Ever wondered what Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer smells like? Consider the mystery solved. As the new ambassador for Angel Stellar — the latest addition to Mugler’s growing fragrance dynasty — her aura is vibrant (thanks to bergamot), complex (that’ll be the pistachio), and bold (courtesy of heady patchouli). Not entirely unlike her iconic character, Jules Vaughn.
Of course, it’s Schafer herself who logs onto our Zoom call, and besides being the best-dressed celebrity I’ve ever interviewed (think hooded halter top and plenty of sparkle), she’s also probably the most enthusiastic about perfume. As a self-confessed fraghead, I loved diving deeper into what fragrance means to Schafer — and we also talked tired beauty standards, injectables, and Euphoria’s unmatched impact on makeup trends.
Read on for her thoughts on scent, self-expression and shaking up norms.
Huge congrats on your new role with Mugler! If you could make any smell into a perfume, what would it be and why?
A candy is always fun — the child part of me wants that! I would say like a gummy bear — I’m a big sucker for gummy bears. Also, my favourite nut is pistachio, which is a huge note in the new Mugler Angel Stellar. The fun thing about fragrance is that it’s all about feeling; orienting and elevating yourself in the way that you want to feel — it’s nostalgic. I do think there’s a lot of poetry that lies in using material resources to create a feeling. What I’m always going for is a radiant femininity or a soft power. This definitely lives in Mugler Angel Stellar.
What’s your magic number of sprays for that signature soft power?
I never want to overdo it, but a nice distribution is always what I go for. I love doing the wrists because I love the glamour of [pressing them together] and then under the neck. Sometimes, if I’m feeling extra fun, I’ll do a spray in my hair. I like to concentrate [on] those more powerful areas. Everyone has their way of applying it. I have this vision in my head sometimes of walking past someone I want to make an impression on and my hair leaves a little waft of a fragrance.
Do you ever use perfume to spark joy or shift your energy?
Sometimes I equate it to what I aim to do with fashion or the clothes I’m wearing. A good analogy is how you feel when you put on a pair of high heels and it changes the way you walk. I think fragrance has a lot of those same sort of superpowers. Whether you want to lean into something that’s more sultry and sexy or something more sophisticated and daytime [appropriate], the fun thing about fragrance is that it’s emotional and ultimately rooted in feeling, so that can really help boost [my] mood.
Is there a smell or a fragrance that’s forever tied to a memory?
I always think of my mum’s perfume and how sweet it was when I was younger. I get little flashbacks of childhood. The sweetness in Mugler Angel Stellar is grounded in more powdery and creamy pistachio, as well as punchy moments with the bergamot and wood. It’s fun because you can find those accents, like a sweet fragrance you remember from childhood, in something new and exciting.
Is perfume part of your process when stepping into an acting role?
You know, I’ve heard some actors use fragrance to help them get into character. It’s not something I’ve tried personally for work, but when it helps evoke a feeling or stepping into some kind of power, there’s something about fragrance that helps us play characters in our day-to-day lives. [It’s about] being able to jump between more powerful or soft versions of ourselves.
Now for some makeup. I noticed that Euphoria season two marked a sharp shift in hair and makeup, from dreamy whimsy to graphic edges. What inspired the change and how did it reflect your character’s evolution?
That’s the fun part of makeup and the show’s approach elevates the more surreal factors. We always talk about playing with a level of emotional reality on the show, and in some ways, season two was a lot more dark and raw — although the show overall is relatively dark and raw! But at least for my character, it reflected her headspace. [We thought] about subtle ways to be able to tell that story without saying it in words or actions. Makeup is always an exciting opportunity for storytelling.
Which makeup tricks from the show’s MUAs, Donni Davy or Alexandra French, have made it into your routine?
I definitely learned a lot about glitter! That’s something that I have a lot of fun with. Everyone knows we love to do that on Euphoria. It’s interesting because it evolves every season and I’m always learning new things about makeup in the makeup trailer. The first season was more playful and more illustrious. There was a certain sensibility. Season two was darker and more geometric. [Season three] is really interesting — we’re filming it right now and fleshing out this new space for Jules.
Do you ever do your own makeup for scenes?
In the first season, I was really hands-on. One of my favourite looks is the clouds that Jules has around her eyes. That was something me and Donni [Davy] came up with together and I helped draw out the clouds. These days I like to be a little more hands-off just because the character has [evolved]. She’s not quite the same parallel that I really felt in the first season. Jules was one step away from who I was. Now she’s a few more steps away from me so I let [the makeup artists] take the reins more often.
Which outdated beauty rule do you think it’s time to retire for good?
Beauty is such a fun space because at its core, it’s about exploring and feeling good about yourself, but I do think maybe these days, there can be an overemphasis on perfection. Anyone who participates in beauty can recognise that to some degree. I hope that’s something we can keep an eye on as a culture. Obviously, we love to go for “perfect” looks sometimes, but I think perfection can also be sort of restraining as an idea, and potentially boring! There’s so much beauty in imperfection and awkwardness. Those are things to embrace, just as much as ideals or perfectionism.
For me, it’s the whole anti-ageing narrative — it’s tired…
Some of my favourite style icons are people who are quite a few years older than me. I love looking to people who have been around much longer than me for inspiration. We should be excited about getting older. As far as I can tell, I’m liking life more as I grow older. We should embrace ageing.
Do you think experience comes with age? I used to get Botox, but now I’m over it.
Yeah! It’s really interesting because it’s like okay, we start this anti-ageing beauty journey — I am a fan of some things, I’m not saying [they’re bad] — but it is something to be mindful of because at what point do you stop and start to embrace signs of ageing or whatnot?
Watching Aimee Lou Wood in The White Lotus, I found her real, unfiltered facial reactions so refreshing!
At least while I’m an actress, I want my face muscles to work, so that’s something I want to avoid at least for the time being. Everyone has their own approach to it, but it’s important to be able to emote. There’s so much beauty in that and it’s something I don’t want to lose in the sort of beauty race for not ageing.
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