DarcyMM Makeup Artistry Shares Magic in a Bottle
Meeting Darcy Manning feels like a breath of fresh air. Or the better analogy might be that she makes you feel like a fresh work of art.
The owner of DARCYMM Makeup Artistry is teaching clients all over the Space Coast and beyond how they can use the right products, materials and techniques to transform themselves into their most confident selves.
“I hope to demystify makeup and take out the anxiety,” Manning said. “It’s a high-anxiety experience for some women but doesn’t need to be.”
Whether for special occasions, a big date, business engagements or every day, Manning offers traditional makeup sessions where she applies the magic; in-person lessons where she will teach an individual or group how to do it themselves; plus she has a virtual master class that can be accessed on demand for step-by-step makeup application guidance.
She also recently launched her own line of makeup brushes — because she couldn’t find anything out there to fit the needs of her clients.
Manning’s passion for makeup has shined through since she was a little girl.
“My mom’s Avon catalog showed up on our front porch one day and I was hooked,” she said about her fifth-grade self. Mom — who would never leave the house, not even to go to the mailbox without a “full face” — let her purchase a foundation.
“I was in love and did all my friends’ makeup and my sister’s friends’ makeup. But I had never thought of it as a profession,” Manning said.
She initially wanted to be a fashion designer, but after not being able to convince her parents to support that path, pursued journalism and public relations.
“I always thought about makeup but was too scared to do something about it,” she said.
Then, when almost 40, she took a one-day makeup certification course in Los Angeles and became friends with the instructor — who saw Manning’s spark. She started working in the field, and after husband Josh Manning’s job with Northrop Grumman brought the family to Brevard in 2016, she still kept her passion for makeup alive — but as a side gig.
She kept working PR even as she got busier with makeup clients, and admits she didn’t initially see makeup as a business. The pandemic helped propel her into that makeup world full time, though. Specifically the time freed up by lack of PTA duties as her son Kibo, now 12, moved into virtual and homeschooling, allowed her to embrace more clients.
“People were still afraid to get out of the house and be in large groups,” Manning explained, but they were comfortable with the small intimate makeup lessons she offered.
“This community has embraced my little business and everyone has been so good to me, this feels like home to me,” said Manning, who was born in Hawaii and grew up in California.
Tips & Techniques
Small techniques can make a world of difference when it comes to makeup.
“Women always say to me, you get what you get and have these features that you’re stuck with. But you can really use makeup to tweak and improve the way you look,” Manning said. “These classes give them control.”
Manning loves teaching women how makeup can be empowering. “Self esteem in a bottle,” she calls it. She caters her lessons so everyone can feel confident and beautiful. She asks clients to bring their own makeup and tools, ready to teach them how to use what they have. But she’s also stocked with her own makeup brushes and multiple lines of products she sells from her Satellite Beach studio.
Manning goes through each product — how to place it and how much to use. She reviews two looks with each person: an everyday look and photo ready/evening look.
Makeup Tips from DARCYMM
- Replace mascara every 3-6 months.
- Apply moisturizer or face oil about 30 minutes before adding makeup. Skin accepts makeup better when hydrated.
- Use SPF 30 minimum on a daily basis, but for special occasions that involve a photo shoot, avoid SPF. The camera flash will reflect off of it.
- Use a separate brush for each product, to avoid muddying colors.
- Match foundation color to the chest.
- If a daily makeup wearer, wash brushes once a week.
- You can use concealer as an eyelid primer.
- Do makeup with a relaxed face. (Don’t smile to apply blush.)
- If you smudge mascara on a lid, let it dry, then it flakes off easily. Don’t try to remove when wet.
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