Everyone is talking about Wuthering Heights. But whether you loved it, hated it, or have only seen snippets on social media, there’s no denying that it’s a true visual feast. From the stills to the trailer, the poster to the press-tour-to-end-all-press-tours, the vibes alone are headline-worthy. And, thanks to the film’s hair and make-up designer Siân Miller, the beauty looks played a huge part in building momentum ahead of the film’s breathlessly-anticipated release.
You’re probably thinking in particular of that image of Margot Robbie, as Catherine, digging her nails into a wall upholstered to look exactly like her own skin, her blonde hair woven into a corset-like braid laced with ribbon.
TikTok copycat styles have abounded, as well as countless Instagram posts devoted to replicating the “Brontë blush” sported by Cathy on the moors. It’s not often we’re blessed with a cinematic beauty moment to rival this one, and indeed Miller refers to it as a “golden opportunity”.
Ahead, she tells Bazaar about the exact products she used to create those viral blush looks, the technique involved in perfecting the “doll braid”, and why Cathy was always going to be a blonde, as well as sharing her own photos from behind the scenes.
1/ Catherine’s beauty looks correspond perfectly with her character’s transition – from outdoorsy preteen, to cosseted newlywed, to femme fatale
At the beginning of the film, when she’s at Wuthering Heights, Cathy’s appearance is freer, looser and more natural. “The brief was to portray a sense of wilderness, freedom and a life outdoors, all without the trappings of wealth,” Miller told Bazaar. “Windblown blush, natural skin, freckles and just-bitten lips.”
Her beauty look evolves along with her ever more extravagant dresses, when she marries Edgar Linton, and becomes a doll of sorts for his ward, Isabella. As seen in the “doll braids” that Isabella styles for her, matching perfectly to the corresponding Cathy doll in the doll’s house, her appearance becomes fussier and more groomed. In the final third of the film, after Heathcliff returns, it’s full seductress mode.
“The silhouettes employed in this section of the film indicate a transition from newlywed to femme fatale, resulting in the more severe style at the funeral and ultimately the scene with the midnight dress, worn on the night Heathcliff learns the truth in the garden,” said Miller. “The make-up becomes ‘seen’ and is a tool used for dress up and play through the boredom and isolation of life at The Grange.”
Miller has a particular soft spot for the much-lauded look Cathy wears at dinner when Heathcliff has just returned to the Heights, with a sprinkling of face jewels and an elaborate hairstyle. “The basis of this style is beautiful, and gave us the opportunity to add a love-lock to the proceedings,” she said. “Always a delightful addition in my mind. Sexy, alluring and provocative, draped over Cathy’s bare shoulder, with a fabulously bejewelled face taunting Heathcliff – who looks like a god!”
2/ Once Robbie was cast, Cathy was always going to be a blonde
It would be an understatement to say that Fennell’s casting choices for Wuthering Heights have ruffled some feathers – including the casting of a blonde actress to play Cathy, who in the book is described as brunette. But for Fennell and Miller, once Robbie was cast, only the actress’ own signature blonde would do.
“From the outset, this being an adaptation, it was all about suitability – and blonde felt immediately right for Margot’s portrayal of Cathy, when Emerald and I first discussed hair colour and tone,” Miller confirmed.
3/ More than 10 bespoke wigs and hair pieces formed the basis of Margot Robbie’s look
While creating a film is, in many ways, dependent upon what happens on the day, hairstyling is an area in which prep work can save hours – not least thanks to wigs, which were used to incredible effect in Wuthering Heights.
“The process of wig-making took place over a three-month period, from hair colour selection through to the first fitting, and then alterations,” Miller said. The following were used over the course of filming:
- 2 bespoke long hair lace wigs.
- 1 bespoke long hair lace half-wig, incorporated into Margot’s own hair, which was coloured to match.
- 6 bespoke switches – a ponytail-like multi-purpose hair piece.
- 2 bespoke clusters – a dense saucer-shaped multi-purpose hair piece.
- Approximately 7 metres of bespoke hair weft used to lengthen Margot’s own hair and to create some of the many hair pieces required for the numerous hairstyles.
4/ The now-TikTok-viral “doll braids” Cathy wears at Thrushcross Grange were partly inspired by Pinterest
If you spend any time at all on TikTok, you’ll by now have seen countless DIY versions of Cathy’s “doll braids” – the dual plaits fastened corset-like at the back of the neck with a scarlet ribbon.
“The idea of having something corseted stemmed from another concept we had previously created, and the conversations had with Emerald, who wanted to follow Cathy through the space, in part, from behind – so the detail was hugely important,” explained Miller. “Inspired by a style we had seen on Pinterest, red ribbon was chosen to match Cathy’s costume and to contrast perfectly with her blonde hair.”
So the big question: how exactly did they do it? “This ‘doll braid’ style was achieved using a full hair-lace or ventilated wig and two additional switches, with the point of attachment concealed under the rolls at each side of the style, in the front section,” Miller told Bazaar.
“Once braided, the first few lines of weaving were enabled with some blocking pins for support, and then the weight of this braid was enough to act against the weave of the ribbon – taking care to thread this in as flat and even fashion as possible through all the loops and turns.” All of this was prepared before the wig was placed on Margot’s head, pre-filming. “It’s definitely become a TikTok trend, with great results,” Miller added.
5/ An “all hands on deck” approach kept Robbie’s time in the chair minimal
On many film sets, an actor’s day begins with multiple hours in the hair and make-up chair, before filming has even begun. On Wuthering Heights, however, Miller and her team had a finely-honed routine set up to minimise this.
“The way we avoided the process from becoming too long, was to have two and sometimes three of us involved with getting Margot ready for set,” Miller confirmed. “In doing this we were able to keep Margot’s times down to around one hour and 15 minutes.”
Robbie had a dedicated personal make-up artist, Nana Fischer, to prioritise her face, while Miller’s team focused on preparing her hair at the same time.
“For The Grange in particular, and the multitude of styles created, the two hero wigs were largely pre-dressed and we leap-frogged between them both, using many different hair pieces in addition, to change up these looks,” she said.
6/ The “Brontë blush” looks told the story of the characters’ emotions, through make-up
“The 'Brontë blush' is not only about where the sun hits the face, it’s also all about flush; the first flush of youth seen in the younger characters, which as adults becomes arousal, anger, anxiety and emotional distress,” said Miller. “Literally ‘blushing’, where the blood rushes to the surface of the skin in the cheek area. It should have nothing to do with contouring and should not be confined to cheekbones.”
The products and shades used were crucial to the storytelling too, with texture being particularly important in creating a natural finish and skin-like effect. Among the most-used products were the multi-purpose Chanel No1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm in Berry Boost, and the cult social media favourite Merit Flush Balm.
“The key to application is to make sure whichever product is being applied moves easily on the skin for a sheer, skin-like effect,” she said. “I often use the MaqPro Make Up Mixer or something like Dr. PawPaw for this purpose.”
Chanel No1 de Chanel Lip And Cheek Balm in Berry Boost
Merit Flush Balm
MAQPRO Makeup Mixer
