Glitter tears, rhinestone eye gems, mirror-like lips…the list of Euphoria makeup moments that forever changed the beauty landscape (not to mention, singlehandedly ushered in a trend so recognizable that it coined its own moniker, “Euphoria makeup”) goes on. It’s been just over four years since the HBO hit show’s second season premiered, but with season three weeks away, it’s (finally!) time. So dust off those sparkly eyeshadow palettes and jars of body glitter and consider this your official reintroduction, courtesy of Euphoria’s lead makeup artist, Donni Davy.
As rumors have hinted — and as actor Zendaya confirmed in an Entertainment Weekly interview — the show isn’t picking up where it left off. Season three begins five years after we last saw Rue and crew, so expect that the characters (and their beauty routines) have evolved since season two.
“Everyone’s still using makeup with extreme intention, but for very different reasons [than before],” Davy tells Refinery29. In other words, not totally gone are the playful, experimental beauty looks of seasons past, but as Davy explains it, there’s more “unapologetic, head-to-toe glam” in the forthcoming season.
If the past few years of social media-fueled beauty trends have been dominated by no-makeup makeup skin and endless nude lip combos, Euphoria Season 3 is here to swing the pendulum back for makeup lovers. “It’s capital ‘G’ glam,” Davy says. “The antithesis of clean girl, my version of more traditional Hollywood makeup.” Ahead, we chat with Davy about the Euphoria characters’ beauty evolutions, plus details on the limited-edition collab with her beauty brand, Half Magic.
The beauty evolution of Euphoria’s main characters
Since the very beginning, Euphoria’s makeup was never just about makeup: It’s an essential piece of world-building and almost a character in and of itself. When I bring this up to Davy, I cite one of my personal favorite season two moments, Cassie’s legendary “Oklahoma” crash-out in the girls’ bathroom. (Think: Mascara tears, larger-than-life hair, and flushed cheeks.) “Blush was so connected to that,” says Davy of the iconic moment, which inspired a product in Half Magic’s upcoming drop (more on that later).
Let’s start with Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie)’s character, who is now in her “businesswoman era,” per Davy. Gone are the playful pops of color — think season one’s matchy-matchy teal eyeliner moment with then-bestie Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney). In season three, we can expect bolder, even sharper interpretations of her signature winged liner (a thing I wouldn’t have guessed is even possible, personally) that hint at a more aggressive, control-freak mindset. “It’s fierce, smoky, but still glam,” Davy explains, adding that “dark lips and double wings” also make an appearance. (And notably, a rare red lip moment.)
Cassie, in comparison, is nearing another mental breakdown, we fear. “The glam goes up and up and up,” Davy says, hinting at the character’s emotional instability. — frosty eyes and lips, big, winged liner, even a fake tan that approaches “pop-star-level intensity,” aiming to mask the turmoil underneath.
Then there’s my personal favorite source of makeup inspo, Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), whose season one whimsy has dimmed into something decidedly darker as she embarks on her sugar baby era. “Her makeup is not playful,” Davy says. “There’s a little bit of color, but it’s a completely different vibe that’s more for the male gaze — her light is dimmed a bit.”
Last, but certainly not least, is Rue, portrayed by Zendaya. The character is known for very minimal makeup, which, as we can see in the most recent trailer, is still very much the case as she appears entangled in some dicey drug smuggling business across the border. (Not much time for a fierce beat, eh?) Still, Rue’s signature dewy, sweaty skin (which gleams under police station fluorescent lighting) and brushed-up brows continue to make me reach for highlighter and brow gel.
With a more grown-up cast, I mused to Davy about a potential lack of sparkle in season three. (My all-time favorite Half Magic product is Glitterpuck, a multipurpose, stardust-like pressed pigment unlike anything I’ve used before.) Spoiler alert: Davy assured me — and you — that the Euphoria dazzle we know and love isn’t going anywhere.
“We went through jars [of Glitterpuck],” Davy tells me. “It’s all over the body: butts, boobs — we used so much.” However, the biggest difference is in how it’s used: less whimsy, more cinematic: A wash of shimmer across the skin, a subtle sparkle on the eyes (Davy calls out her use of Glitterpill over black liquid eyeliner). Essentially, thoughtful details that catch the viewers’ attention in an artistic, emotional way.
Inside Euphoria x Half Magic
Davy’s own makeup brand, Half Magic, has been inextricably tied to the show since its launch in 2022, but this year marks the brand’s first official collaboration with Euphoria and HBO. As she shares, much of the line was developed while filming, with products tested right on set. “I was creating [products] while we were filming,” Davy says.
Paper packaging covered in film stills, script quotes, and Easter eggs only diehards will catch: A rose floral print appears on packaging for the blush Sydney Sweeney wore in her now-viral meltdown scene. (Fans will remember that roses were a recurring visual motif from Cassie’s season two arc.) Metallic purple tubes call back to the iconic season one poster featuring Rue’s solemn glitter tears. I asked about that particular moment, and Davy revealed that the tears were actually golden, but rendered violet from the dramatic lighting on set. “This [collection] is for the OG fans,” Davy says. “A thank you and ‘I love you.’”
The eight-piece collab (available exclusively at Ulta Beauty on April 29) includes new shades of existing Half Magic products Glitterpuck and Glitterpill (“Feel Something” and “Glitter Tears”), the Magic Flik Liquid Eyeliner in limited-edition packaging, metallic gunmetal Face Gems, plus a new, nude-pink tinted lip gloss called “B*tch You’re My Soulmate” and a highly collectible six-pan eyeshadow palette with shades named after the show’s leading women: Rue, Maddy, Lexi, Cassie, Jules, and Kat.
We can only expect that season three’s makeup will all but surely steal the show, but if you ask Davy? “[At the end of the day], it’s about the storyline,” she says graciously — and I can tell she means it. A little column A, a little column B, if you ask me — but one thing’s undeniable: Euphoria is beauty history in the making.
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