How “Euphoria” Nail Artist Natalie Minerva Creates the Show’s Intricate Nail-Art Designs – Interview, Photos

This post contains some mild Euphoria spoilers. Approach with caution!

Now that Euphoria is in its second season, the lack of nail art in the first one is glaringly obvious. We’re talking about the fictional teens who started a makeup revolution full of glitter and jewels and neons when the show debuted in 2019 — in retrospect, it makes little sense that they weren’t applying the same attention to detail to their manicures back then. That’s exactly how nail artist Natalie Minerva felt when she watched the show the first time as a fan. “The beauty is such a critical part of the show, and I thought, ‘They need nail art,'” she recalls. “It made sense with these characters; these girls would be wearing nail art in real life.”

Minerva had a gut feeling that she should be the one creating nail looks for the show. Not long after she had this realization, Alexa Demie (who plays Maddy in the series) just happened to saunter into her Los Angeles nail salon. The duo hit it off, and the rest is Euphoria history. “I told her how I felt about [putting nail art on the show], and she was like, ‘Totally, you’re so right.'” After their meeting, Demie discussed the nail-art potential with the show’s producers and put in a good word about Minerva’s work. Minerva also brought it up to lead makeup artist Doniella Davy via Instagram DMs, and she also agreed. “She talked to Nicola Dall’Asen Sam Levinson, and he eventually was on board. That’s how it happened,” Minerva reveals. 

She credits Demie as the primary reason Euphoria’s nail art even exists. “I don’t think without her help, any of this would have happened,” she says. Minerva continues to do Demie’s manicures off-camera, too.

All that pushing from Minerva, Demie, and Davy was well worth it because, as you already know, Euphoria‘s nail art is nothing short of spectacular. Even if you don’t watch the show, you’ve no doubt seen recreations of its manicures across Instagram and TikTok.