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There are several identical printed signs taped to the vanity mirrors in the Euphoria makeup trailer. In all caps, they read, "SAM SAYS NO FOUNDATION (YOUR SKIN WILL LOOK AMAZING TRUST ME)." Sam is Sam Levinson, the show's director. The message is indicative of the shift we can expect from season 2 — it's grittier, darker, and less glittery aesthetically and perhaps in persona.
The energy in the trailer is palpable, despite nobody being in it. Allure was the first and only outlet invited inside the makeup trailer, a haven of sorts for the cast and crew. Decorated with streamers, pink vinyl, and turquoise accent lighting, the trailer feels much like the first season's makeup: bright and playful. It has evolved into a creative respite for cast members with dry-erase drawings on cabinets from the actors, as well as individual character binders with custom-drawn maps of each individual's face, created by artist Lauren Sullivan, who was discovered on Instagram.
We're meeting the Friday before Thanksgiving, six days before production wraps for the season. Emmy Award-winner and show makeup head Doniella Davy shows us the newly released HBO teaser in which Zendaya dances around her bedroom. (Davy previewed the trailer the day before on Zendaya's phone while on-location.) There are cases of lipsticks, drawers of base products, bags full of glitters and neon pigments; on one side, binders line the walls with looks that will never see the light of the set. (Many of the inspired makeup designs are never executed on the actors.) There's a prosthetic arm sitting in a box on the counter and thousands of continuity photos that paint a blurry picture of what we can expect this season, as well as airbrush guns, hundreds of eye shadow palettes, and plastic cases full of intricately-designed press-on nails, from psychedelic '70s prints to studded mesh overlays, created Los Angeles-based artist Natalie Minerva.
Out of everything, the nails may be the most extravagant cosmetic feature of all. This season, the show was shot completely on film. This, along with Levinson's vision for season 2, resulted in a 180-degree flip from the initial designs Davy had created for the show over quarantine.
"I learned that Sam wanted everything on the makeups completely chopped down," she says. "He didn't want bigger chunks of glitter, bigger rhinestones. No hugely bright colors that scream at you from across the room. I was very much on the spot, challenged a couple days before we started shooting to come up with this whole new version of 'Euphoria makeup' that's more refined." Davy says it's not "more wearable" — a term she dislikes, as she believes every type of makeup is wearable — but it's more subtle. It becomes more realized when you're in closer proximity to it.
That doesn’t mean the makeup won't be discussed at length by the masses as it has been in the past. For beauty connoisseurs and journalists alike, a focal point of the show was reveling in the modern makeup looks on characters like Maddy, Jules, and Kat. But what once was bright, and in-your-face is now more subdued, more minimalist — the only way Euphoria and Davy can do minimalist, of course.
"It became this cool challenge because I learned that doesn't necessarily mean everyone just gets 'natural beauty makeup,'" she says. "We just need to be really selective and a lot more refined about certain choices that I'm making."
The makeup is still bold, but in a "Did you catch that?" way. Cassie (played by Sydney Sweeney) has a retro phase this season, and there's some Twiggy influence that spills into the other characters as well. You'll see lots of lower-lash looks, variations of what wings look like — among them, claw-shaped and symbols on Jules — and surprisingly less glitter. (Notably, clear, microscopic rhinestones will still be present.) Kat (played by Barbie Ferreira) may have the most visually bold looks, featuring jewel tones, lots of terracotta eye shadow, and color-blocking; think yellows highlighting moss green on the lid. Davy says that both Lexy (played by Maude Apatow) and Cassie will have breakout beauty moments as well.
For the crowned beauty jewel, Maddy (played by Alexa Demie), the team utilizes a "point-and-paint" approach in which Demie points to one of four liner looks that have been mapped out on paper she feels works best for her character's scene that day. "Alexa had the strongest vision for her makeup," says Davy. "I would say she designed the majority of her own characters' looks." Maddy will still have extravagant angled liner, but it's more monochromatic this season.
A few things you won’t see on the show: a carved-out brow. They'll be naturally shaped or styled but rarely filled-in. And powder is a no-go. Instead, Davy utilizes Indeed Labs Nanoblur and a sponge to reduce any shine the cast may have before rolling. While Levinson is anti-foundation, the makeup team utilizes it in some cases for what Davy calls "very moist-looking skin" with MAC Face and Body foundation (which Zendaya suggested to Davy), Chantecaille's Future Skin Foundation, and Face Atelier Ultra Foundation Pro, often mixing them with moisturizer or illuminator, or simply using concealer to spot-cover. For the sheen seen on Zendaya, who wears the least makeup of the cast, it’s Vaseline. And there's lots of Colourpop, Lit Cosmetics glitter, and Pat McGrath Labs lipsticks.
Other makeup necessities live in individual cast bags — kind of like adult diaper bags — that Davy and her team travel with from the trailer to set. Giving us a peek inside, there’s an organizer with Lumify drops to whiten the eyes, Duo Lash Adhesive for reapplication, mints, floss, cotton swabs, tissues, makeup remover, and Weleda Skin Food.
Davy emphasizes that the final looks are a group effort. She's the leader, but Levinson adds his direction, Davy looks at the production and costume design for the scene, and she heavily consults the actors as they spend the most time with their characters. Her job is to create based on all of these influences and present looks that everyone believes are the best fit.
"I don't just walk in and get to do what I want. I'm here to be of service and help tell this story that Sam is creating," says Davy. "Every character's makeup style got more developed in a way where there are little, small details that begin to manifest as the season goes on. Oftentimes, it's not at all what I expected. But it's something that we create together."
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