayed put the entire time. Yes, I lost one gem, but if you saw the amount of sweat that was coming out of me, you’d marvel, too.

And what do you know? I received several compliments from fellow adults throughout the day. The bank teller. The barista. My colleague over Zoom. My friend from dance class. As it turns out, wearing sparkly things on your eyes as a 30-something-year-old is perfectly acceptable—nay, encouraged.

Guys, it has been a particularly bleak few weeks (months, years), so when you find even the smallest glimmer of hope in the form of some sparkly face gems, just go for it.


Jenny Jin Headshot Vertical 2023

Beauty Director

Jenny Jin is PureWow’s Beauty Director and is currently based in Los Angeles. Since beginning her journalism career at Real Simple magazine, she has become a human encyclopedia of...