When Euphoria first exploded onto screens in 2019, it didn't just redefine teen drama—it rewrote the rules of television beauty. Glitter tears became a cultural phenomenon. Rhinestone-studded eyelids launched a thousand tutorials. And at the center of it all was Donni Davy, the makeup artist who transformed Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, and the rest of the cast into walking works of art.

Now, as the HBO series returns for its highly-anticipated third season after a lengthy hiatus, Davy is back with a palette that's somehow even bolder. According to WWD, the makeup maestro sat down to break down the aesthetic choices that define each character's journey in the new episodes—and the results suggest the show hasn't lost its edge.

The wait for season three has been excruciating for fans. Production delays, scheduling conflicts, and the natural aging of a cast playing high schoolers created uncertainty about whether the show would return at all. But Euphoria has always thrived on tension, both on-screen and off, and Davy's work remains the visual language through which these characters speak their truths.

Growing Up in Glitter

What makes Davy's approach revolutionary isn't just the technical skill—though her ability to balance avant-garde artistry with emotional storytelling is unmatched. It's that she treats makeup as character development. Rue's bare face in moments of sobriety versus her smudged, chaotic looks during relapse. Jules' evolving gender expression told through color and shape. Cassie's desperate performance of femininity rendered in increasingly elaborate pastels.

For season three, as reported by WWD, Davy has leaned into the maturation of these characters while maintaining the visual signatures that made them iconic. The challenge, she notes, is honoring where they've been while showing where they're going. These aren't the same kids who walked the halls of East Highland High in season one, and their faces need to reflect that evolution.

The makeup on Euphoria has always done double duty. It's fashion-forward enough to inspire real-world trends—the show's influence on Gen Z beauty routines is undeniable—but it never sacrifices narrative purpose for aesthetic appeal. When Maddy's eyeliner is sharp enough to cut, it's armor. When Kat experiments with darker looks, it's rebellion and self-discovery rendered in shadow and liner.

The Art of Excess

Television makeup typically aims for invisible enhancement. Davy throws that rulebook out the window and replaces it with a tackle box full of glitter, a color wheel, and an artist's fearlessness. Her work has been called excessive, over-the-top, unrealistic. She wears those criticisms like badges of honor.

Because Euphoria isn't realistic—it's heightened reality, filtered through teenage emotion where everything feels like the end of the world because sometimes it is. The makeup reflects that intensity. It's how these characters see themselves and want to be seen, the gap between those two things, and everything that happens in the space between.

Season three arrives at a moment when the beauty industry has largely absorbed Euphoria's influence. What once seemed shocking is now sold at Sephora. But Davy, according to her comments to WWD, isn't interested in playing it safe just because the culture caught up. If anything, she's pushing further, exploring new territory while maintaining the emotional core that makes the aesthetics matter.

The technical achievement of her work shouldn't be understated. Creating looks that photograph beautifully under harsh lighting, that read clearly on screen, that actors can wear for 14-hour shooting days, and that still feel spontaneous and authentic—that's a high-wire act. Add in the continuity demands of television production, and you begin to appreciate the precision behind what appears effortless.

Beauty as Storytelling

What separates Euphoria's makeup from mere spectacle is its integration with the larger narrative. Davy works in close collaboration with the show's creator Sam Levinson, the costume department, and the actors themselves to ensure every choice serves the story. It's not decoration—it's text.

The show's influence extends beyond beauty trends into broader conversations about self-expression, gender, and the performance of identity. Davy's work provides a visual vocabulary for those discussions, making the abstract concrete through color and form. When Jules experiments with her presentation, when Rue's face shows the toll of addiction, when any character uses makeup to construct or deconstruct their public self—that's all narrative, delivered through Davy's artistry.

As season three unfolds, according to WWD's coverage, viewers can expect the same commitment to using beauty as storytelling. The characters have grown, their circumstances have changed, and their faces will reflect those shifts. But the core philosophy remains: makeup isn't vanity, it's voice.

The return of Euphoria feels particularly resonant now, in an era when social media has made everyone a curator of their own image, when filters and editing have blurred the line between face and facade. Davy's work has always understood that tension—the desire to be seen and the fear of being truly visible, the masks we wear and the selves we hide.

Whether you're a makeup enthusiast studying every frame for technique, a fashion obsessive tracking trends, or simply someone who appreciates the show's unflinching approach to difficult subjects, Davy's work remains essential viewing. It's rare to see television beauty that's this ambitious, this purposeful, this unafraid.

The glitter returns. And it's still got something to say.