HBO’s Euphoria has become one of my favorite teen dramas for its fever-dream aesthetic and biting tone. I have no idea how true-to-life the show really is - are teenagers really popping molly, openly having sex in pools at house parties, or pistol whipping drug dealers? I’ll venture to say no, but I love Euphoria anyway, particularly the makeup looks. The makeup - like the show itself - is manic but beautiful, even as Season 2 aims for more “subtle” looks.
As a teenager of the early aughts, my makeup looks were not nearly as cool as the teenagers on Euphoria - think heavy black eyeliner and ultra sticky lip gloss that your hair latched onto every time you moved your head. As a makeup-obsessed person since before I was even allowed to wear makeup, I would’ve killed to throw on some cerulean glitter and mega lashes for third period but, alas, that just wasn’t the style then (kids today don’t know how lucky they are!). Now, as a grown woman of an undisclosed age, I’m making up for lost time and filling up my cart with jars of Iridescent Opal Rainbow and Metallic Smokey Pyrite glitter (::cries glitter tears of excitement::). It was a tough list to narrow down, but here is my roundup of the most iconic makeup looks from Euphoria so far:
Jules’ Gold-Foiled Eyes and Glitter Brows
Jules wears this look in Season 1 as her interpretation of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet for a Halloween party, and I’m obsessed. It’s romantic, dreamy, and a little gothic - a look that evokes the ethereal (and kind of trippy) vibe of the Luhrmann film. Even when Jules gets very drunk and dives into the pool fully clothed, she looks angelic swimming through the water. What do you need to recreate this look? Besides a steady hand to place all that gold foil, you’ll need gold glitter for your eyebrows, gold foil detailing around the corners of your eyes, and a pastel, shimmery smoky eye.
Maddy’s Razor-Sharp Double Liner
This makeup look from Season 2 is one of Maddy’s more refined looks. Euphoria’s makeup artist, Doniella Davy, told Us Weekly that the Season 2 makeup is meant to be more “discoverable” and subtle, as opposed to the in-your-face looks of Season 1. Subtle doesn’t have to mean boring, though. A “Maddy wing” is always applied with knife-like precision, and this double liner wing is no exception! To recreate this look, grab your favorite liquid eyeliner pen and the secret weapon: cotton tips for carving out space between the lines.
Rue’s Glitter Tears
This is probably the most recognizable makeup look from the show: the glitter tears from Season 1. Rue’s style on Euphoria is generally pretty relaxed, but she’ll still add a smoky eye and a chaotic smattering of glitter if the mood strikes. It’s a pretty easy look to recreate because the application is not meant to be meticulous. The glitter should look kind of smudged and unpolished to achieve the emotional, and often messy, quality of tears. You can use whatever glitter you want but the show uses a glitter gel from Lemonhead LA in Houdini. Gels are usually super pigmented and stay in place much easier than pressed glitter, so I think it’s worth the investment.
Cassie and Maddy’s Rhinestone Eyes
I’m including both Cassie and Maddy’s makeup looks to show the range you have to apply your rhinestones! This was one of Cassie’s boldest looks of Season 1 with a mix of teal and sapphire blue rhinestones outlining the eyes, blue glitter eyeshadow, and thick black lashes. Maddy’s makeup look, on the other hand, is more delicate but definitely still striking. This particular look actually uses pearls instead of rhinestones, but either could be used for a different take on Maddy’s signature winged eyeliner.
Kat’s Monochromatic Eyeshadow
Kat’s monochromatic eyeshadow look has become a bit of a signature for Kat and I’m here for it. These are probably the easiest makeup looks from Euphoria to recreate since you’re only using one color, but they still make a statement. You just need to get the boldest, brightest shadow you can find, apply it on the lids, and blend upwards to the brow. Then add winged eyeliner and lots of mascara to complete the look!
Jules’ 3D Eye Spikes
Jules wears these eye spikes to the winter formal and they are totally out of this world. They also look like they could kill someone, which I appreciate. This look from Season 1 comes after Jules’ threatening encounter with Nate (where he blackmails her after catfishing her for weeks) and it feels like she’s applied the spikes as armor. Davy even said in on Instagram that she wanted “Jules’ eyes to look like they could actually injure Nate.” Mission accomplished!
If You're Looking To Recreate These Makeup Looks Yourself…
I Googled around a bit, and it turns out a lot of the products used on Euphoria are available to buy! So, if you’re like me and want to recreate all of these looks ASAP, I put together a list of products below. You don’t have to be in high school to pull them off - the characters from the show barely look like high schoolers themselves - but you’ll definitely need some BME (Big Maddy Energy).
ColourPop - Blue Moon Eyeshadow Palette
Lemonhead SPACECASE Illuminating MINI Pro-Palette
Lemonhead Euphoric Glitter Pro-Squad
Get Stonned Holographic Rhinestones
Face Lace Spikelihood 3D - while Face Lace is based in the UK, you can also find their products online at Dolls Kill.
Holographic Face Decals Fantasy Set - I didn’t mention the fabulous cloud eyeliner designs Jules sports in Season 1, but Doniella Davy launched these face decals to help you achieve the look!
