Hunter Schafer on How Makeup Went From Being a “Necessity” to Being “an Act of Play”

Everyone’s connection with beauty and makeup is subjective. For Hunter Schafer, that connection has evolved over the years – no doubt from playing Jules in the hit HBO series Euphoria but also from her journey of discovering her true self. During a Zoom session with Shiseido to celebrate her role as its newest global ambassador and a new launch from the brand, she explained how using makeup went from feeling like a must-do to feeling like a form of expression.

“I’ve had quite a journey with makeup in that it was something [I did] out of necessity at first and really feeling like I needed to play into looking a certain way or something,” Schafer told a group of beauty editors on the call. “And then as I’ve gotten more comfortable with it, it’s become something more in line with an artistic expression over the years, which is really how I like to work with it now.”

We know of Schafer’s makeup vibe now to be completely one-of-a-kind and unconventional, no matter if the occasion is for TV, the red carpet, or simply an Instagram selfie. “[It’s] kind of like in an act of play and just having fun with it and treating my face almost in a similar way that I would my sketchbook.”

But despite her affinity for bold colors, glitter, even pearl embellishments, she doesn’t like being hidden by makeup as much as she likes having the ability to emphasize with it. That’s why you’ll often find her bold eye makeup creations paired with a bare face. “I feel the most radiant when I’m in a space or a context where I feel like I can be myself and let myself shine through,” said Schafer. “In a beauty context, I would say when I am presenting in a way where I feel like I’m shining through. . . It’s really important to me that you can see me under whatever I’m wearing.”