Silk-inspired biotechnology, Japanese formulation expertise and a makeup artist’s approach to color come together in Day Skin. For her first interview about the launch, Dariia Day shares the vision behind a beauty brand more than 3 years in the making.
Dariia Day. Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
For her first makeup collection, Dariia Day has brought silk-inspired biotechnology into every formula. Developed with a Japanese laboratory and made in France, Day Skin Palette introduces her namesake brand through 6 cream essentials and a carefully composed system of color Harmonies. Concealer, bronzer, highlighter, lip and cheek color, lip balm and mattifying cream come together in 1 refillable compact, with coordinated shades and intuitive textures that make fresh, luminous makeup easy to achieve. Behind the launch is an artist who has spent 20 years working on faces and more than 3 years developing the products she wanted to put her name to.
Dariia arrived in Paris at 19 with her makeup kit, without speaking French or knowing where she would stay. She had trained in Los Angeles and dreamed of fashion shows and magazine covers. Her career would include a Dior campaign and 11 years in Pat McGrath’s main team during fashion weeks. Creating her own makeup line meant taking that experience into the laboratory, with a precise idea of how skin should look and how a formula should behave. She wanted the freshness and luminosity of her signature bonne mine, with textures that blend readily and enough pigment to work in small amounts. Achieving that balance took more than 3 years of development.
Silk gives the formulation story a personal continuity. In 2016, she founded By Dariia Day with her parents, drawing on their textile expertise to create a silk collection that began with pillowcases. Her makeup line explores that interest through Vegan Silk Technology™: biotechnology-derived polypeptides inspired by silk, without animal-derived silk. Included in all 6 formulas, the technology was chosen with softness, comfort and skin conditioning in mind. Her formulation brief brings the care she gives to skin preparation into the makeup itself, alongside the demands of color and finish.
The 6 Harmonies extend that ambition into the way the collection is chosen and used. Each offers a coordinated selection, organized by skin depth and undertone. Dariia has considered the shades in relation to one another, as she does when working on a face. A refillable compact holds the collection together, while individual replacements let it evolve with the person using it. What emerges is a considered approach to complexion, with the formula, the color selection and the daily gesture developed together.
There is warmth in the way Dariia speaks about what she hopes this work will make possible. Years spent close to faces have taught her how much vulnerability can sit behind a beautiful image. She wants women to feel confident using makeup, to enjoy it, and to recognize themselves in the result. “More Harmony. Less Perfection.” expresses that conviction.
She unveils Day Skin Palette at Le Bon Marché, bringing silk-inspired biotechnology to a compact with all the makings of a beauty It-object. As her brand makes its debut, we explore the research, the choices and the personal history behind Day Skin, and her ambition to make the expertise of a makeup artist part of everyday beauty.
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Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Dariia, could you take us through the path that brought you to makeup artistry and eventually to creating your own beauty brand?
I started doing makeup when I was sixteen. I grew up in Poland, and my sister is a photographer, so we began creating photoshoots together very young, including our first editorials. I attended my first makeup school during the summer holidays at 16 years old, then found a school in Hollywood and moved there straight after finishing high school.
I studied in Los Angeles, but my real dream was to work backstage at the big fashion shows and create makeup for magazine covers. So, at nineteen, I decided to move to Paris. I didn’t know anybody, didn’t speak French and didn’t even know where I would sleep. I took a bus with my makeup kit.
The first year was very challenging, but I was determined. I worked hard to build my portfolio and make connections, and slowly my dreams started coming true. I worked on my first Dior campaign, spent eleven years in Pat McGrath’s main team during fashion weeks, and created makeup for magazine covers, top models and celebrities.
Over time, I also became passionate about entrepreneurship. I consulted for brands on beauty development and creative direction. In 2016, I launched my own well-being silk line By Dariia Day, together with my parents, who had experience in textiles. It began with silk pillowcases, after discovering what a difference they made to my own skin.
I always dreamed of creating my own makeup line, but always thought I don’t want to create just another lipstick, among all the brands the choices that already exist. I wanted to bring something unique: something that would make women’s lives easier and lift them up.
After twenty years of working as makeup artist, that vision became very clear. My signature has always been fresh, luminous skin - that bonne mine effect, where you look rested and radiant, and you still see your skin. Day Skin Palette brings that approach into everyday life.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
For someone discovering Day Skin Palette for the first time, how would you describe the idea in a few words?
It is my recipe for fresh, glowing skin, brought together in one refillable palette.
Day Skin Palette combines six cream essentials: concealer, bronzer, highlighter, lip and cheek colour, lip balm and mattifying cream. It comes in six colour Harmonies, with shades already chosen to work together.
I wanted to bring the feeling of having a makeup artist choose your colours and simplify your routine into something you can use at home - or wherever your day takes you.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
What did you keep seeing in your work that convinced you to create your own makeup system?
I kept seeing how much uncertainty there can be around makeup. People have plenty of products, but they are still unsure which colours suit them, what works together or how much to apply.
I also know the practical struggle myself: so many products in our bags for daily touch-ups, and so little time. Modern life is busy. Opening six different products, applying them, closing them and organising everything again can feel like a lot, especially when you then carry them around all day.
I wanted to bring my best recipe for fresh, natural-looking skin into one practical solution - something you could use quickly, even in a taxi, with just your fingertips.
As a makeup artist, I make these decisions every day. I look at the person, choose colours that work together and place the products where they make the most difference. I wanted to make that approach easier for everyone.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
“More Harmony. Less Perfection.” is the philosophy behind Dariia Day. What has working so closely with women and men taught you about how makeup can help them feel more like themselves?
It has taught me how vulnerable we can all be. Even the people we consider the most beautiful have their insecurities.
I want to move away from the pressure to look perfect: covering every part of the skin, drawing perfectly defined lips and brows, feeling that everything needs correcting. What I have learned is that beauty is about harmony - harmony with yourself.
For me, beauty begins with self-care, with feeling good in your own skin and enhancing what is already there. I love when someone looks in the mirror and recognises themselves, with a little more freshness and confidence. Their features, expressions and individuality are still there.
Makeup can also bring energy. A blush, bronzer or a touch of colour on your lips can change your mood. I want to keep that pleasure, without adding pressure to look perfect.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Your six Harmonies translate professional color analysis into a system built around skin depth and undertone. How did you turn the science of matching colors to a face into something someone could confidently use on their own?
I approached it through the decisions I make when I work on a face: the depth of the skin, its undertone and how the colours relate to one another once applied.
The six Harmonies combine three skin depths - Light, Medium and Dark - with Cool and Warm undertones. Within each palette, I selected the concealer, bronzer, highlighter and lip and cheek colour as a complete look.
That relationship matters. A colour can be beautiful on its own, but it also needs to feel right alongside everything else you are wearing. I wanted to make those choices in advance, so someone could open the palette and feel confident that the colours belong together.
Could you walk us through choosing a Harmony for someone who has never known which colors suit them?
I would start with your skin depth: are you closer to Light, Medium or Dark? Then I would look at your undertone - whether your skin tends towards cooler, pinker tones or warmer, more golden tones.
It helps to look in daylight and consider the face together with the neck, rather than focusing only on redness in the cheeks, which can make undertone harder to judge.
Our “Find Your Harmony” shade finder guides you through the choice. If you are between two Harmonies, the idea is to help you compare them and find what feels right. The system should make choosing easier, while still leaving room for your own preferences.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
You designed Day Skin to take much of the guesswork out of getting ready. What do you hope people gain when makeup asks less of their time and attention?
I hope they gain a little freedom. Getting ready can be a lovely moment for yourself, but it can also become another task in an already busy morning.
With Day Skin Palette, you can apply a few touches, feel fresh and get on with your day. I love that it fits easily into your bag, or even your pocket. With the large mirror inside, you can make a quick touch-up anywhere before an important meeting or a special moment.
I also want the experience to be beautiful. I care deeply about aesthetics, and I paid attention to every detail. Something practical can still bring pleasure each time you open it.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
The Day Skin Palette was three years in the making. How did it evolve through the rounds of development and testing into the object you had envisioned?
The idea was clear from the beginning, but bringing all the details together took more than three years.
I developed each formula from scratch with an amazing Japanese laboratory. I wanted textures that reflected the way I do makeup: fresh, natural-looking, like beautifully hydrated skin. Each formula needed to perform on its own, but everything also had to work well together.
One of the biggest challenges was the mattifying cream. Years ago, backstage with Pat McGrath, we used a mattifying gel from Madina Milano, a brand that no longer exists. I loved the effect, but I wanted to create my own approach: a silicone-free cream that would be easy to apply with a finger, soften shine and smooth the appearance of the skin, while still feeling comfortable. It took a lot of development to reach the result I wanted.
The lip balm was also very personal. I was developing it during pregnancy and then breastfeeding, when my lips were often irritated. I wanted something that felt soothing, hydrating and comfortable. I love that you can apply a light layer or build it up for a beautiful glossy finish.
At the same time, the compact had to be practical, refillable and beautiful enough to keep. Bringing the formulas, colours, performance and packaging into one coherent object was a huge journey.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Your formulas were developed in Japan and are made in France. How did you translate your signature fresh, luminous skin into a brief for the formulation team?
I had a very clear vision, but it took time to find partners who were truly dedicated to developing it with me. I feel very lucky to have found them, and I am so happy with what we achieved together.
I described the result I wanted to see on a face: skin that looks fresh, luminous and alive, with makeup that blends into it beautifully.
The textures needed to be creamy and very blendable, with enough pigmentation to make a difference using a small amount. I wanted them to be buildable and long-lasting, without feeling too greasy. For the bronzer and blush, I wanted that almost cream-to-powder feeling. For the highlighter, I wanted a refined glow, without obvious glitter.
Alongside the sensory experience and performance, I wanted a skin-conscious approach: fragrance-free formulas developed with sensitive skin in mind, and Vegan Silk Technology™ throughout the collection.
I also wanted control over the finish — bringing light to certain areas and softening shine in others. That balance is an important part of my bonne mine approach.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Silk already has a place in your work, and Vegan Silk Technology brings that interest into your makeup formulas. How does this technology work within the makeup?
Silk has been part of my world for years through By Dariia Day. I love its softness and the feeling it brings to beauty and everyday rituals.
Vegan Silk Technology™ brings that inspiration into makeup through biotechnology-derived polypeptides inspired by silk, without using animal-derived silk. It is included in all six formulas.
For me, the idea was to create a cocoon-like feeling on the skin: lightweight, comfortable textures that are lovely to apply and wear. Skin conditioning was an important part of the brief, alongside colour and performance.
It creates a connection between my silk collection and my makeup line. Both come from the same desire to bring softness, care and pleasure into everyday beauty.
What did your experience preparing skin for makeup teach you about the care you wanted to build into these formulas?
Skin preparation has always been central to my work. Before thinking about colour, I pay attention to how the skin feels and what it needs that day. It makes such a difference to how makeup sits.
I wanted that same attention to care and comfort in my formulas. Pigmentation, blending and finish mattered, but so did how the products felt throughout the day.
That is why fragrance-free formulas and skin-conditioning ingredients were important to me. I wanted makeup that feels good on the skin, as well as looking beautiful.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
You designed the compact to be kept, with individual refills that allow its contents to evolve. How did you balance a recognizable signature object with the freedom for each person to make the palette her own?
I wanted the compact to feel personal - a beautiful object you enjoy opening and carrying with you.
The Harmonies offer a starting point, with colours I have selected to work together. The individual refills then give you freedom over time. You can replace the product you finish first or adapt the selection as your preferences change.
I love that the compact stays with you while its contents evolve. The palette begins with my approach, then becomes part of your own routine.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
What does your own daily beauty routine look like, from skincare to makeup?
Cleansing is very important to me. Every evening, I use the double-cleansing products from Victoria Beckham Beauty. In the morning, I keep it simple and spray my face with thermal water.
For my evening skincare, I love the Laboratoires Botanique Avancée line, which leaves my skin feeling beautifully plump. In the morning, I use the vitamin C serum from Augustinus Bader, followed by an SPF 50 cream from Daylily, a brand dedicated to maternity.
I am pregnant again, so I also use their body oil on my belly as part of my daily care ritual.
Usually on the run in the morning, I put mascara in the bathroom and then with my Day Skin Palette already in the taxi I work on my skin, my harmony is Light Warm.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Which 3 beauty products or brands do you return to for inspiration, whether as a makeup artist or in your own life?
Three brands I love having in my kit are ILIA Beauty, Westman Atelier and Victoria Beckham Beauty. I appreciate their performance and the attention they give to formulation. For me, how a product looks and how it feels on the skin are equally important.
And one backstage favourite I have to mention is the eye patches from 111SKIN. I love using them as part of preparing my clients’ skin before makeup.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
The palette introduces your approach to makeup. What other products are you working on to carry that vision further?
I will keep that as a surprise for now! We already have a lot to focus on with the palette, its six Harmonies, the refills, brushes and accessories.
Whatever comes next will follow the same intention: fresh skin, harmonious colour and products that make everyday beauty easier and more pleasurable. Each one needs to have a clear purpose and earn its place in your routine.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
What would you like the beauty industry to rethink about the way complexion makeup is conceived?
I would love us to rethink the idea that an even complexion requires covering the whole face.
In my work, I use small amounts of product exactly where they are needed, then bring freshness through colour and light. I don’t want to cover skin that is already naturally beautiful. It can keep its texture, its movement and its character.
I would also like us to think about complexion makeup as a whole: how concealer, bronzer, blush and highlighter work together. Choosing the right relationships between colours can make such a difference.
Above all, I hope we can ease some of the pressure around skin. I want makeup to help people appreciate their faces and enjoy taking care of themselves.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
What is your biggest dream for Dariia Day?
My dream is to share what I have learned over twenty years as a makeup artist, helping women everywhere make beauty a little easier and feel more confident in their own skin.
I would love a woman to open the palette and feel that everything makes sense - that she can create something beautiful without needing so much time, so many products or so much effort. That getting ready can become a small moment of care and pleasure, even on a very busy day.
I also think about the younger generation, growing up with social media and images of beauty that can feel impossible to live up to. I would love to bring a little lightness into that pressure, to remind them that there is room for individuality, for real skin, for being themselves. Beauty should be something they can enjoy and explore without feeling they need to be perfect.
Of course, I dream of the brand reaching women around the world. But what gives that dream meaning is knowing that something I created can make their lives a little easier and help them feel good in their own skin.
That is the mission I take to heart: to make beauty feel more intuitive and to help women see and enhance what is already beautiful in them. I want them to leave that moment in front of the mirror feeling more like themselves, with a little less pressure and a little more confidence to carry into the rest of their day.
Image courtesy of Dariia Day.
Available exclusively at Le Bon Marché.
This editorial was created in partnership with Dariia Day. Each collaboration is carefully selected to meet Future of Skincare’s editorial standards and the expectations of its community.
