Hunter Schafer has, relatively quickly, become a beauty darling. The actress and model, best known for her role as Jules Vaughn in the HBO teen drama series Euphoria, started modelling in 2017 and made her acting debut in 2019. That same year, she signed on as a Global Beauty Ambassador to Shiseido, the ultra-successful Japanese beauty brand.

Just like her Euphoria co-star, Zendaya, Schafer is constantly stunning on the red carpet. Her memorable fashion picks, coupled with her playful and inventive beauty choices make her one we’re always keen to see. 

To celebrate Schafer’s fourth anniversary with Shiseido, the brand has released a limited-edition collaboration. The collection features three of the beauty brand’s best sellers: the Ultimune Power Infusing Serum, a hydrating facial serum that helps with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, the Aura Dew Illuminator, an Argan oil-enriched highlighter that was previously only available in Japan, and the DAIYA FUDE Face Duo, a handcrafted double-ended makeup brush.

To accompany the launch of the range, Schafer also directed an animated film, illustrated by artist Andrew Onorato (known for his work with Billie Eilish and Childish Gambino). Drawing on Schafer’s love of Japanese anime and manga, the film explores the idea of beauty as a medium for expression, empowerment, and evolution. “The goal for this short film was to capture how makeup and skincare can transform you inside and out,” says Schafer.

“We tried to bring that to life through colour and the main character, who enters a vibrant new world and comes out on the other side inspired and enlightened.”Here, Schafer talks about creating visual art, why she views beauty practices as a form of self-care, and her favourite recent red carpet look.

EW: You joined Shiseido as a global ambassador in 2019. What has been the most exciting part about the partnership for you?

Hunter Schafer: “Shiseido was my first-ever beauty partnership, so it is especially meaningful to me. What excites me most is how closely our artistic values aligned from the very beginning and that came through in everything we created together. They did a great job of seeing me as an artist and honouring that part of me, and they taught me so much about their unique perspective on art and beauty. But, the Shiseido x Hunter collection is my favourite. I got to collaborate in a bigger way in shaping it and that was so fulfilling.”

Tell me about the illustrations you drew for the packaging on this new collaboration. I know you have a Visual Arts degree. How did it feel to tap back into that side of your creativity?

“Decorating this collection with my doodles felt like a no-brainer! I did get trained in visual arts for my last two years of high school, which was amazing, and I learned so much! But while I could have gone all out, by making technically advanced drawings for the packaging, I found it more exciting to try and capture the small doodles that might appear inside one of my sketchbooks, or on the margin of a piece of paper I’m using at work. There’s a sense of freedom and energy that can come from drawings that aren’t necessarily being held to the standard of being “good.”

“This part of my creativity is always with me, but it was an exciting new experience to think about images from my mind finding homes on 3-dimensional objects intended for everyday use. I tried to include a few different motifs. I love drawing faces, and one of them made it onto the Ultimune bottle, fireworks worked well for the DAIYA FUDE, and a sweet bunny with an exoskeleton for the powder!”

Did you feel rusty at all, or nervous?

“No, not at all. Visual Art is still a part of my everyday life, so it only felt like channelling this practice I live with into a new space and context. Shiseido was also very encouraging and made me feel safe to create exactly what I saw in my head!”

You also got to work with Andrew Onorato to create the film. What was it like to work with him?

“Working with Andrew was amazing! He completely understood the vision from our very first meeting and was able to take my words and messy scribbles of ideas and turn them into an exquisite little film. His sense of colour, texture, and understanding of how things might move in the fantastical world we created, all fused so easily and beautifully. He’s incredibly talented and cares deeply about what he does. It was a treat to watch him work and develop this with me.”

You’ve said you view skincare as self-care. And makeup as a form of self-expression. Can you tell me why these things feel so integral to you as a person?

“I use skin care as a form of self-care in that it makes me feel good and provides a sense of routine which I think is important in feeling like I am taking care of myself and doing what I can to feel grounded and the best version of myself that I can bring to the world. Additionally, with makeup, I think it’s a really useful form of self-expression in that I can channel exactly how I want to be feeling that day into the look I create, or what parts of my beauty that already exist are choosing which elements of my beauty I want to accentuate or amplify.”

You’ve had a lot of iconic looks, both on the carpet as yourself, and also playing characters. Do you have any favourites?

“As of recently, I think it would have to be this adorable Kiko Kastodinov set that I wore for a press junket at Cannes earlier this year. The colours and fabric were delicious, and I didn’t want to take it off at the end of the day.”

A lot of Japanese beauty brands and practices are growing in popularity and recognition in North America. Are there any Japanese beauty treatments or practices that you love? 

“I admire the practice of accentuating the beauty that is already there. It’s all about appreciating what you have and taking care of it so that it lasts. There’s a sense of mindfulness in that approach, and I find beauty in the process of nurturing and preserving what’s natural.”

Shop the Shiseido x Hunter Schafer limited edition collaboration exclusively on SSENSE.