The importance of the manicure in "Euphoria"

Sometimes dreams do come true. Just ask Natalie Minerva. Like the rest of us, the nail artist loved the beauty looks on the first season of Euphoria, with the eyebrows highlighted by crystal arches, glitter tears, vitamin eyeshadows and graphic eyeliner, but as a manicure expert, she was surprised that the same attention wasn't paid to the nails. Since a part of the body has always had the same ability to express a person's identity and feelings as a shade of lipstick or an outfit, she couldn't understand why Rue and the other girls in the series hadn't experimented with patterns and nail polishes. Then, suddenly, almost by a sign of fate, Alexa Demie aka Maddy Perez, walked into her salon in Los Angeles, Nail Swag, which is currently closed due to the pandemic. The two bonded immediately and the actress, sharing Natalie's point of view, suggested Doniella Davy and Sam Levinson, respectively make-up artist and creator of the HBO series, to hire the talented nail expert. That's how Minerva became part of the beauty crew for the second season of Euphoria.

The credit goes to the creative of Orange County for the pink nails decorated with a row of diamonds of Cassie; the green tips of Kat matchy-matchy with the eye shadow, the mermaid tail patterns or the black and white graphics of Maddy that resume the cut-outs of her Mugler dress; but also the golden and metallic claws sported by the grandmother of Fez in the first episode. To create them, Natalie carefully studied each character, evaluating character, behavior, feelings and its evolution in the story. That's why Lexi's minimal and clean manicure reflects her intellectual side; the bright colors and patterns are the mirror of Kat's desire to experiment and Maddy's glam nails are inspired by her love for Sharon Stone in Casino. And Rue? "The girl is going through way too much to even be thinking about nails."

Natalie Minerva explained in an interview for The Face, that Euphoria's nail presses, are the result of constant collective brainstorming, which also involves the actresses:

"It’s a lot of creative minds coming together. We usually have a group chat with the actors. They have a lot of input because they know their character best. Alexa and Barbie might send me a certain pattern or dress, and from there I’ll make some samples. It’s really collaborative. They trust my vision, I trust their gut and it’s very symbiotic."

The manicure Natalie is most proud of? It has yet to be revealed on screen. It will be graphic and textured and will be sported by the character played by Demie. Curious?