The White Lotus is known for having vacation-ready looks from loose-fitted floral sets with pops of color, beach-ready hair styles and glamorous makeup such as Aimee Lou Wood’s viral purple glitter shadow from episode five of season three.
A look that head makeup designer Rebecca Hickey says came together in 15 minutes. “I pulled out this big glitter palette and I’m like, ‘Aimee, let’s pick a color,’” she says. “I don’t plan so much, I just go for it.”
The makeup artist creates a process for curating elevated styles through collaboration with both the actors and the series costume designer. “I’m really doing mood boards, reaching out to the actors, doing a lot of talking with them beforehand, because also it should be up to them,” she explains. “These are their characters. They’re playing a role, so I want them to feel like I’ve included them in the process.”
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Ahead of The White Lotus season three finale, the makeup artist talked to The Hollywood Reporter about living in The White Lotus, creating her favorite looks from the season and her journey to becoming a part of the Mike White series.
What made you get into makeup and the artistry of it all?
I was always interested in beauty. Growing up, I would steal my sister’s Seventeen magazine and I wouldn’t post any cute boys. I would always post supermodels like Vendela [Thomessen] and Christy Turlington. I’ve loved beauty from a really young age, and then moved to New York City when I was 19 and actually heard something on the radio about being a makeup artist and called my dad and was like, “Dad, I think I want to go to makeup school and be a makeup artist.” I think three months later, I was at a school in Los Angeles studying makeup and that was about 21 years ago. Over that 20-year span, makeup has changed so much.
Where do you draw your inspiration to create your looks?
I think because I do film and television, I’m really inspired by people that I meet because we create realistic characters. I see a nail polish I think is interesting. I’m always jotting down notes or taking screenshots just to give myself a point of reference in the future. For instance, bruises. If you have a cut or a bruise, I’m always taking a little photo because that’s something that we recreate later on TV shows. So for me, it’s really about the real people, and then obviously on our show, we push the boundaries a little bit and make it a little more, not as realistic, but a little heightened.
The White Lotus storyline is a little intricate. How do you use makeup as a tool for storytelling?
I try to pay attention to a lot of details. For instance, Carrie Coon this year who plays Laurie, has this really purpley blue nail polish, which doesn’t feel like it would fit her character at all. But we came up with this backstory that she’s going on vacation. She kind of has this mindset of she wants to fit in with the other girls, but she just ultimately doesn’t so it feels a bit off probably to somebody who’s watching it might be like, “What an odd choice.” But for us, it was really intentional just to make it a little bit odd. I think I’m just always thinking of really small ways to make the character relatable. But yeah, have some kind of story and if you’re really paying attention, you might clock it.
It’s so interesting because although they are on vacation, some of their looks stand out, like the glittery eyeshadow on Aimee Lou Wood or Lisa’s look. Can you break down those looks from a makeup artist’s standpoint?
I have a team of six people, so I don’t do everybody. For [Aimee], I think I like a simple look that has a big impact and in TV and film, we have such little time to create these looks. In fashion, you’ve got hours and hours and you can spend all this time playing.
I wanted one thing to just be a nugget of beauty and fashion that really stood out. So we had about 15 minutes to create this look, and I pulled out this big glitter palette and I’m like, “Aimee, let’s pick a color. Let’s just do this.” And I don’t plan so much, I just go for it. It’s really a feeling for me in the moment. We picked this purple and I just packed it on and I was like, “OK, this is it.” I love little things like that that really create a big impact.
But this show, we want it to be glamorous. We know that this is not what people look like on vacation. We know when we go on vacation, we’re not wearing this kind of makeup and we’re not that put together. At least I’m not. But that’s the whole point of the show. It’s supposed to be idyllic.
I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but these makeup looks have been getting recreated on TikTok. What do you think the power of social media is when it comes to makeup, specifically, and just the art of it all, and why do people get drawn in and want to be a part of it?
Well, it’s funny. I just started my Instagram two months ago and I started TikTok because last year everybody was texting me being like, “Hey, all these people on TikTok are recreating your Mia, Lucia and Haley Lu, and all these looks.” And I’m like, “No way.” To me, I couldn’t believe that people paid that much attention or cared that much. I think that people watch the show and it feels like something that they want to attain to boot. They look at it and they put it on a pedestal, so I think for people who love beauty, who love makeup, it’s just really fun for them to recreate something that I’ve done. Even though for me, it’s my career, it’s my job, it’s like I’m not thinking about it in this social media aspect of it, but it’s really fun. I feel so honored that people want to recreate. … I think it also was just a testament to how much people love this show and just the power in that.
I really feel like when it comes to makeup and just the way we present ourselves, whether it’s corresponding to our mood that day or if it’s just something that we’re trying to present to the world. When we see purple glitter shadow, what is the message?
I really wanted Chelsea and Chloe‘s characters to feel like they were two teenagers playing with each other’s makeup, and I think that that also shows because Chelsea is in a relationship with a much older man. He wasn’t there. I think had he been there, she wouldn’t have done that. But she was around all these people her own age. She felt like she got to let loose. She felt like she was with her peers. So I wanted it to feel really playful and really young and free and just different than she is when she’s with Rick.
For anyone who wants to recreate that White Lotus glow or that look of being glam but it being effortless, what are some of your go-to recommended items that you would suggest? Is it the glitter palette or is it some skincare?
I think it’s definitely skincare. I love skincare and I think it’s really the basis to everything that happens after that. Mother Science, I’ve been talking about their Molecular Hero Serum since I feel like I’ve been using it for a year, and I just really believe in it. For me, a product like that that protects someone’s skin but also works to sort of fade their fine lines and age spots, like under makeup, that’s everything to me. So a serum. I love hydrating mist. I love exfoliation. I just think anything where your skin can be at its best place, your makeup’s going to look better. I also have to say, less is more for me, especially in this humid climate, I’m not putting a ton of foundation all over everybody.
What products would you recommend for vacation?
Everyone cringes at the fact that I say no foundation, so I get it. I know people do want coverage. I love a tinted moisturizer … also blush does wonders. If you want to distract people from what’s going on your face, just put a lot of blush on. I’m telling you, it’s my trick every day. It’s all I do. Then you look young and youthful and you sort of distract any of those things that you’re trying to cover.
Who was your favorite celebrity to work with, or your favorite scene to get them ready for?
I love everybody. It’s like we’re such a tribe when you do The White Lotus, it’s something that you can’t even imagine if you haven’t been there because we just all bond so much. I think for me, Michelle Monaghan (who plays Jaclyn), we go way back. We did a TV show together called The Path, and so that was so fun just to reconnect with her. And honestly, we sit there the whole time and just chat. We’re all listening to music and just gabbing like girls, so that was really fun. Aimee Lou is just so sweet and so wise beyond her years.
And I think just also being in this humidity, also being so far away from your family and your friends, there was just so many times we’d be so hot and it’s like you almost just have to laugh about it because you’re like, this is the craziest thing I’ve ever felt, like this heat, it just won’t stop. We found a lot of humor in it. I love all of them, though. Leslie [Bibb], I have such fondness for all of my ladies and my men, too. I did Walton [Goggins], who’s such a gem, and Sam Rockwell. I feel so lucky. I love them all.
How was it kind of juggling between your male clients and your female clients?
People in Thailand just naturally sweat, even the locals. Usually I will do a little bit more makeup on the men, but I didn’t because I knew they were going to be sweating and I wanted it to happen. That felt really real to me so we did obviously approach skin care. There’s so much SPF, bug spray. I mean, those are the things that are not the glamorous part of it where we’re just constantly spraying bug spray and SPF on people. But I think with the men, it was just more about taking care of their skin and protecting it and letting that live because the women do get really glamorous.
I’m thinking this is the trick of TV, but no.
Well, there are tricks. There’s a lot of fans and cooling towels and umbrellas, and there is a lot of maintenance for sure, but I really feel like I got lucky. They were like, “Yeah, I don’t sweat that much.” And then you turn around and you look at me and I’m dripping, my hair is back. I have no makeup on. I’m like sweat’s getting in my eye. The other side of it is not glamorous at all, that’s for sure.
We’ve been talking a lot about skincare and taking care of your skin. What steps would you recommend someone to take to start their skincare journey, which would ultimately be a good base for makeup?
I think cleanse, tone, hydrate, protect, right? It’s like those few things. I just feel like being consistent is so important and you don’t need a million things. I mean, I love skincare, so I am constantly trying new things, but I think if you’re consistent and you start young, and then SPF is really important.
I am not a doctor, but I love to eat a lot of meat, and I actually swallow these beef liver pills. I am telling you, my skin and my hair have never looked better. It is insane because of the amount of vitamins in them. So I think if you’re just getting nutrient-dense food and you can tell if you’re drinking a little too much wine, your skin is really dehydrated, you can feel it. I can. I’m like, shoot, I have to pull back on that and take care of myself a little bit better.
Do you have a favorite look of the season so far?
I love Aimee Lou’s look. I think I just had so much fun with that, and I feel like that had a lot of impact. I think Lisa looked stunning in her performance, too. I mean, she’s so beautiful. She is that beautiful in person as well. I loved the party look. That just felt really fun. I think Leslie’s makeup I played with a lot. It’s not super shocking just because of her eyes being kind of deep set, but I would match her eye makeup to her outfit all the time. I mean, she has blues and purples and pinks on and you kind of can’t really tell but I think that was really fun.
Just playing with the looks and everybody is so trusting because I’ve been there for three seasons, so I’d ask like, “What do you guys think?” And they’re all just, “Whatever you want.” And I’m like, “Okay, alright. I got this. Whatever I want.” So I trust myself a lot, but it’s just really fun to play.
You have clients with different features, different cultural backgrounds, everyone is so different. How do you lean into the uniqueness of each client of yours?
God, how do I do that? Maybe that’s why I’m successful. Maybe it’s hard to pinpoint, but I do feel that I kind of get it when somebody sits in my chair. I can look at them, and once we have conversations, I kind of know the direction I’m going to go in. I do a lot of mood boards beforehand, so I am planning some ideas of what kind of characters they are. Like Belinda, played by Natasha Rothwell, who I adore, she was a recurring role from season one, and I didn’t do her makeup in season one, so I was like, “I got you this year.” And I wanted to elevate her a little bit, but still keep her in the same vein and I think that came across really well. I feel like she looks a bit elevated, but you still know it’s her. You don’t feel like it’s a completely different character. I also go a lot off of our wardrobe, our costume designer, because she’s planning it all and work off of what she throws at me. She is where I get a lot of inspiration from.
How long is your process when you’re making those mood boards? Is it before the season even starts, or are they made in the thick of the season?
Yeah, we get the scripts maybe three months before we start shooting, and at that point, we don’t even know who’s cast yet. So we get the scripts and then I am starting to think about these characters and who they are. Then we hear the casting news, which sometimes it’s really late in the prep period that we get the who’s going to be cast. And that’s when I’m really doing mood boards, reaching out to the actors, doing a lot of talking with them beforehand, because also it should be up to them. I mean, these are their characters. They’re playing a role so I want them to feel like I’ve included them in the process. … And I do talk a lot with the hair people and it is a very collaborative effort.
With the makeup behind-the-scenes you post on your social media, are there any moments you haven’t shared that you would like to? Any favorite moment from being in Thailand?
I’ll tell you one thing. We obviously hung out a lot together with the actors and the crew and whatnot, but the cast and the producers threw us this huge party for all of the crew and we had so much fun. We were dancing and at the end of the night everybody jumped in the pool with their clothes on and I think it was just really a testament to Mike White, our creator, the environment that he creates for us. It’s so fun. It’s obviously a lot of hard work, but he takes us to these really magical places. We live in The White Lotus, we live at those hotels that you guys see, so it’s such a dream come true. That was my favorite memory of the whole time that I was there…it was really special.
I love that you were able to experience that being included among the cast and crew.
That happens because we’re doing an away job, right? I mean, the first season in Hawaii, we were locked in the hotel for two months because it was COVID, so it was the casting crew. Nobody knew each other, and we were all in the Four Seasons. Nobody else was at this hotel. So that was the beginning of it, right? Because we couldn’t leave, we all had to have dinner together. It was just really, it’s like camp. It’s adult camp, but it’s really fun. It’s a crazy experience, but it’s amazing.
