Old-Money Blonde & Fake Tan: Inside the 'We Were Liars' Beauty Looks
Beauty
Head makeup designer, Calla Dreyer, and head of hair design, Forest Sala, talk to The Set Set about beauty's role in Prime Video's summer thriller.
It’s only until you dig a little deeper that you come to find how purposeful the beauty decisions are in a film or TV show. For "We Were Liars," that was undoubtedly the case. There may not be an outrageous wig or theatrical makeup look in sight, and yet every hair and makeup decision was carefully chosen and meticulously planned so that the beauty became one of the most important elements of how the series was told and received.
Adapted from the 2014 novel by E. Lockhart, Prime Video’s "We Were Liars" follows protagonist 17-year-old Cadence Sinclair Eastman and her immaculately presented family who vacation on the same private island every summer. The series recaps the family drama across two key time periods: summer 16 and summer 17, which sees Cadence suffering amnesia following a traumatic accident. As the show unfolds, secrets kept from events in summer 16 slowly unravel in current summer 17, and we get a glimpse into summers Cadence, her two cousins Johnny and Mirren, and best friend Gat, spend together as children.
With Cadence’s amnesia playing a critical role in the storyline, and the many time-period shifts, "We Were Liars" is a masterclass in using hair and makeup not only to bring the series’ characters to life, but also to signal flashbacks and emotional shifts throughout the show. The Set Set spoke with head makeup designer, Calla Dreyer, and head of hair design, Forest Sala, to learn how these talented creatives used their respective crafts to bring this adaptation to life on the small screen.
The Opulence of Old-Money Blonde
You spot it within the first 60 seconds of episode one: every member of the Sinclair family is unabashedly blonde. With the introduction of each character, we see more and more flaxen highlights pan across the screen. “Old-money blonde,” a natural-looking blonde hue that’s meant to evoke "quiet luxury,” has been wildly popular over the past two years, and it’s what Sala was after for the fictional Sinclair family—a shade that’s closely associated with class and generational wealth. “The blonde was intentional—it was the perfect family, the perfect house, the perfect everything—including the perfect hair color,” says Sala.
The Sinclairs’ blonde wasn’t all the exact same hue, however. “Each blonde was different. We wanted the exact shade to match their character,” adds Sala. “For Cadence’s aunt, Carrie Sinclair [played by Mamie Gummer], she's more authentic—she's natural, she's beachy, she flows.” Sala and the team created a golden color that perfectly matched her character’s easy-going clothing and makeup. “It had a sense of being more relaxed,” says Sala. Cadence’s other aunt, Bess Sinclair [played by Candice King], on the other hand, has a brighter, more pristine blonde that’s often styled half-up or in a classic blowout, with never a hair out of place. Bess is a total perfectionist, and her champagne hue reflects that.
The Importance of a Hair Color Switch
Hair color was also cleverly used to denote timeline shifts between summer 16, summer 17, and flashbacks to summer eight. In summer 16, for example, we see Cadence with her signature blonde hair, wispy bangs, and lived-in brunette roots—the kind of beachy waves many of us spend hours trying to achieve. In summer 17, Cadence’s hair drastically changes, going from blonde to brunette, effortless waves to an angsty messy bun. Through a rejection of her family’s beauty norms, it’s clear just through her look that something has shifted in her character.
“With Cadence, we were really showing her emotional turmoil and showing the struggle between the two time frames so that it was really definable,” explains Sala. This journey from blonde to brunette, long to short, “came with lots of hair testing with lengths and styles.”
It also came with a lot of wigs. With an estimated 15 wigs daily to prep and set, they were a huge part of nailing the characters’ aesthetics. Made by Sala’s team member Stacy Butterworth, most of the cast wore wigs for the series. Cadence’s character alone had two blonde wigs and three dark wigs for the show, which often needed to be switched multiple times during filming—a task made more challenging by the amount of water scenes. “We had to be like a race car pit—all hands,on deck,” she says.
The most notable color time shift was done through Cadence’s hair, but for those in-tune with the finer details, you’ll have noticed manicure shade changes, too. “We worked with a couple of amazing nail techs and local salons [in Nova Scotia] where we were shooting,” says Dreyer. “And we were able to differentiate their nails between summer eight and summer 16, and then go back in time to summer eight,” explains Dreyer. “Colors were also chosen to suit the year timeframe of colors that were on the market,” she adds.
The Significance of Self-Tanner
Like their glittering blonde hair, tanned skin also played a huge part in the Sinclair family’s overall old-money aesthetic. To achieve this, “we used a lot of spray tans, top to bottom — it took a village,” says Dreyer. In addition to spray tans, the makeup team used a combination of self-tanners like Roxanne Rizzo Bronzing Spray and the classic Jergens Natural Glow Gradual Self-Tanner. Sometimes, Dreyer mixed tanning drops, like the Drunk Elephant’s Bronzing Drops and L'Oréal Paris Glow Mon Amour Highlighting Drops, into the actors’ sunscreens so their tans developed even as they stayed protected from UV rays.
Dreyer’s best tips for tanning include making sure your face is fully hydrated so that self-tanner won’t drag and streak, and to use a less-is-more approach. “I feather into the contour spots and start bringing it down just under the chin and trickle it down the neck, so it catches the light in all the contours.”
The Art of the No-Makeup Makeup Aesthetic
Emily Alyn Lind in "We Were Liars." Courtesy of Prime.
For a show where easy elegance was the aim of the game, creating a natural-looking lip color for each character was paramount. Although lip stains have been hugely popular, Dreyer didn’t actually use any traditional stains on set. The characters’ perfectly diffused lips were a combination of liners, balms, and even cream blushes. “They looked natural, but in fact we used a lot of products,” she explains.
Dreyer relied on products from brands like Pat McGrath Labs, Sappho cosmetics, Charlotte Tilbury, Nivea (for lip balms), Rare Beauty tints, and Annabelle liners. Having the right tools was also key to achieving the stained effect. Dreyer used lip brushes, beauty sponges, and even eye-shadow blending brushes to achieve stunning feathered lips that looked effortless but still identifiable.
With so many emotional, close-up scenes, the actors’ lashes were also crucial to drawing the audience in. But like the lips, nothing could feel overdone. “The actors all have [naturally] beautiful lashes, but we definitely enhanced them depending on their character,” explains Dreyer, who liked to mix mascaras for each actor. Combinations included MAC Cosmetics Stack Mascara and L’Oréal Original Voluminous Waterproof Mascara, Tarte Mascara and It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara, while on some of the men, tints and micro faux lashes were used at the root to really open up the eyes.
The Summer Beauty Must-Have On Set
Arguably, the star of the "We Were Liars" makeup department was the ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray. “This worked in all elements, water, dancing, heat, cold—it’s become a really wonderful product. I hope they don’t change the formula!” says Dreyer.
