In The Scenario, reporter Kirbie Johnson takes readers behind the scenes of the buzziest movies and TV shows to reveal how the best wigs, special-effects makeup, and more are created. For this edition, Johnson interviewed Euphoria department head Donni Davy in the makeup trailer as season three wrapped last year. As you may expect, some spoilers about the first episode are ahead.
“For better or for worse, everyone’s kind of trying to find God.”
HBO’s Euphoria has returned. Much has changed: The students are now adults, and a five-year time jump finds everyone in the real world—and finding God, according to makeup department head artist Donni Davy. Changes have also happened behind the scenes, where Hans Zimmer took over the musical score, a stark contrast to Labrinth’s haunting high school melodies of seasons one and two; and costume designer Colleen Atwood came on as coproducer and helped with wardrobe direction, now overseen by Natasha Newman-Thomas after the departure of Heidi Bivens.
Despite the show’s dark themes, this season is also visually brighter, with the first episode featuring scenes of sun-soaked California and vibrant decor, including Lexi’s apartment and Nate and Cassie’s ornate home. With these visual and audio changes, the show reads more like an epic Western than the dreamy, neon-coated atmosphere of seasons one and two.
But a lot also remains the same. There’s no shortage of drama for Rue (Zendaya), who’s still involved in the drug business. The impact of narcotics in the US continues to be a major theme, according to showrunner Sam Levinson. At a press screening of the first episode, he discussed how the death of actor Angus Cloud, who portrayed Fez, in 2023 affected him, and how fentanyl continues to be the main culprit of drug deaths in America. Season three, according to Levinson, alludes to the third step of the 12-step recovery plan: “Surrender your will and life to the care of your higher power”—hence taglines leading up to the premiere like, “May God have mercy.”
Crucially, the makeup remains a constant and vital element in the show. Davy has designed the makeup looks for Euphoria since the show’s inception in 2019. From the get-go, Levinson wanted Davy to create makeup looks that “people would pause the show and study,” a task she had to execute without distracting from the themes of the show.
In season one, Davy gravitated toward the pastel shades and winged liner of the late 1960s—an era that’s heavily inspired her over the years—as well as ’70s glam rock, ’80s elongated cat eyes, and ’90s grunge liner. That first season was seven years ago, and “Euphoria makeup”—now synonymous with sparkling gemstones, winged liner that could gut someone, and glitter tears—has gone on to captivate audiences and inspire tens of thousands of fans to play with makeup. And the interest hasn’t slowed since. According to Google Trends, searches for “euphoria makeup” reached peak interest in 2022 after season two premiered, and searches have already spiked in the week leading up to the third season’s release on April 12.
I’ve seen firsthand how hungry fans are for Euphoria makeup. In 2021, I was given a tour of the show’s makeup trailer. While there, I got a behind-the-scenes look at what Davy—who has amassed her own huge social following because of the show—used on the cast, as well as a first look at Half Magic, the makeup brand Davy launched with studio A24’s blessing (and backing). After posting videos from my time in the trailer, I gained more than 35,000 followers on Instagram in one day, simply for reporting on things like Zendaya’s onscreen foundation and how (and why) Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie always looked sweaty.
