Florence Pugh’s Hair and Makeup Transformation in Netflix’s East of Eden

The Netflix adaptation of East of Eden has become a major hit, with Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Cathy Ames standing out as particularly memorable. What elevates Pugh’s performance is the deliberate use of hair and makeup to chart the character’s transformation across the seven-part series, which unfolds over a 43-year span.

Designing Beauty Across Four Decades

Designing beauty for a narrative that spans multiple decades presented unique challenges. Nancy Hennah and Sarah Rubano, the co-hair and makeup designers, had to ensure that each visual choice reflected both the historical period and the character’s psychological journey. “Our beauty vision changed with the characters and with what was in fashion during each time period,” Hennah explains. The story opens in New England immediately after the American Civil War and concludes in the 1910s as men prepare to depart for World War I.

Pugh’s personal on-set team—hairstylist Jaime Leigh McIntosh and makeup artist Heba Thorisdottir—worked in collaboration with Hennah and Rubano, bringing the same historical rigor to their work. McIntosh avoided modern hot tools when styling Pugh’s wigs, instead employing wet-setting techniques to build texture. Thorisdottir approached makeup from a historical lens as well: in the late 1800s when the series begins, cosmetics were not yet mass-produced or readily available. This limitation perfectly aligned with Cathy’s character arc—as she transitions into her role as Madame Kate at a brothel, makeup becomes increasingly accessible and becomes part of her visual toolkit.

The wigmaker Samuel James created three distinct wigs for Pugh, each marking a major chapter of Cathy’s life.

The First Wig: Cathy’s Innocent Years

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Hair Design and Styling

The first wig carries a lighter, more natural blonde tone. McIntosh designed it as a logical progression from Cathy’s adolescent hair color—darker than childhood but still sun-kissed at the ends. Cathy wears this wig through her time in Boston, her arrival at the Trask family farm where she appears injured with a broken wrist, and during her early married years in Salinas Valley, California.

The styling choices during this phase reflect Cathy’s vulnerability. When she first arrives at the Trask farm, her hair hangs loose and simple—a practical choice given her healing injuries. As recovery progresses, McIntosh gradually pulls the hair back into soft half-up styles, maintaining an effortless quality. Intentional wisps and flyaways add softness to Cathy’s appearance, signaling her emotional state while she manipulates those around her. Hair accessories become meaningful markers of character: a blue ribbon inspired by Alice in Wonderland appears when Cathy is in Boston, and later, when she wears hand-me-downs at the farm, small fabric ribbons—even one fashioned from her own bloodied dress—tie her hair back.

Makeup That Sells the Deception

The makeup during these years mirrors the hair’s innocent presentation. Thorisdottir used Westman Atelier’s stick foundation, sheer and mixed with Beau Domaine The Cream to create a wash of color across the skin. The key to selling Cathy’s façade lies in her flushed cheeks and soft lips—achieved with Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Petal and HydroBalm Tinted Lipstick in English Rose. Thorisdottir has returned to the English Rose shade on subsequent projects, considering it the perfect nude for that particular skin tone.

The Second Wig: Kate Emerges

Reinvention Through Color

After shooting Adam and fleeing to a brothel run by Faye, Cathy’s transformation accelerates. A plot detail from the novel provides the turning point: the town sheriff, recognizing Cathy from a portrait in Adam’s home, strikes a bargain. She will reinvent herself and leave her old life behind; he will keep her secret. At this moment, she is told to darken her hair. “Once the sheriff tells her to color her hair darker, she is presenting to the world as Kate and not Cathy anymore,” McIntosh explains.

Rather than using a wig made with darker hair, McIntosh took the identical second wig and dyed it, giving herself control over the final result. This choice mirrors how Kate would have dyed her own hair—a conscious decision about her new identity. The hairstyles begin to shift as well. McIntosh created a style with two peaks at the crown that Pugh loved, and it earned the nickname “kitten ears.” This shape becomes Kate’s signature, evolving and recurring throughout the remainder of the series.

Makeup as Access to Power

Makeup begins to play a larger role as Kate settles into her new life. Thorisdottir imagined that even in a town as remote as Salinas, Kate’s wealthy clients would have brought cosmetics from their travels, allowing her access to products unavailable to others locally. The makeup artist’s own discovery of Westman Atelier while filming in New Zealand influenced her choices on set—she found the brand’s foundations worked across all phases of Cathy and Kate’s lives.

The Third Wig: Kate’s Rule

By the time Kate becomes the brothel owner, the timeline has advanced again. Her final wig is closer to her natural shade, darker than before, with visible gray running through it. The styling becomes more intricate, reflecting her elevated status and power. Kate wears tiara-like accessories and ornamental hairpins, some handmade by New Zealand artist Daughters of July, reinforcing her position as sovereign over her domain.

Makeup becomes bolder as Kate’s confidence peaks. In episode six, “The Great Try,” she wears the most vivid red lipstick of the series—a custom mix of Le Rouge Français 010 and MAC Russian Red. Thorisdottir has used MAC Russian Red since her work on Inglourious Basterds, and the combination creates a statement lip that marks Kate at the height of her power and control.

The Final Chapter: Unraveling

In the finale, Kate’s empire crumbles, and her appearance reflects the decay. McIntosh kept the kitten ears but made them appear disheveled, maintaining them as a crown of sorts while suggesting loss of control. The half-up styling echoes young Cathy, creating a visual callback as the character faces her past.

Thorisdottir deliberately allowed the makeup to break down and shift during filming, rather than insisting it hold perfectly through long takes. In the final scene where Kate, adorned in jewelry and her elaborate costume, embraces her younger self, the makeup is smudged and worn. Thorisdottir found this moment powerful: Pugh’s hair remains long and messy with the kitten ears styling, her makeup deteriorated, yet the overall image remains striking.

The Collaboration Behind the Looks

Pugh’s authentic approach to acting shaped how McIntosh and Thorisdottir worked. Pugh remained comfortable on camera with or without makeup, trusting her collaborators’ creative vision while maintaining input on key elements. The coordination between the on-set team and the production designers ensured that hair and makeup choices complemented the costume and production design without overwhelming them—a necessary balance given the span and scope of the series.

The beauty work ultimately served the story. Every wig color, every hairstyle, every lipstick shade marked not just the passage of time but Cathy’s psychological and moral evolution from victim to manipulator to ruler to fallen power.

Source: Allure