Euphoria's fantastic visual details

November 03, 2020

Euphoria's fantastic visual details

Recently the makeup department head of Euphoria, Doniella Davy received her (in our opinion) well deserved Emmy award. This is an homage for her.

Donni was born in Venice, CA, to two artists. She was immersed in visual art her entire childhood. She earned her BFA in Photography from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. After college she started working for a well-established makeup artist in the film industry. She completed a crash-course in cinematic make-up and began an apprenticeship in the make-up department on a Michael Mann film shot in Hong Kong.

Her most recent work in HBO's new series Euphoria starring Zendaya earned her the attention her art deserves. She received a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non.prosthetic).

According to the recent interview, which Doniella Davy gave for Variety, executive producer Sam Levinson already knew he wanted to use the show as a platform to push makeup as a form of self-expression when hiring her for the job.

Every character's makeup, hair and outfit looks immaculate, and complements the character perfectly, while also using the lighting and moodiness of the show to their advantage. These tools express their personality and fill in the blank in their story. It is an excellent show of collaboration between artists.

The show not only became extremely popular among teens and young adults, it also encouraged them to portray their personality using art, makeup and clothes. Generation Z have been very active on TikTok, recreating visuals, makeup and outfits seen on the show, making it a full circle moment, since Gen Z's unique makeup looks were the inspiration that Doniella Davy had in mind while working on the set.

Here are some looks inspired by our favorite scenes of Euphoria.

Look 1

Kat's character development is beautifully portrayed by her makeup style changing from episode to episode. By episode 8 she finally learnt to love herself and the fierce eyeliner and bright red inner corner detail. This look is a little bit softer, a bit less gothic, suiting her true character perfectly.

Look 2

This one is probably the softest, most wearable makeup on the show, which is the reason why I decided to to recreate it. It is very obvious that Jules' makeup was well thought through. As Doni said in an interview " I never wanted her to look too polished of feminine, I would hold off on finishing touches like highlighter or mascara or lipliner. Her most feminine looks happen when she is going to meet up with men she meets online who are living their public lives as heterosexual men. This is a strategic move for Jules."

According to Davy, Jules' makeup often has a hidden meaning, that corresponds with her emotional state.

"The biggest example that sticks out to me would be the carnival makeup,"

says Davy- "The thinking was there, she's going to meet this Tyler guy. She doesn't want to look too over-the-top, and she's also really nervous and excited and she's been extremely vulnerable. I wanted it to have a nervous energy by using this pasteé glitter. It's 'love me' makeup."

Look 3

Jules' Halloween look in episode 6 is my personal favourite throughout the whole show. She is dressed as the fantastical version of Claire Danes' Juliet from Romeo and Juliet.

Look 4

According to Donniella Davy, Maddy's carnival makeup look was made sharp and fierce to help her through all the bullshit Nate put her through.

Look 5

This is another look showcasing how this character used makeup as a shield. Always looking perfect, spending hours and hours individually gluing rhinestones on her face is also a way to show that her beauty pageant past is still a part of her life.