Euphoria nail artist shares behind-the-scenes look at manicures from each episode, and what they mean

The nails on the set of ‘Euphoria’ are a work of art, thanks to Natalie Minerva

(AFP via Getty Images)

The HBO drama series Euphoria is one of the hottest shows on television right now. Euphoria’s second season premiered on 9 January, and fans are already loving all the beauty looks from the last three episodes.

For those who have yet to watch, Euphoria follows recovering drug addict Rue, played by Zendaya, as she and her fellow high school classmates navigate the struggles of adolescence, relationships, and mental health. The show made waves after its premiere in 2019 for its bold wardrobe moments, led by costume designer Heidi Bivens, and its ability to perfectly capture Gen Z fashion. Now, Euphoria nail artist Natalie Minerva is going viral on TikTok for her in-depth episode breakdowns of each of the nail looks featured on the show.

Two days after the season premiere, Minerva took to TikTok to let fans in on all of the products she used for the character Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney. In the New Year’s Eve-themed episode, Cassie’s nude colour gel tips are decked out in varied sizes of flat back diamond rhinestones. The TikTok gained more than 140,000 views, and fans quickly fled to the comments to ask questions and urge Minerva to share more details about the season’s newest manicures and the nail artist’s fascinating career.

One question came from a viewer who wanted to know how Minerva landed the role as nail artist for Euphoria, which she provided in a TikTok about her career background. “I originally am from Orange County, I moved to LA in 2009,” she began. “At the time I didn’t do beauty at all, I worked in night life.”

According to the nail artist, at the time, she worked at a popular, eclectic club in Los Angeles where she was able to meet a variety of hair stylists and makeup artists. Doing nails was a personal hobby for Minerva, until she was approached by an individual about doing nails for their client - Carmen Electra.

From there, she entered the celebrity world, doing nails for Paris Hilton, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Halsey. After her salon closed due to the pandemic, Minerva said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work for Euphoria.

Speaking to The Independent, Minerva said she was initially surprised at the response her TikTok videos received. However, she quickly realised that Gen Z is good at noticing the details. “I think it’s exciting for nail lovers, and there’s a lot of them nowadays, to see nails be an integral part in this pop culture phenomenon,” she said.

Minerva also explained that there is a lot of planning that goes into each nail look. Not only is it a group effort among the costume stylists, makeup artists, and actors to decide what their nails should be, but Minerva even takes into account the plot and character development of each episode.

“Nails are an exploratory way for people to express themselves in real life, so it only makes sense for these characters to feel that way as well,” she told us. “As we transition as people, our styles and taste change as well. That’s the fun part of nail art!”

And the characters on Euphoria go through many changes. Rue is battling drug addiction after relapsing, Cassie is infatuated with a boy who couldn’t care less about her, and Lexi is roaming through life unnoticed, which is why the actor, played by Maude Apatow, is one of the few characters who has little to no nail art. A TikTok user recently commented: “Lexi strikes me as someone who would paint her own nails too!” to which Minerva agreed.

Intricate and unique nail art is just one of the reasons why Euphoria has gained immense popularity, with Minerva’s TikTok allowing viewers one of the behind-the-scenes looks at the artistic process that goes into making each episode.