Euphoria Make-Overs
By Liz Hunt
Before we embark on a euphoric journey, let's delve into the past: my teenage years were spent smuggling jars of glitters across the borders to camping sites / concerts/ sleepovers.
It was an effective way of locating my whereabouts - just follow the yellow brick glitter road to a pile of laundry and a mouldy cup. Or listen to the waves of the One Direction discography, angsty phone calls, and mini breakdowns transcend through the walls. Now you probably have a few questions, like why have you decided to poison our seas with glitter all in the name of vain?
I could blame the ‘self-centred teenager’ off centred-moral compass. “Effy doesn't do donuts.” “Effy does drugs”. I was officially off the rails, sea pollution, and no maths homework. A true rebel! The only weapon I had was the Babyliss lipgloss 3000 and a broken eyeliner and it soon became apparent that Effy’s signature smoky eye would need a lot more than a 99c collection to pull off.
At 17, we moved past some of the teenager angst and Skam (a Norwegian tv show) kindly exposed me to Noora's signature look - the red lipstick. I do believe the show had greater depth than Skins (this could be up for debate). It touched on the fragility of friendships / relationships, political issues, the LGBT community, and the complexity of gearing towards adulthood. I took the life lessons with me and left any remaining makeup disaster behind.
Since then any remaining self destructive glitter has been dismantled; we are now a biodegradable safe zone. When Euphoria aired in 2019, it brought me back to my roots. I was reminded of that certain skill set I possessed: gems and glitter! It was the first time I had experienced glitter representation on tv. I no longer had to look to magazine covers or runway shows for validation. It revolutionised Pinterest books, Halloween costumes and night-time looks. Although technicolour eyeshadows palettes weren’t a new phenomenon, Euphoria took television makeup to an alternative dimension and inspired a generation of young people to express themselves outside of the four paper magazine walls.
Europhia inspired make up - Photography by Eibhlin Lee
“When Euphoria aired in 2019, it brought me back to my roots I was reminded of that certain skill set I possessed: gems and glitter!”
Anytime I come across ‘How to look like your favourite Euphoria character’, I get put off by the £$ signs next to the Gucci foundation because I believe you can look like a euphoric icon without a pile of bitcoins. Root deep into the make-up bag realms, you don't need to possess the finest gold dust pigments. I always add setting spray to my eyeshadow to get a pigmented effect. My secret weapon is the four euro collection fast stroke white eyeliner, gems from the 2 euro shop and some biodegradable glitter. Don't be afraid to create your own version of Rue's glitter eyes or Jude’s vibrant looks. While growing up can feel like you have to part ways with glitter stash, there is no expiry date on holographic eyes.
