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  • Is Euphoria Makeup Back? Why Glitter Makeup and Face Gems Are Trending Again

    Is Euphoria Makeup Back? Why Glitter Makeup and Face Gems Are Trending Again

    If your TikTok feed has been filling up with rhinestone eyes, glitter tears and purple eyeshadow lately, you’re not imagining it. Euphoria makeup is back, and this time there’s a very good reason for it: Euphoria Season 3 finally premiered on HBO in April 2026 after a four-year wait, and the beauty world has responded exactly how you’d expect.

    The show’s lead makeup artist, Donni Davy, has described the Season 3 vibe as “feral, unapologetic, anti-clean girl high glam” (Marie Claire, 2026), which tells you pretty much everything about where things are headed this season. After years of barely-there skin tints and brushed-up brows, the pendulum has swung back toward colour, shimmer and a little deliberate chaos on the face, and honestly, it’s about time.

    Here’s what Euphoria makeup actually involves, why it’s resonating so hard right now, and how to recreate it.

    In This Guide:

    1. Why Euphoria Is Having a Moment
    2. The Eyes: Colour, Shimmer and Liner
    3. Face Gems: How to Wear Them Right
    4. The Lips
    5. The full product list

    1. Why Euphoria Is Having a Moment

    Euphoria’s original run back in 2019 didn’t just influence makeup trends, it created an entirely new aesthetic category. Glitter tears, rhinestone placement, neon graphic liner and bold pigmented eyeshadow became so recognisable that “Euphoria makeup” turned into its own searchable term in its own right.

    Season 3’s return has reignited all of it, and the timing couldn’t be better, with beauty writers noting that this kind of playful, maximalist eye makeup is set to dominate 2026, and crediting Euphoria as one of the shows that brought the trend into the mainstream in the first place (The Independent, 2026). Zara Larsson’s bedazzled tour looks have added more fuel to the fire too, and if you want to know more about those, have a read of our guide to Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun makeup looks. Put it all together and you get a genuine cultural moment where glitter and face gems feel exciting again instead of excessive.

    2. The Eyes: Colour, Shimmer and Liner

    The eye look is really where Euphoria makeup lives. The signature isn’t one specific technique, it’s the combination of bold shadow, diffused colour and a kind of deliberate imprecision. Things aren’t meant to look perfectly blended or sharply lined here. The whole point is that it reads as emotional and expressive, a little undone in the best way.

    The Lancôme Hypnôse Eyeshadow Palette in Reflet d’Améthyste is the right starting point for the purple and pink tones that run through so much of this look. Sweep colour across the lid and brow bone without worrying too much about precision, then build depth at the outer corner. The Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise cream eyeshadow in Rose Gold adds a different dimension on top of that, since cream formulas catch the light in a way powder just can’t, giving you that glossy, almost wet-look lid that shows up throughout the show. It’s worth knowing this particular range is fully vegan too, which is a nice bonus if that’s something you look out for. Press it onto the centre of the lid over your powder base and blend the edges softly so it melts in rather than sitting on top.

    For the liner, the NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner gives you the clean, precise line you need along the upper lash line, and it holds up well even through a long night out since it’s waterproof. Draw it as sharp or as graphic as you want, there’s no wrong answer here. Then press the NYX Professional Makeup Face & Body Glitter underneath the eye or along the brow bone. This is the glitter tears moment, and it’s a lot easier to pull off than it looks once you’ve got the right product on hand. Both of these NYX products are vegan and PETA-certified cruelty-free.

    3. Face Gems: How to Wear Them Right

    Face gems are the detail most people find intimidating, but they’re also the one that makes the biggest difference to the overall look. The key is placement and restraint. A single cluster at the outer corner of the eye, or gems scattered loosely across the cheekbone, reads as intentional. Gems arranged in a perfectly symmetrical pattern across the whole face tends to read as costume rather than makeup.

    London-based makeup artist Amalie Russell has said that the key to wearing glitter tears or gems is pairing the look with minimal skin, so the result feels modern and editorial rather than overwhelming (The Independent, 2026). Keep your base light, let the gems do the talking, and scatter rather than pattern them. Use a small amount of lash glue on the back of each gem and press into place with tweezers, letting the glue dry slightly before you press down for a better hold.

    4. The Lips

    In most Euphoria looks, the lips are just as bold as the eyes. They’re glossy, shimmery and full of dimension, holding their own against all the colour and sparkle happening above them.

    The KIKO Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss works perfectly for this. It gives a high-shine, hydrating finish with a slight shimmer in sheer to medium coverage shades, so you get that editorial, glassy lip that feels just as intentional as the eye look rather than an afterthought. Apply directly from the wand and build up coverage if you want even more dimension.

     

    The Full Product List

    The Euphoria aesthetic has always been about using makeup as self-expression rather than a tool for looking polished, and that’s exactly why it keeps coming back around. You don’t need a festival or a costume party as an excuse to wear glitter, you just need to feel like it. 

    Featured Products

    References

     

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