The White Lotus’ Lead Makeup Artist Chose Sweat Over Setting Sprays

With every season of The White Lotus, we’re introduced to a cast of rich, privileged vacationers grappling with hidden secrets and teetering on the edge of self-destruction. The show's stunning settings and designer wardrobes provide a striking backdrop to the characters' unfolding drama and dilemmas, while the beauty looks tell their own layered story. Now, as Season 3 debuts, transporting us to a new luxury resort in Thailand, the makeup choices are more revealing than ever. After all, much like costume design, beauty is never just for visual appeal in a series like The White Lotus — it’s a tool for storytelling.

Makeup department head Rebecca Hickey, who has been with the show since its inception, explains that the process of designing the characters' makeup begins long before the cameras start rolling. “It really doesn't start coming together until we get the casting," she tells TZR. “Once that happens, we're able to really design the characters, knowing what they look like and what their vibe is.” She goes on to explain that Alex Bovaird, the costume designer, does a lot of “the heavy work,” having meetings with series creator Mike White before sending her looks to the hair and makeup teams to build a cohesive aesthetic. “I do tons of mood boards, and I'm always talking to the actors; there's a lot of communication about the looks, but, ultimately, nothing gets decided until they sit in my chair.”

The White Lotus Beauty Evolution

This season’s ensemble includes Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Jason Isaacs, Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal from Blackpink, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, as well as the return of Natasha Rothwell, who played Belinda in Season 1. There's a clear progression in the show's makeup design from Season 1 — Hickey’s minimal, vacation-ready approach for the Hawaii storyline evolved into a bolder, more expressive narrative by Season 2’s Italian setting. “When I first got hired, I thought, OK, everyone has to be clean and natural. You're on vacation; everybody knows you don't wear a lot of makeup on vacation. Then in the second season, Alex upped the ante on the clothing, and I was like, I've got to step up. It forced me to be really creative, and do things I never really got to do on any of the shows I did before. I found my place.” Hickey’s creative artistry and adaptability were evident — she ended up receiving her first Emmy nomination for Best Contemporary Makeup for The White Lotus’ second season.

From The Script To Signature Styles

Each character in the show gets makeup that speaks to their personality. Hickey says that Posey, who plays Victoria Ratliff, the pilled-out matriarch of a wealthy Southern family that includes Isaacs and Schwarzenegger, really wanted a signature lip, but ended with a variety of others. She brought her own tube of Chanel 817 Rouge Selen— a bright, orange-red, but also wore MAKE Beauty Supreme Lipstick in Equilibrium, Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus, and Merit Shade Slick Lip Oil in Pink Beet. Jacqueline, the Hollywood actor played by Michelle Monahan, had an effortless, dewy daytime glam that was inspired by Monaghan’s real-life look, and always included Ciele Blush & Protect in Kirsty.

Hickey especially had fun designing the makeup for Kate, Jacqueline’s longtime friend played by Bibb. “[Leslie] has these really beautiful, big eyes, and her character lives in Texas, so I had this crazy idea to match all of her outfits to her eye makeup,” she says. “So, she runs the gamut — green, blue, pink, purple. That’s where the heightened reality of The White Lotus comes into play. It’s not necessarily realistic, but I think it works for her. I think it’s cool and kind of unexpected.” Hickey used Stila Liquid Eyeshadow in Violet Velvet and Something Blue for Bibb. Rothwell’s Belinda had to keep a similar look as she had in the first season (when she got screwed over by Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya), and always wore Beauty Pie Supercheek Cream Blush in French Raspberry and Sigma Beauty Fiery Eyeshadow Palette.

Manoban makes her acting debut as Mook, a White Lotus staff member, and wore Tom Ford Liquid Lip Luxe Matte in Lark, as well as Gucci Blush De Beauté in Silky Rose. Meanwhile, newcomer Wood, who plays Chelsea, the carefree, younger girlfriend to Walton Goggins’s Rick, often wore a winged flick with a nude lip in Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick in Smile for her evening look. But if there is one character who has a true signature red, it’s Patravadi, who plays White Lotus co-owner Sritala wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick in Royal Red — we’re even introduced to her character as she’s applying her lipstick.

Overall, Hickey’s team turned to brands like Tower 28, Charlotte Tilbury, Mother Science, Eminence, Make Beauty, Hourglass, Fara Homidi, and Ciele. “We also used a lot of Epicuren — I love Epicuren,” she says. Nail color also plays an important part in the show. “I always think a lot about the nails,” says Hickey. “Michelle had a coral color; Leslie had a baby pink, probably what Daphne would have had last year, and Parker had on a red, OPI’s Coca-Cola®.” One day, she and the cast went through all of her nail polish, and Coon, who plays Jacqueline’s other longtime friend, Laurie, chose a bluish purple, an unexpected choice. “Her character was going on vacation and was trying to let loose a little, and show that she was getting out of New York, so that was the thought behind that,” explains Hickey.

Bronzer & SPF For The Fellas

As one would expect, ample sun protection is key for the White Lotus set, and one of the only main products that the men of the show wore. “I think it's OK for the men to be a little sweatier,” says Hickey. Elta MD, Jaxon Lane, and Vacation were Hickey’s SPF go-tos for the whole cast, particularly Vacation Super Spritz Face Spray, which they used over makeup. If there’s a through-line product for the series, it’s Ben Nye Bronzing Body Tint. “I used it to tan Tom Hollander last year. It’s a liquid bronzer that is water resistant, and we use that anytime we need to tan someone. It tints your skin so it doesn't sit on top of it. It's a good product and the one thing that we use all every season,” she says.

If you’re wondering whether any prosthetics were involved in the show, particularly for Schwarzenegger’s character Saxon Ratliff, you might not get an answer (unlike last season with Theo James). “We love to keep you guys guessing,” laughs Hickey. “I can't answer that. Patrick can answer that if he so desires.”

Dealing With The Heat

While filming at the breathtaking Four Seasons Koh Samui was undoubtedly an idyllic experience for the cast and crew, Thailand’s tropical climate meant battling soaring temperatures and relentless humidity every single day. Despite the risk of makeup meltdown, Hickey refused to compromise on the glam. “It was unreal, you would walk down the street and just be dripping sweat, but you just have to accept it. Walking down the street, you’d see people dripping sweat everywhere. But it didn't stop me from putting on all the makeup that I would normally,” says Hickey. “I was just like, f*ck it. We'll just touch it up more.” With umbrellas, cold towels, and even $80 mini blow-dryers on hand, Hickey and her team managed touch-ups throughout the day.

Hickey avoided using setting sprays for the most part due to all the touch-ups. “If you’re going somewhere and not touching your makeup for six hours or something like that, a setting spray is good. But we do someone's makeup, then they go get dressed, go to hair, then we touch their makeup up again and again, so it’s a lot of touching up before we even get to set, and setting spray sometimes makes it hard to move around,” she says. “We just go with them sweating.”

Bonding With The White Lotus Cast

Instead of the typical makeup and hair trailer, glam was done in hotel rooms, where everyone would “hang out and chat and giggle the whole time,” says Hickey. But the cast and crew bonded in other ways. Hickey says Posey was like “the director of Thailand” because she knew where all the best spots were. Isaacs is a huge tennis player, so they all learned to play tennis from a Russian tennis coach. But the most fun memory Hickey has of this season is when they threw the cast and crew a big party. “We were dancing all night, and at the end of it, we all jumped in the pool with our clothes on,” she says. “We have so much fun. It's crazy. It's a dream job.”