Bright in rhinestones and bold in color, the HBO series “Euphoria” inspires a new makeup trend that highlights the generation today.
“Euphoria” is an adaptation of an Israeli series of the same name, and centers around the life of 17-year-old drug addict Rue Bennett (Zendaya) in the pursuit of recovery. As she navigates through high school in her small town, new to town is Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl that slowly becomes one of Rue’s closest friends and potential love interest.
The teen drama features a cast of characters such as Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), a typical “jock” who has to deal with sexuality and identity issues of his own; Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), the “perfect” son; Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie), the “Queen Bee” archetype; and many more.
The complexities and tribulations of life are magnified in the show through the sex, drugs, alcohol and all that comes as a result. All of the characters intersect and play a role in each other’s life as a means of piercing the story together.
In its efforts to blend and create a story that is colorful enough to paint a picture, the makeup behind all of these characters depict them at their truest form and reflect back out as a mirror.
“The reason why I like Euphoria is that it is really an accurate representation of my generation and the things we are going through,” Rana Mustafa, a junior at the University of Arizona, said.
Mustafa has been following the makeup trend.
“The makeup itself is very pretty and sparkly, which I think really represents the kind of person I am,” Mustafa said.” I can see myself in the characters, Maddie specifically.”
For freshman Rowan Snider, a studio arts major specializing in illustration and design, she also can relate to the characters.
“I think in terms of personality, I am a lot like Rue but I do find Maddie and Kat to be really cool characters because of their makeup, clothing and overall aesthetic,” Snider said.
Snider also said she does believe that “Euphoria” goes beyond its beautiful cinematography and pleasing aesthetics. There is also the topic of mental health.
“There is a lot of emphasis on mental health and it’s more realistic in portraying what teenagers and really, anyone face,” Snider said.
Freshman photography major Tia Stephens, thinks that the cinematography of the show is what differentiates it from other shows. The show prompted her to be more expressive about the way in which the makeup she decided to do was conveyed.
“I wanted to go all out when I do my makeup,” she said. “I took inspiration from the show for some of my looks, but I would not say it is ‘their makeup’, it is my makeup with a little bit of a twist that came as a direct result of their influence.”
According to Instagram, the show’s subsequent premiere in early June of this year, sparked thousands of posts with the hashtag #euphoria makeup. Most of the show’s social platforms has video tutorials on how to do a certain look that was worn by a certain character on the show.
According to HBO.com, “Euphoria” is currently in the process of filming their second season, which will mean more storylines and more makeup to recreate and share with its audience.
Watch the Daily Wildcat’s “Euphoria”-inspired makeup tutorial with Mustafa here:
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