People all around the world are going crazy with Euphoria Season 2. Not only due to the story behind this show, but also (and mainly) because of its trendy fashion and makeup. Fans have been replicating makeup looks and outfits from the show ever since its launch in 2019. With season 2 just out of the oven, newer trends start to impact the fashion and beauty industries.

We all know that Euphoria is much more than just a television series, it is a fashion manifesto! Released in 2019 on HBO, this hit show had its highly anticipated second season debut early in January and is currently airing one new episode each week. The series has conquered fans mostly due to the fashion trends and unusual makeup worn by characters. The main characters Maddy, Jules, and Kat, respectively played by Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer, and Barbie Ferriera, are absolute fashion icons.

Euphoria season 2 takes characters to face much more adult challenges than before. With themes such as violence, drug abuse, sex, and porn being portrayed, characters had to aesthetically match the situations they face. About her work for the series, Costume Designer Heidi Bivens states that “the first season, it was my intention to keep it feeling grounded enough that it felt like those characters could really wear the clothes, whereas the second season verges more into fantasy”. Heidi dresses characters in a mix of vintage and modern pieces created by modern designers.

The fashion in Euphoria is just the perfect place for young people to look for inspiration of ways to express themselves. More than that, it symbolizes Gen-Z’s desire to experiment with the new. Characters in this series use fashion to express their feelings, emotions, and sexual orientation, just like Gen-Z usually does. In this hyper-connected world lived by Gen-Z, especially with the influence of social media, the fashion in Euphoria plays a huge role in determining what this younger generation wants to be and how they want to dress.

Right after the actual season premiered, internet searches related to the characters’ costumes saw an enormous increase. Searches for “black cutout dress” went up by 890 percent and for “lace-up heels” increased by 125 percent in reference to Maddy’s outfit for the New Year’s Eve party. Moreover, “blue strappy dresses” searches increased by 143 percent after Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) wore this type of dress for the same New Year’s Eve party, “puff sleeves” searches went up by 90 percent in response to Kat and Lexi (Maude Apatow)’s looks to this party, and searches for Jules “mesh tops” rose by 53 percent.

No other show in the history of entertainment has had this huge impact on beauty trends as Euphoria has. After watching this teen drama, people all over the world got fascinated with each characters’ makeup, episode after episode. From then on, things such as bright coloured eyeshadows, graphic eyeliners, and a lot of glitters became the ultimate makeup trend. After a two-year hiatus, season 2 is still faithful to the aesthetics expected by fans and the one seen in season 1, even if now, darker situations are being portrayed.

Doniella Davy is the makeup artist responsible for both Euphoria seasons. According to her, “the makeup designs are all coming from a place of what the characters are going through”. Therefore, Davy’s idea for season 2 was not to imitate the looks created in season 1 but to continue the conversation in a manner that tackles the darker subjects brought by the new season. For season 2, Doniellai’s main role is to translate the character’s feelings and struggles into makeup, which she has been doing perfectly. To create this season’s makeup looks, Donni said that, during those quarantine months, she used to search for inspiration by observing Gen-Z’s behaviour over social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

What Gen-Z uses as self-expression tends to become a trend among people. Therefore, whatever they choose to love, will soon enough spread everywhere else. And that’s why Euphoria has such a huge impact on current beauty and fashion trends.

Published by HOLR Magazine.