We Got the Only Tour of the ‘Euphoria’ Makeup Trailer

There are several identical printed signs taped to the vanity mirrors in the Euphoria makeup trailer. In all caps, they read, “SAM SAYS NO FOUNDATION (YOUR SKIN WILL LOOK AMAZING TRUST ME).” Sam is Sam Levinson, the show’s director. The message is indicative of the shift we can expect from season 2 — it’s grittier, darker, and less glittery aesthetically and perhaps in persona.

The energy in the trailer is palpable, despite nobody being in it. Allure was the first and only outlet invited inside the makeup trailer, a haven of sorts for the cast and crew. Decorated with streamers, pink vinyl, and turquoise accent lighting, the trailer feels much like the first season’s makeup: bright and playful. It has evolved into a creative respite for cast members with dry-erase drawings on cabinets from the actors, as well as individual character binders with custom-drawn maps of each individual’s face, created by artist Lauren Sullivan, who was discovered on Instagram.

We’re meeting the Friday before Thanksgiving, six days before production wraps for the season. Emmy Award-winner and show makeup head Doniella Davy shows us the newly released HBO teaser in which Zendaya dances around her bedroom. (Davy previewed the trailer the day before on Zendaya’s phone while on-location.) There are cases of lipsticks, drawers of base products, bags full of glitters and neon pigments; on one side, binders line the walls with looks that will never see the light of the set. (Many of the inspired makeup designs are never executed on the actors.) There’s a prosthetic arm sitting in a box on the counter and thousands of continuity photos that paint a blurry picture of what we can expect this season, as well as airbrush guns, hundreds of eye shadow palettes, and plastic cases full of intricately-designed press-on nails, from psychedelic ’70s prints to studded mesh overlays, created Los Angeles-based artist Natalie Minerva.

Out of everything, the nails may be the most extravagant cosmetic feature of all. This season, the show was shot completely on film. This, along with Levinson’s vision for season 2, resulted in a 180-degree flip from the initial designs Davy had created for the show over quarantine.