SPRINGFIELD ― When Dominique Renee Davis lost her job during the pandemic, she picked up a makeup brush. Five years later, she’s a celebrity artist — and a new face of True Religion.
The Springfield native recently signed a six-month contract with the hip-hop fashion brand to promote its clothing line, a milestone in her growing career as an influencer and model.
She said she has always admired True Religion’s detailed stitching and designs and hopes the partnership will lead to more opportunities.
Her favorite pieces: “Jeans,” whether baggy, fitted or low-rise, she said.
Davis says her grandmother has been one of her biggest inspirations in beauty and fashion.
“She is a fashionista,” Davis said. “We used to shop at consignment stores and find cute name-brand clothes.”
Davis, 28, who now lives in Atlanta, graduated from Springfield High School of Science and Technology and attended Springfield Technical Community College for about a year before deciding not to continue.
After that, she worked as a nanny and later spent a year at Insa cannabis dispensary before the pandemic began.
That turning point pushed her to rethink her future — and start building a career in beauty.
During the lockdown, Davis didn’t have a job for a year. She spent that time teaching herself how to do makeup by watching her favorite influencer, Aaliyah Jay.
“I’ve always loved the glam life and the beauty world, so I decided to get into makeup, learning myself and then working on taking my friends as clients in my garage,” she said.
She moved to Atlanta in 2021 to grow her business. Since then, she said, opportunities have continued to come her way.
Davis has a celebrity client list that includes Yandy Smith, Ari Lennox, the OMG Girlz and Tiny. Her work has appeared on BET, Hulu and the reality series “Love & Hip Hop.”
“That is pretty much how I got my connections,” she said.
Going to events and meeting other influencers made Davis want to try modeling.
She says a friend who worked on a campaign for True Religion sent her a link to apply, and the company replied to the next day.
Davis said she has only been modeling for a year but plans to make a bigger mark on the fashion industry in 2026. While she is known as a celebrity makeup artist, she doesn’t see that as her final destination. Instead, she views it as a steppingstone into fashion — one that inspired her to design her first dress in 2025.
“I love doing makeup, but it just fell in my lap, and I don’t want to be on my feet my whole life,” she said. “I am transitioning myself to the fashion industry. I want to turn it into something big.”
