The Evolution of Euphoria Characters Through Their Makeup

It’s been two weeks since the “Euphoria” finale and yet, the iconic makeup looks are not going away any time soon. If you’re an active viewer of the hit show, then you’ve
probably noticed a major shift in the makeup.

The eye looks – while still stunning – have been toned down just a tad this season.
Head of the makeup department Donniella (Donni) Davy lets viewers know it's more
than just “makeup,” and has a lot to do with the characters’ development in the show.

Davy told Us Weekly that the makeup each character wears is linked to what they're
experiencing in the show. How was she able to do this?

First, there were some rules Sam Levinson, creator of “Euphoria,” had put in place. The rules were that he wanted the characters to be wearing no foundation, but replacing that with a dewy, natural glow of the face.

There were a few exceptions, like Alexa Demie’s character Maddy who continued to
wear foundation throughout the season. Davy and her team didn’t let this stop them
from creating some amazing looks for season two that we're able to tell so much about each actor’s character.

Maddy, who is all about the heavy makeup look, experienced a change with her eye
looks. In season one, Maddy’s eye looks were very pigmented, intense, and shined
brightly. Demie’s character was also different in the beginning episodes of the show.

She was very outspoken and she didn’t hide who she was from anyone (as we saw
from her iconic fair scene with Nate Jacob’s family). However, in season two Maddy’s
eye looks were lighter in color, contained her signature winged eye look, and wore petite gemstones. The shift in makeup also symbolized the character’s development in the second season.

She was still confident in herself, but she also knew there was some darkness she had
to grow out of. We also see her vulnerability this season when Cassie, her best friend,
ultimately breaks her heart.

While she was furious, she didn’t want to hurt Cassie because she wanted Nate all to
herself, but because Cassie was someone she saw as a sister and a friend who was
supposed to have her back.

In the end, Maddy only beat Cassie up because of how she was treating Lexi on stage–and her protectiveness over Lexi kicked in. Maddy’s makeup looks were able to depict how she was still unapologetically herself but healthier. Or at least healthy for her.

I’m sure we all have our own opinion on Cassie this season, and her makeup evolution was one of the more obvious ones. From the first episode of season two, we see that Cassie’s makeup contradicts Maddy’s. While Maddy’s wing was sharp and dark, Cassie’s was light and designed by jewels.

In this episode, we also see that Cassie develops a secret relationship with Nate behind Maddy’s back. Throughout the season, Cassie’s makeup constantly changes.

Sometimes it's bright and heavily pigmented, while at other times it's light and not as
vibrant. Then at the end, we see it look exactly like Maddy’s makeup from season one. This was meant to show how Cassie was trying to find herself this season as she struggled with her affair with Nate. When her secret was revealed, she felt like she
could be the version of herself that Nate wanted, and that's when we see her makeup resemble Maddy’s.

In season one, Jules’ makeup was vibrant and different from the rest of the cast. We
also left Jules when she still had long hair. In season two, Hunter Schafer’s character
has short hair and a more defined black inner eyeliner.

In her special episode, Jules tells her therapist about the anxieties of her femininity. So, opening the season this way lets us know that Jules is a little more confident with
herself. Throughout the season we see Jules’ makeup call attention but in more subtle ways. Jules’ character goes through a lot in her relationships with Rue and Elliot, which we can see through her makeup looks as well.

Unfortunately, we didn’t really see Kat’s development this season and when we did she only talked for two seconds. We did still get to see her makeup evolution.

In season one, Kat had a lighter ending, so to see her start season two off in a bright
blue/green eye look was interesting. By starting with this look, viewers could see that
Kat had grown more confident and is ready to make a statement.

Lastly, Lexi’s makeup and character development this season was very interesting. In
season one, the character played by Maude Apatow was extremely quiet and didn’t have much of a storyline other than being Rue’s childhood best friend and Cassie’s
sister.

This season we are introduced to Lexi in red lipstick and a gold eyeshadow look. This was a perfect way to establish the importance Lexi was about to have in this season’s finale. Her makeup was subtle but it also made a statement of letting people know she deserved attention too.

Season two and its makeup looks were very different from season one, but nonetheless, both were entertaining and jaw-dropping.

Priscilla Maldonado — March 14th, 2022