From graphic eyeliner to blinged out beauty looks, Euphoria quickly established itself as a major source of makeup inspo. And with the 2021 Emmy Awards going down on Sunday, September 19, it should come as no surprise that the show is up for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup.
While they took home the title in 2020 too, this year they’re nominated specifically for “F—k Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” the special second episode that aired in January.
And given Hunter Schafer’s [Jules Vaughn] unreal glitter makeup from the segment is absolutely unreal, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the unmatched beauty team is in the running.
The hit HBO drama, which is slated to drop season 2 either in late 2021 or early 2022, put themselves on the map last year not just for its intense representation of modern-day teenagers, but also for its beautifully out-there makeup.
Head of the makeup department, Doniella Davy, told Entertainment Weekly that the creator, Sam Levinson, specifically asked her to take it to the extreme.
“Sam asked me to use makeup to portray the evolution of the Euphoria characters,” she said. “And he encouraged me to do this while also pushing the boundaries of typical TV makeup. He was like ‘You can use color! It can be loud color! You can use shapes! Glitter! Stone!’” And boy did she listen!
She turned towards the Instagram accounts of Gen Z artists to find inspiration. In doing so, she saw a lot of people celebrating their unique individuality.
“The Euphoria style of makeup I really believe already existed,” she said. “And it was just a matter of myself gathering it all up and putting my own aesthetic twist on it as an artist and then pushing it forward into the limelight, so to speak.”
Thanks to this research, the makeup plays a huge role in the story being told. For instance, when we first meet Barbie Ferreira’s character Kat Hernandez, she mostly keeps it makeup-free. But when she embraces her edgier side, she rocks a bright red lip or colorful eyeshadow.
Alexa Demie’s Maddy, who always likes attention, wears rhinestones along her lash line when she’s in her “hooker” outfit. But when she has a difficult day, she hides behind sunglasses and a hoodie, wearing nothing more than a layer of foundation.
“If the makeup I’m doing is not enhancing the story,” Davy told EW.“Then it’s not doing its job.”
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