From a $20 Serum to High-Tech Lifting Tools: Inside Carey Mulligans WWW Cover Shoot Beauty Looks

Dive into Carey Mulligan’s April Who What Wear Cover, and a kaleidoscope of beauty looks will immediately immerse you. The antique feel—mostly due to it being shot in a charmingly old English house—is paired with Pinterest-worthy fashion moments like a periwinkle Prada jumpsuit, a white and whimsical Erdem dress, and a sharp, oversize leather jacket by Yves Saint Laurent (just to name a few). To complement, the beauty inspiration runs the gamut of Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow circa the ’90s, the punky essence of 1970’s England, and even iconic French artwork of the 19th century.

Because no Who What Wear Cover is complete without all of the hair and makeup details, we’ve gone behind the details to discuss the whopping number of hair transformations Mulligan underwent (five!) and the multitude of makeup looks created by Mulligan’s wonderful glam team. Oh, and if you can’t get enough of our cover star, find out what her Beef costar Oscar Isaac smells like here and revisit one of our favorite Oscars red carpet moments here. Enjoy!

“Skincare prep is such an essential part of the makeup process, whether it’s a cover shoot like this or a big red carpet event,” notes Mulligan’s makeup artist, Valeria Ferreira. A mix of quality products and high-tech tools is important, but Ferreira puts special emphasis on the lifting powers of microcurrent or microcurrent-esque devices. She likes this PureLift Pro model from FaceGym and is also partial to Medicube’s PDNR Pink Collagen Mask ($20) (which she used on Mulligan) as the ultimate sidekick. Next came Augustinus Bader‘s The Cream ($195) and Ferreira’s favorite skin-plumping eye cream from Bobbi Brown. (It’s a cult favorite for a reason!)

Creating a total of five different hair looks for our April cover, Mulligan’s hairstylist Shon Ju swiveled between working with wigs and the actress’s natural blonde tresses. For the Yves Saint Laurent look, above, Mulligan donned a wig Ju had prepared prior to shoot day using a concoction of L’Oréal Paris haircare formulas and GHD’s ultra-fast Helios Hair Dryer($247). The effect: an epically big, bouncy, ’90s-inspired blowout. The necessary styling pick? A mega-watt mousse like this volume-injecting formula from L’Oréal. “When it came to inspiration, I really looked to the clothing Carey was going to wear and suggested the hair from there,” he tells me. “After that, it was just about collaborating with the other artists on set to build the different characters for Carey to embody.”

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Ferreira tells me the team drew on a variety of inspirations for Mulligan’s makeup: the women depicted in the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Demimonde; the 1970s punk era; English singer and songwriter Siouxsie Sioux; and actresses ’90s era Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow. “We felt like we had freedom to create versions of these looks as we went along,” she says. “It was fabulous!”

Ju’s goal for Mulligan’s look above was to create an elegant and effortless updo that would still have shape and structure. After applying a couple of drops of L’Oréal’s Elvive Extraordinary Oil Miracle Hair Serum ($20) for some shine and separation, Ju used his hands and a few strategically placed hairpins to craft the final look. The result is a romantic and wispy look in a sun-bathed Erdem dress.

When asked for specific product IDs, Ferreira reveals that Mulligan’s various makeup looks came together using quite a few “random” formulas and application strategies. For instance, Isamaya Lip Liner ($28) was used on the actress’s eyes, and the (now discontinued) Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Eye Shadow Palettes were responsible for Mulligan’s lip and cheek color. “One product that I do always use on Carey is Chanel’s Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint ($72)—I love the velvety finish it gives as a foundation.”

“This Prada moment was Carey’s second wig look,” says Ju. “I used L’Oréal Paris shampoo, conditioner, and mousse to prep the strands in addition to the brand’s EverPure Sleek Coat ($13) to flatten out any frizz.” After blow-drying, Ju used GHD’s Original Flat Iron Hair Styler ($179) to create what he describes as an “unusual” and “choppy” hair vibe.

“I love Carey’s artistic sensitivity and her approach to editorial work,” Ferreira notes as our interview concludes. “She is fully committed and really collaborates by letting the hair and makeup team create and play. It’s a real joy, and I love her versatility. She’s the ultimate blank canvas.”