Bridgerton has been setting the trend with
many things, especially the characters' unique makeup. And if you are always wondering
why the Bridgerton cast always looks so good, this video is here to show you the entire
magic behind the pretty Regency-era faces! The makeup in Bridgerton was all specially done,
but some fascinating details also went into them behind the scenes. And there are many crazy
secrets behind the scenes, too, that makeup was used to cover, and you won’t believe how
mind-blowing they are as we get to all of that in a bit! Glowing up in Bridgerton became even
more popular after fans saw Penelope and Colin's transformation. However, this makeover has been a
part of the show since the first season, starting with Eloise. Like other main characters of the
show, Eloise sometimes got up as early as 4:30 am to get her makeup done, which doesn’t only apply
to her face. Although Bridgerton's characters are all covered up, some parts of their bodies can
still be seen. And for Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise, there’s a huge paisley print tattoo on her
back, as revealed by one of the makeup artists on the show, Sophie Brown. So, most of the time, the
character would have to dress up in a dress with a slightly lower back, and makeup is always used to
cover up the tattoo on Claudia’s back completely. And you can bet that it’s not an easy process
because lots of makeup was needed to blend with her skin. The tattoo on Claudia’s back can also
be seen while she was in a portrait challenge with her costar, Luke Newton. But the insane
thing about this show is that the back tattoo wasn’t the only thing that had to be made up,
as they also applied makeup to a private area of another character, which you wouldn’t see coming.
Despite the many unique makeups Bridgerton fans have seen over the years, they are also surprised
to see the changes that Colin and Penelope went through for their season. For Colin, one of the
most critical touch-ups he needed was to take him from looking like a boy to a grown-up man. As
the third son in the family, Colin wasn’t seen as a real man, which was obvious from how Marina
treated and talked to him. And for his season, the makeup artist wanted viewers to know he
was finally ready to be like every other grown man in the Regency era by taking a wife. More
specifically, they wanted Colin to look like a Marlboro man who gets a darker tone and gives the
desirable look of a cowboy or pirate. The makeup team didn’t depend on using beauty-enhancing
products to achieve this inviting look. Instead, they started by changing the kinds of
clothes he used to wear. In previous seasons, Colin had always worn a shirt with frills around
the neck, which wasn’t as appealing as his new look. However, a surprising change happened
when the frills were removed and the collars were structured, which cast shadows and gave
the effect of contouring Colin’s strong jaw. So, Luke Newton already had that feature, which the
ruffled shirt was covering, and rather than adding a contour to his face, the makeup team figured the
collar would do the work, and it turned out just okay. Before his sudden glow, he had been going
through the changes in his looks since season 2, making sure he wasn’t just a boy but one with
traveling experience and excellent opinions. Also, Colin was always too stuffy with layered
shirts and coats, and some of this has been removed to make Colin show off his chest. When
fans started getting sneak peeks at Colin, they wondered what was added or removed from
his look to give him the glow-up because it wasn’t just about the makeup products. However,
one important thing is the hairstyle. It might not have changed much from the past, but the
makeup artist Erika Ökvist ensured that he would get a more angular haircut. This shows
how Bridgerton manipulated the necessary tools around them to make a man look astonishing
rather than focusing on beautifying products, which wouldn’t have turned out as well.
Unlike Colin, who had a makeover to look more mature, Pen’s glow-up during her season was
to find a husband, as the makeup was intentionally done so she could attract a gentleman to marry
her. And the makeover goes beyond applying blushes and contours. The changes Pen made from
the previous seasons can be seen in her eyes as they sparkle and are easily noticed. Although
this could have been achieved using contact lenses behind the scenes, the aim is for it to bring
men’s attention to her sparkling eyes. Then, her lips also had a significant change, making them
even glossier to attract kisses. Funny enough, every glow on Pen expresses her willingness
to be taken seriously by the perfect suitor because even her hair gets made into kiss
curls to show she’s ready to be kissed. Pen has been one of the characters fans have
seen transform from the earliest season of Bridgerton. Initially, her makeup made her
look young and innocent, which was achieved by a pink makeup palette applied in a rounded
way to make her pass off as a teenager. Then, Pen’s face became lifted, molded, and glazed for
her mature look, giving her this elite look and making her pass as a grown woman ready to get
things done. However, it wasn’t hard to achieve this as the makeup artist mentioned that they
wanted Pen’s face to look flawless and found the right golden palette to make that possible.
Interestingly, Pen's hideous gloves were all changed. In so many ways, these subtle changes
gave Pen a different aura that ordinary beauty products wouldn’t have achieved as she looked
more undressed than usual based in the Regency era and being able to show off like that
is very attractive. The costume designer, John Glaser, spoke about how this made Penelope
look more appealing, saying, “We tried, because of what her character is doing, to show
as much skin as possible. That’s why a lot of her sleeves and gloves are transparent. Even her small
gloves are just hints; hints of jewelry, hints of gloves, so we see her skin and body shape.”
Apart from the changes to her wardrobe color, Penelope also had some clothing adjustments that
now make her stand out in the crowd. Her clothes no longer fall on her body, but the waist is now
so drawn out that it’s hard for any Bridgerton gentleman not to notice her flattering figure.
But before we talk about the ridiculous moment makeover extended to other hidden parts of the
body in Bridgerton, you should know that the Old Hollywood inspired Pen’s makeup. As many
fans already know, Bridgerton could care less about following all the Regency era rules
regarding clothing, makeup, and hairstyles, and the same energy was applied when it came to
dressing up Pen for her season. The makeup artist, Erika, said Pen’s transformation was influenced by
1950s movie stars like Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe. And this inspiration came about after
Erika studied Nicola Coughlan’s face and figured the looks of Old Hollywood would look fantastic.
With Pen’s makeup’s uniqueness, fans have consistently argued that she changed her hair
color, which was wrong. Although many changes happened with the character, one thing that
remained the same was her hair color. Although it wasn't rare for hair to be powdered in the Regency
era, Pen didn’t touch her hair in that regard, as the only touch-up she had was changing her
hairstyle by loosening the curls and dropping her hair. Erika even made a shocking revelation by
saying that the same wig Pen had on for season one was used for season 2 and her glow-up season.
However, most viewers didn’t notice that Pen started changing her hairstyle in season 2
as her hair was softer and the tight curls began fading. And that was trying to tell fans
about how her hairstyle could be one of the big factors in changing her looks before her season.
Another iconic makeup in the show was done on Francesca Bridgerton, who was barely a part of
the previous seasons. So, even though Hannah Dodd took over from Ruby Stokes, many fans didn’t
notice that the character also had a glow-up. She was always in the background and blending with the
other Bridgertons, but from season 3, Francesca's face started passing a different message: a grown
and bright lady ready to explore the world. But her looks were also inspired by sources you would
find really interesting. John spoke about this, saying, “Francesca is a Bridgerton. She looks
like a princess. We went right to Grace Kelly and based her look on elegance and mystery.
For us, it was Grace Kelly mixed with Daphne Bridgerton a little bit.” Many fans can
agree to the fact that they can see Daphne through Francesca based on the makeup alone.
To make Francesca look like Daphne, some physical traits were passed down to her, which isn’t
unusual since they are family. So, Francesca repeated some of Daphne’s presentation outfits and
used similar colors to how Daphne would rock hers. But then, Francesca still formed her own identity
through her makeup by remaining mysterious, as the designers were careful not to spoil her
story by foreshadowing it through her looks. For Daphne, the character had to stick with
subtle and reserved makeup in season 1 while wearing bangs similar to the Regency-era style.
But in season 2, she became bolder with a more refined eye makeup and modern hairstyle
to show she was no longer inexperienced. While other characters were getting all these
changes to their faces, hair, and outfits, Jonathan Bailey, who portrays Anthony, had makeup
in a different place. During one of his spicy scenes in season 2, it was reported that Anthony
had makeup repeatedly applied to his bottoms to make them look even more appealing to the camera.
But then, that wasn’t the only way Anthony got his makeup applied on set, as his glow-up was also a
big deal that made a total difference. Like Colin, Anthony’s major makeover for season 2 started with
his hair. In season 1, he had a sideburn, which tells the story of how he mirrored his father as
the head of the Bridgerton house. But in season 2, he started to become a man of his own, which meant
that the sideburn had to go. Erika explained how hair played an essential role in his makeover
saying, “His looks were a bit more pared back, a little bit more no nonsense. We did that with
smaller sideburns that weren’t so in your face.” Aside from the individual main characters who
need to stand out in every scene, makeup is also applied to everyone on set, especially when
they need to shoot a larger scene with extras. The insane thing about this is that they all have
to be made up at the same time to get ready for such a thing, and they all need to have their own
distinct look to avoid everyone looking like they came out from the same home. Now, during Anthony's
failed wedding scene, this had to be done because the camera was getting the extra’s reactions, so
their makeup was really important. According to Erika, her team is comprised of 22 people who
prepare makeup and necessary accessories for the characters in an everyday Bridgerton scene.
But when it came to a large wedding ceremony, the number of the assistants on set had to be
tripled to achieve a quicker result. Sometimes, they have to work on 200 extra actors, and
every extra on set gets made up with their hair and on their faces. So, they are always on
a strict timeline and must complete one person’s entire look within an hour and a half. To make
this possible, they have a Bridgerton Crowd department that ensures all extras are always
ready for their part. Sadly, this was hard to do while filming season 2 due to the Covid
restrictions. So, they had limited extras in a room at a time, which delayed their work rate.
While catering to the crowd in the show, hygiene is another factor makeup artist must take
seriously, as their beauty tools must be cleaned at intervals. The hairstyle and makeup that any
extra needs to have on is already on a sheet board as a form of instruction for the artist.
And in that scene, there was a lot of drama starting with the heartbroken Edwina
running out while Kate chases after her. So, during her makeup, they didn’t just fit her into
a wedding dress and veil; instead, they made her a hairstyle that could make the veil stay on her
head despite the drama. Also, Edwina had to cry, which was also considered as they ensured
the use of beauty products that wouldn’t wash away and ruin the experience and her looks
on the camera. Interestingly, the iconic makeup on Charithra Chandran added to her confidence in
comfortably feeling and acting like Edwina, and it took about 4 hours to prepare her for that scene.
Makeup was definitely one of the hardest tasks for Bridgerton crew members, and Adjoa Andoh
believes she made their job even harder because she has low-cut hair, contrary to her character’s
full hair. So, to make her makeup really come out like a regency-era woman, the actress had
to wear a 360 wig, which was very fitting not just to Lady Danbury but also to Adjoa.
However, the makeup team wouldn’t have had their work so proudly spoken of without the help of the
lighting and camera departments. For Bridgerton, the glow-up and beautiful faces are never hard
to notice because the lighting is strategically placed to reflect the skills of the makeup
artist. Funnily enough, two different lighting systems on the exact makeup could make it seem
like the characters had a change in their looks, which really isn’t a fair way to tell a story.
So, makeup doesn’t end on the makeup chair as it extends very well to how it translates with
light and the camera. And another fact is if a look doesn’t give a satisfactory outcome on
the camera during filming, a retouch has to be done until it looks like the message the
makeup team is trying to pass across. Also, camera angle or reflection could totally alter
whatever glowup the makeup team has tried to put together, and that’s why their work doesn’t end
till they see the final look through the lens. To avoid unnecessary delay with makeup on the
Bridgerton set, tests are usually carried out before the main filming to see what the
characters are supposed to look like. So, this makes it easier to adjust the lighting
and camera to get the perfect picture. To finalize the beautiful faces viewers see
on screen, the makeup artists have to get up every day on set as early as 3:30 am until
9 pm, which was very hard. And sometimes, some of the looks they’ve worked
so hard on had to be let go of, which is all a part of the Bridgerton makeup
process. But despite always having an early morning and a busy day, the Bridgerton cast has
been so delighted to work with the makeup team because they make the start of their work
day better with their vibrant attitudes!
