According to critics, Euphoria is just HBO's hybrid version of Degrassi and Skins with glitter [1]. Yet, the show has proven to be much more than that, and its long-awaited second season — out Monday, 10 Dec. on NOW — is determined to continue solidifying that fact. Not much is known about how this season will unfold, but according to makeup department head Doniella Davy, it's about to get even more real — and the makeup will reflect that [2] to the umpteenth degree. "The looks [are] even more raw and expressive," she told POPSUGAR. "This whole season is a bit darker — a lot darker."
Before the pandemic hit, Davy was preparing for a very different season, one that was just as bold and experimental as the last, but then filming paused, the script evolved, and Davy went back to the drawing board. "I was thinking, what else do I want to say about makeup? How can I continue the story of what Euphoria season one makeup [3] was and shift it — make it more refined, more mysterious or discoverable, maybe less colour across the board, but super bold colour just here and there."
Ahead, Davy walks us through the makeup changes you can expect to see from each character — from Maddy to Jules and, of course, Rue — in season two.
Natural Skin Texture Will Be a Subtle Focal Point
The glitter tears of fantasia are gone. With sparing use of corrective makeup, Davy and her team leaned into the realness of the cast's natural skin texture this season to express what was going on in each character's lives. In some instances, with Rue (Zendaya [4]) specifically, she'd exaggerate what was naturally there to expose the character's struggle.
"We traced over Zendaya's veins around her eyes a lot to accentuate whatever drug-related stuff was going on," she said. With that, in addition to some bloody moments, we'll see what adds to the heart of Euphoria [5], which isn't just the ethereal, ultra-glam moments, but the gritty and scary ones, too. "A lot of the looks from season one [6] were more fantastical, like a heightened more fantastical version of reality," Davy said. "[Season two] gives you a more exaggerated version of emotionally what's going when it's not all about good feelings."
Jules's Makeup Is on a New Expressive Journey
Last time we saw Jules (Hunter Schafer) in the second and final bridge episode [7], "F*ck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob," she was exploring her identity in a new way, as well as her heartbreak over losing Rue. Jules's makeup has always been used strategically, Davy said, so when we saw her makeup pared down and minimal last year, that was on purpose. We can expect more of that throughout season two.
"Jules' makeup gets less and less feminine," she said, noting that we can expect the minimalism to exist alongside sharp, punctuated makeup moments that reflect the bright and bold things happening to the character. "She's all over the place, but it feels so real to what's happening with her emotionally. She's just having big emotions and there's high and there's lows."
Winged Eyeliner Will Take Centre Stage
"[Alexa Demie] had a really strong vision for her character this year," Davy said. "She really wanted to eliminate a lot of colour and really focus on more wing shapes." Most days, Davy didn't have to prep much for Demie's character, Maddy; Demie would come in with a clear idea and Davy's team would define and execute it. While sequins and neon liner were Maddy's staples last season, this time around we can expect a lot of one thing: wings. Across the board, this trend — in a range of variations — is perhaps the one that we'll see the most on the cast, Maddy and Jules included.
Kat DGAF — and Her Makeup Proves It
Kat (Barbie Ferreira) is still finding herself, her confidence, and her look. According to Davy, she's even still unsure what Kat's exact makeup vibe is, but there's one thing we know for sure: Kat likely doesn't GAF. "I don't think she pressures herself to have a certain look," Davy said. "She has the confidence of trying stuff out and not overthinking it."
Maude Apatow Gets a Makeover True to Her
"[Apatow] builds her own new makeup vibe this season," Davy said, noting that even though we've seen Apatow's character Lexi rock some impressive makeup before (see: the winter formal), those looks weren't necessarily her. "She gets into her own more authentic makeup look this season. It's so wearable and so cool."