Sophie Mascatello

We looked at every variation of blue in this range – truly! – and this shade won for its combination of uniqueness, ability to translate on a range of materials, and ability to beautifully brandblock.

It encapsulates the irreverent spirit of the brand, but evolves its look and feel.

We wanted the visuals for Sake Ono to capture its purity and Japan’s rich heritage of sake – but to avoid pastiche interpretations that felt well worn and uninspired.

We then decided on floral woodblock prints as a starting point for the final design and dug into research on how we could use symbolism and colour to cue these ideas of purity and celebration.

Pairing the floral element with our dark bottle brought an interesting tension to the visual identity.

Makeup is all about fulfilling a fantasy, becoming more you, wearing your feelings.

To us, the name Half Magic expresses the brand’s reason for being – to give people the tools to realise their true and dream selves, to embrace a self-defined future and to become the you that has always been.

The type system uses Sanzettica by Aah Yes and Nimbus Sans by URW Type Foundry.

We chose these functional san serifs because the brand (across illustration, colour and image) is incredibly lush and vibrant and we wanted some tension with a utilitarian, recessive type system.

The bold maximalism of Sara’s work is so inherently fantastical and rich with pigment that it seems like it’s made from makeup itself – a match made in heaven for the brand we wanted to build.