The film adaptation of Wuthering Heights directed by Emerald Fennell offers a striking visual language that blends period references with surreal, contemporary flourishes. At the center of many of those moments is Margot Robbie’s appearance: an evolving set of hairstyles, flushed complexions, and a surprisingly simple lip product that captures attention. Hair and makeup designer Siân Miller and her team combined historical techniques, modern trends, and budget-friendly items to build a cohesive aesthetic that supports the story’s fever-dream sensibility.
This piece breaks down key elements of Robbie’s on-screen transformations, explains the creative choices behind them, and lists the accessible products used to achieve those signature touches. Expect a look at coiffures ranging from farm-worn tangles to sculpted victory rolls, the role of blush as a storytelling device, and the small product that became a standout: a tinted lip balm that sells for just a few dollars.
Design approach: vision and collaboration
From the outset, the makeup and hair direction was rooted in an overarching concept: see the narrative through a young girl’s imagination. Fennell wanted a version of the story that felt like a memory—familiar but warped—so Miller approached the work as a blend of period detail and creative invention. The team coordinated tightly with production designer Suzie Davies and costume designer Jacqueline Durran to ensure each visual element echoed the film’s themes of confinement, desire, and social performance. This cross-departmental dialogue resulted in hair adornments and jewelry used as styling accents, plus a palette that shifts to reflect emotional beats.
Stylized realism
Rather than aiming for strict historical accuracy, Miller mixed accurate techniques with contemporary references to create a look that feels both familiar and unsettling. The result is a hybrid that evokes Victorian and mid-century melodrama while incorporating modern textures and makeup trends. The team leaned on archival accessories and repurposed costume pieces to give hairstyles a lived-in, tactile quality, demonstrating how collaborative design can elevate character storytelling.
Hair narratives: from wild to controlled
Cathy’s hair serves as a visual shorthand for her inner state—untamed on the moors, increasingly composed at the Grange. Early scenes present messy, windblown textures that read as natural and free; later, styles become more architectural. One memorable set of victory rolls works as both a crown and a symbol of hardness, signaling the character’s emotional shift. For the wedding sequence, a veil conceals an intricate lattice braid embedded with gemstones, a choice meant to symbolize entrapment in an elegant, painful way. These shifts were achieved using a combination of Robbie’s hair, wefts, and full wigs when necessary to maintain consistency across looks.
Signature styles worth noting
Among the standout creations are twin braids woven with red ribbon—nicknamed the doll braids by the team—which intentionally read as both playful and objectifying. Another inventive styling cue was the use of archival Chanel pieces and repurposed brooches turned into hair ornaments for the Grange sequences. These small details help the hairstyles act as cultural signifiers, marking the differences between the moors and high society without relying only on costumes.
Makeup as character: flushes, gems, and understated lips
Makeup in the film operates like a character in its own right. The creative team used a pronounced, weathered blush across many cast members to evoke exposure to the elements and emotional intensity. This flushed-cheek approach draws from contemporary beauty trends—think the TikTok-influenced pomegranate girl look—and was applied to both women and men to unify the film’s visual language. Products included liquid and cream blushes to create multi-dimensional color that reads naturally on camera.
Gems and metallic accents also appear in specific scenes, where facial embellishments mirror set textures. In one dinner sequence, applied stones are meant to resemble sweat and reflect the silver-studded walls, reinforcing the film’s motif that environment and appearance are deeply connected. These decisions demonstrate how makeup can echo mise-en-scène and heighten narrative metaphor.
The surprisingly simple lip secret
One detail that caught wide attention was the product chosen for Robbie’s everyday lip color: Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm in a rose shade. The balm’s sheer, buildable formula—infused with nourishing ingredients like shea butter and beeswax—provides a hydrated, natural finish. For more defined or evening looks, the team layered a matte lipstick such as Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk over the balm. The takeaway: a tiny, affordable product can anchor a character’s look and still read beautifully on the big screen.
Whether you’re recreating the full cinematic palette or borrowing a single element, the film’s hair and makeup offer clear lessons: collaborate across departments, mix the historical with the modern, and don’t underestimate the power of simple, nourishing products. With intentional choices and a few accessible buys, many of these looks are achievable outside the movie set.
