Is Makeup Worth a Thousand Words? A Look at the Characters of Netflix’s Sex Education

By Daniela Calderon

Netflix’s newest season of the critically-acclaimed show Sex Education premiered earlier this fall on September 17 following delays in filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much to the dismay of loyal fans craving more of the show’s classic 80s aesthetic where scenes are brushed in technicolor for an explicitly otherworldly experience. Though a few months behind schedule, the show wasted no time getting back into the groove of things with the introduction of faces, both new and old.

Viewers were greeted by the familiar sight of characters Maeve Wiley, Lily Iglehart, and Eric Effiong, all returning this season donning many of the iconic looks fans have quickly learned to love. And with the overall school setting taking on a more somber, almost funereal tone, this is perhaps precisely what the beauty department was going for in their intense execution of both celestial pastels and punkishly-dark fashion and makeup. There’s little doubt in our minds that this Halloween will witness some of the most indistinguishable odes to many of the characters, all in the name of some ghoulishly-good fun.

At the helm of Sex Education sits Maeve Wiley, an outwardly impassive, stony-hearted teenage girl. Maeve is unmistakably grungy in style, and the show’s beauty department has this on lock. Her eyes are characteristically smudged in an ultra-pigmented black shadow and tightlined with a similarly dark liner for a smoky eye effect of sinister proportions. In any other fantastical setting, Maeve would rule the night with a classically piercing gaze reminiscent of bottomless vantablack. She goes for a more muted effect on the lips, opting for a simple lip balm which only further accentuates the allure of her eyes.

Lily Iglehart lies at the heart of season three of Sex Education, notably one of the standout performances as a result of the character’s ongoing fascination with all things extraterrestrial. From whimsical space buns to a fiercely eclectic sense of fashion, Lily encompasses virtually all aspects of the playful avant-garde aesthetic. In one look she sports an airy, cool-toned periwinkle eyeshadow across the lid with a dreamy, pistachio-green shimmer highlighting the inner corners of her eyes, perfectly complementing the polished, alabaster hue of her skin. In another scene, she uses a flirty, cerise pink eyeliner to create the illusion of an extended inner corner, which eventually transitions into a bright, azure blue half-way through the lid. It’s a cheeky look, but entirely conventional for the alien enthusiast whose makeup, for all intents and purposes, personifies her outlandish interests.

Eric Effiong continues his run as the adorably-charming best friend and sidekick of Otis Milburn, the decidedly more uptight protagonist. Though unapologetically flamboyant, Eric’s makeup looks throughout the series are sporadic, albeit in tune with the circumstances of living in the more traditionally English countryside. But when the time comes, Eric’s delivery is astonishingly sumptuous. The intended effect is most certainly one in which audiences might be initially repelled by his dramatic change in appearance, though eventually beguiled by his bombastic array of multicolored hues, from lush green glitters speckled with gold to more dichromatic shimmers infused with palatial purples and serene blues. He’s sure to seal the look with an equally vibrant lip color in one of his many matte shades, though he has an affinity for crimson reds and plums.