If you have an Instagram account, chances are you’ve seen a glittering, gemstone-heavy makeup look inspired by Alexa Demie. Or, rather, inspired by her badass character, Maddie, on HBO’s Euphoria. Demie quickly became a beauty icon after starring in the hit show alongside Zendaya and Hunter Schafer. Anyone who hasn’t seen the neon-lit drama by now is probably living under a bedazzled rock. Now, Demie has teamed up with MAC Cosmetics to debut a line of Revamped Eye Shadows, Eye Brows Big Boost Fibre Gel, and Dazzleshadow Extremes so makeup lovers can create their own Maddie-approved looks. I caught up with the Euphoria star over the phone to talk about her beauty inspirations, her new MAC Cosmetics line, and her bizarrely cute secret talent.

Why did you decide to focus on eye products for your first MAC collection and what inspired the products you chose?

Alexa Demie: “Well, that was MAC—they came to me an had the idea already that it would be for the new eyeshadows. I was really happy about that because I love eyes; eyes and lips are kind of my thing, so I loved that I got to explore all the new eyeshadow colors with them. I grew up mainly just doing lashes with liner or just brows or nudes on the eyes, so it was really exciting that I got to play with a lot of color.”

How has your role as Maddie on Euphoria influenced your beauty routine? Do you approach makeup the same way you did before the show?

AD: “Yes and no. For me, on a day to day basis, I don’t really wear that much makeup. If I’m going to a meeting or I’m going to a dinner or I’m going to an event, I always approach my makeup in a very serious way. I’m like, ‘What is the look? What is the inspiration?’ I think with Maddie it was really exciting because I got to bring all of these looks that I’ve been hoarding on a folder on my laptop for so long, and just really do all of them. I would say it changed in the sense that it opened me up to doing all of those looks that I’ve been dying to do for all these years. So, I guess now I get a little crazier with my makeup.”

The Instagram explore page is full of people trying out their own Euphoria looks—did you have a hand in creating them?

AD: “Well yeah, I mean most of the looks were all just from photos I’ve been saving for years that I’d just been dying to do. Before the season started, I had a long conversation with Sam, the creator of the show. I asked, ‘Can I make a moodboard of all the looks I want to do?’ And he was like, ‘Of course.’ So I came in with a full moodboard—I remember I brought some little gems in that I had at my house. It was a very collaborative process. I got to have a lot of say in all of my looks.

Your mom was a makeup artist—how did that affect your own beauty evolution and what were things you learned from her?

AD: “I think it affected me in a lot of ways. She did a lot of editorial and runway makeup, so I grew up seeing all of these really intricate, beautiful looks done by her. But then also her signature look was like a brown smokey eye with a lip liner and a nude lip—that definitely influenced me because I’m obsessed with a brown lip liner and a nude lip. Her thing was always skincare—like, take care of your skin. She would make me wash my face at any given moment, any given time, and she was really into just blending and making sure the skin was beautiful. She taught me a lot for sure.

How has your Mexican heritage on your mom’s side influenced the way you perceive beauty?

AD: “All of the women in my family on my Mexican side are really just strong, beautiful women. I think it influenced me the most because I was really drawn to old Mexican cinema. It was a really classic beauty; it was always a winged liner and a lip and really clean skin. That’s all I did growing up—winged liner and a lip. That’s how it influenced me.

Growing up, who were your style and beauty icons?

AD: “I grew up watching María Félix and Irma Serrano and all of these iconic Mexican singers and actresses, and I kind of looked to them and their beauty. A lot of women in film, like Sharon Stone in Casino, Sarah Montreal—she was a Spanish singer and actress—Sophia Loren, Cher, for sure, Elizabeth Taylor. Madonna also pulled a lot of really amazing looks in the ’90s. Those are a few.”

A lot of people look to YouTube for beauty tips. Do you have any favorite gurus you like to watch for inspiration?

AD: “Sadly, I don’t watch YouTube makeup tutorials. I don’t like to watch other people because I like to find things on my own and I like to try things on my face—because what someone does on their face just might not work for you.”

If you were stranded on an island, which beauty product would you need in order to survive?

AD: “Honestly, probably a lip. Like a moisturizing clear lip gloss. You wouldn’t get chapped lips—you’d still be cute.”

What are the three most used items in your makeup bag?

AD: “Lip liner, rosewater, and lipstick.”

Ok, one last question: What’s one thing about you people might be surprised to find out about you?

AD: “Ummmm I can move my ears. Up and down. Not like a full wiggle, but like and up and down, you know?”