The hair and make-up brief for a period drama is often for something natural-looking and pared-back – just look at the flushed skin and flowing hair in the new adaptation of . But when the period in question is the 1980s, and the show is with its vast cast including Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Bella Maclean and David Tennant? That’s when the glam team know they’ve got a major – and incredibly fun – job on their hands.
As the hair and make-up designer for the show, Jill Sweeney was in charge of crafting the bouncy blow-dries, bold blush and come-to-bed eyes that make the characters look so gloriously retro as they hop from polo match to garden party and back again. Think can after can of hairspray, blue eyeshadow, countless wigs and even an on-set spray tanning booth.
As fans await the release of the second half of season two on Disney+ this week, British caught up with Sweeney to get the lowdown on the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating that distinctive glam.
Hairspray is a huge part of the production
It’s no surprise to hear that the team got through “a lot – really a lot” of hairspray when prepping the cast for the set. The hair is gravity-defying, after all. There were three key products: Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine Super Spray, got2b Glued Blasting Freeze Hairspray, and, of course, the iconic L’Oréal Paris Elnett.
“If you want the hair to move, it’s got to be Elnett,” says Sweeney. “On the other hand, the Paul Mitchell really doesn’t move at all, even in a high wind,” she adds, recalling, “When the cast were outside for the polo match in season two… I mean, it was absolutely blowing a gale. The little flags were fluttering around like mad. So that was a time for the Paul Mitchell!”
South London-based Samuel James Wigs – who has also crafted wigs for , East of Eden and was called upon months in advance to create “pretty much all” of the extensions used on set, including half wigs and hairpieces styled along with the actors’ own hair for heaps of texture and volume. “Right after the early meetings, I started calling the cast, saying, ‘Start growing your hair!’” Sweeney says. “It was a standing joke that when production called any of the actors asking if anyone has been in touch, everybody said, ‘Jill’. It’s especially helpful for the boys to have longer hair, it means we’re not putting loads of back pieces on, which really saves time.”
A moodboard packed with ’80s icons inspired the cast’s looks
In the universe, the characters’ hair and make-up is a big part of communicating their personalities, from the outlandishness of television personality Sarah Stratton’s bountiful blow-dries and coral lips inspired by Farrah Fawcett, to the natural, Brooke Shields-style beauty of girl-next-door Taggie O’Hara. To create the make-up looks, Ilia products were used extensively across all of the cast, with some of the boldest lip looks courtesy of Lisa Eldridge and Rimmel.
But it wasn’t all heavy blush and airborne up-dos. For the confident and ambitious Cameron Cook, portrayed by Nafessa Williams, there was another ’80s hero on the moodboard: singer Sade. “Cook’s aesthetic felt like a very powerful and cool version of ’80s beauty that really suited the character,” says Sweeney. “We tried to give each one of them an individual identity, keeping it of the time, but not like a caricature of only big hair and blue eyeshadow for everyone.” Take Maud O’Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit, for instance. “Make-up wise, this was more based in the ’70s, because of the age she was at her peak as an actress,” says Sweeney, who adds that she didn’t want to lose the “reality of how people really looked then”.
This approach also influenced Lizzie Vereker’s aesthetic. Played by Katherine Parkinson, her gentler and more cautious approach to ’80s style reflects her timid personality and lack of confidence. “We gave her a sort of round, soft style,” says Sweeney. “We wanted the audience to be able to identify with her. We made sure that things didn't always look like they’d gone to plan, and it was a bit messier sometimes; it couldn’t look too perfect.” A non-negotiable was beautiful skin. “We used the Ilia Skin Rewind Complexion Sticks for that,” reveals Sweeney, a creamy yet lightweight foundation-meets-concealer stick that’s packed with dry skin-nourishing ceramides and squalane. “[Parkinson] loved them,” says Sweeney. “She saw herself in the edit and called me saying, ‘I’m going to buy those!’”
Taggie’s look is the ’80s version of “clean girl” beauty
While big, bold beauty looks were the go-to for many of the cast, actress Bella Maclean, who plays Taggie O’Hara, had more of a make-under, with healthy-looking skin and groomed brows the main focus of her down-to-earth look. The ’80s take on “clean girl” beauty, if you will.
“She had a really intensive skin prep routine – a lot of serums containing hyaluronic acid, primers and a Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask,” which softens dry lips with shea butter and coconut oil. “We’d use some Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation when she needed it,” continues Sweeney, “but we tried to keep her as fresh and as girl-next-door as possible.” If anything, Sweeney says that the beauty team held back. “We’d laugh about having to confiscate a lip balm or a lip gloss from her! But one thing we did do was sometimes add in a few individual lashes, which felt quite sexy. She’s got gorgeous eyes, which we really wanted to focus on.”
Taggie’s flowing hair, meanwhile, was dyed from blonde to teak brunette, a natural, woody shade in keeping with the book’s description of the character. “We did put some hair pieces in to make it look lusher at times,” says Sweeney, “but the actual length by the end was all her own. Bella likes to be blonde, but I always joke and say, ‘You look so much better with this lovely soft caramel.’ She’s actually kept it.”
The male characters had their fair share of time in hair and make-up, too
In the ’80s, a deep tan was usually the result of make-up, sunbeds or – for some – sunbathing outdoors on a sheet of tinfoil. Mercifully, over the years we’ve found much safer ways to glow, which meant an on-set spray tanning booth was a must for .
“I must say, there was always a large queue outside the spray tan booth when the bedroom scenes were coming up,” shares Sweeney. “And that was the male as well as the female cast.” In fact, Sweeney says, the male cast were just as invested in all of the clever beauty tricks behind the scenes, from the Sensai Revitalising Pads under-eye patches, which “became a ritual”, to the Weleda Skin Food and 111Skin sheet masks that together lent skin a natural-looking, healthy glow.
Sensai Cellular Performance Extra-Intensive 10 Minute Revitalising Pads
“We also tinted and permed everyone’s lashes, and the boys absolutely loved it because they didn't look like they had make-up on, but it did really make their eyes stand out,” says Sweeney. With that in mind, the average day would start at around 5.30am. “It’s a real commitment, though the cast is very collaborative and they’re all really good about it. But I think by the end of the run, everybody was exhausted by the hours,” she says.
With each morning routine, though, the cast of came to life: “When the cast have got their make-up and wigs on, they will say, ‘Oh, Val’s in the room’ or ‘Freddie’s here’, which really gives them that sense of being somebody else,” says Sweeney. And as you might expect? “We have a lot of fun with it.”