Sex, drugs, friendships and relationships follow people throughout their teen years. A new HBO show, Euphoria, highlights these topics.
The creators of the show don’t hold back on dealing with the issues of trauma and identity. The show focuses on how teens deal with these struggles along with showcasing their journey of self-appreciation and love.
Makeup is, and has always been, a way to express yourself. It is not only meant to be seen, it is also to be felt. Euphoria uses extravagant looks and styles to establish the personalities of each character.
Former pageant princess, Maddy, played by Alexa Demie, synchronizes each of her outfits from head to toe. From makeup and hair, to clothes, nails and shoes, you can bet that Maddy will look fresh off the runway.
High school isn’t just for learning, it is her platform, a stage to shine on. Her gems and sleek eyeliner seemingly made to cut are reflective of who she is. Maddy does not only shine with beauty, but also in sex.
She studies pornography as an art form. Her makeup is contemplative of the fierceness she hopes to portray in both bed and life. Maddy is rarely seen without makeup in the show, so in episode 5 when she is shown without it, it is monumental.
Maddy is painted as this character who is composed. With her outfits and style, she is seemingly indestructible. Her makeup is a mask, and when she takes it off, the viewers are able to see another side of her, one that is raw and unaltered.
“Just because she looks the most together doesn’t mean she is. Showing her completely broken down without her wall of beauty she puts up was really important in conveying the emotional truths that are Maddy and what make her as equally deep, complex, and relatable as the other characters,” head makeup artist of the show, Doniella Davy, said.
With daring and intrepid looks, Euphoria has sparked a new trend in makeup artists everywhere. The show, Euphoria, created by Sam Levinson, is about teens, but more importantly, self expression.
He wanted to introduce a new type of look, one never before seen on television, that pushed the bounds of typical makeup norms. Levinson even watches YouTube beauty tutorials and knows all of the makeup terminology.

From gems on eyebrows to glitter glue under the eyes and bright neons on the lid, the Euphoria trend has taken the makeup community by storm. The best thing about it? In the show, these outlandish looks are considered normal. No one would make a comment about the vivid rainbow of colors surrounding the eye, or their bejeweled faces.
Davy not only does the looks on the actors, but wears the unique makeup herself. Davy says she almost always receives comments about her colored face art on a daily basis, usually asking her if she is attending a festival. She notes that it has gotten much easier to feel comfortable wearing these idiosyncratic looks, and that it feels true to who she is.
“I’ve gotten used to the shock value my makeup tends to have because I’m presenting myself to the world in a way that feels authentic to myself. I don’t need anyone’s approval,” Davy said.
Teens are continuously switching up their look, which is clearly demonstrated in Euphoria’s characters. They are constantly switching up their style from day to day, and that’s the beauty of freedom of expression in the show that attracts teens. Euphoria makeup is all about experimentation and using beauty to destroy barriers.
“Makeup is one of the main ways I can express myself. It’s something that I have been practicing for a long time, and the introduction of this new Euphoria trend has really given me a more creative platform. It is the perfect display of my femininity,” SENIOR Kristen Cathey said.