The Beauty Secrets of Wicked: How Cynthia Erivo Became Green and Ariana Grande’s Holy Grail Product

In the highly anticipated film adaptation of the musical Wicked, everything is exhilarating, more beautiful than the real world, and evocative of the vibrant 1939 Wizard of Oz in technicolor. The water twinkles, the Emerald City glitters, and the two main characters, Elphaba and Glinda (played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, respectively), leap to life onscreen, thanks in large part to their memorable beauty looks.

As the lead hair and makeup artist for the film, Frances Hannon had the momentous task of finding unique aesthetics for each character. Through their makeup and hair, Elphaba and Glinda become Wicked witches fit for the modern era.

As you might expect, finding the right green for Elphaba was Hannon’s biggest challenge. Hannon wanted Elphaba’s skin to look as realistic as possible rather than painted-on. “It was very important that the green be real-looking,” Hannon says. “They did discuss possibly doing the green in post-[production] in the very early days, but Cynthia was quite adamant that she wanted to go onto the set green every day.” As for Glinda, Hannon wanted her to appear timeless. “[Glinda’s look] is accessible to everybody, because it is classical and simple and princess-like,” she says. Below, Hannon shares how she nailed the perfect green, the makeup product Grande used before every scene, and what fans can expect for the movie’s second part, which comes out in fall 2025.

What was your inspiration for Glinda and Elphaba’s makeup looks, and how did you give them your own flair?

I started with having Cynthia discover the green and how it works on her skin. We wanted to keep her looking beautiful. Ari’s makeup look was more about looking for the princess in the character. We wanted to [find] a timeless look, so that in 20 years, when people are still watching this, it will look as beautiful as when [the film] comes out next week.

Obviously, Elphaba is always green. Did you take any tips or tricks from the Broadway production? What did you use to make her green and make that last throughout filming?

[The green was] very different from what’s done on the Broadway production. [On Broadway,] it was face paint, and [on stage,] it’s one type of lighting. Whereas [in the film,] we would have Cynthia running from a beautiful daylight scene into a dark journey. We had to contend with a true storyline and much bigger set. The green had to be bespoke, and of course, [work with Erivo’s] skin tone as well. I started with models, and I worked out how to make the green perfect for Cynthia. I got the green easily, but I couldn’t keep it the same in all the different lighting that we would be working in. It was when I discovered a neon product [that everything came together]. David Stoneman, who makes products for us, added some neon yellow to my green—just a few drops. It gave that beautiful quality that I think really shows on Cynthia’s skin in the film. It is very see-through, believable, and contoured, and doesn’t transfer onto Ari.

I was really struck by how natural her makeup looked, even though she was green.

The green was all airbrushed on. But [the addition of neon yellow] really made her glow all the time. The neon yellow was a product that I found in Canada that was discontinued. It is just a cream eyeshadow and gave the reflective quality I needed. On top of that, we contoured her. We did eyebrow transfers, because she doesn’t have eyebrows. We did little freckles for her youthful look that we carried through, but [they] became softer as she grew up. [I wanted] to keep her very vulnerable and very accessible, because the story is about us all connecting as humans.

How did you approach Glinda’s makeup?

We kept Ari’s look iridescent and opalescent, and it was in tone with her costumes most of the time. For her body, face, and hair, we wanted that feathery, light, princess-like quality. It was never a heavy, dark lipstick or a dark eyeshadow. Once we did that with Ari, combined with the reflective base on Elphaba, it gave an amazing balance.

There’s a scene I loved where Glinda is getting ready, and it shows her putting on blush. It felt like makeup was a central part of her character.

When Ari would get ready in the morning, the whole process was very much part of Glinda walking onto the set. We used a lot of her products, r.e.m. beauty, and there is one highlight called Miss Mercury. At the end of [getting ready], she would just put a tiny little dab [of Mercury] on the end of her nose. I felt like that was that last little touch that brought her into her space for the day. Then quite often, [before a new scene], she’d do it again. I thought it was very much a Glinda situation.

r.e.m. beauty Interstellar Highlighter Topper in Miss Mercury

Did Cynthia and Ariana have any say in their makeup looks?

In every film, not just in Wicked, an artist’s input is absolutely paramount. Both Cynthia and Ari had really strong input into how they felt on individual days, and how they felt about the characters throughout the film. Ari might say, “I’d like to wear a clip in my hair,” or “I’d like it to be simpler.” Or Cynthia would say, “I’d like to add a hairstyle here today, or put it in a braid, or stick a pin in it.” We do it, but they own it. They add and bring what they want to their character. You can see so much of Ariana Grande, but she absolutely is Glinda. I wonder, will Ariana Grande ever be the same as the singer? She’s so wonderful in the part, isn’t she?

I knew she was going to be good, but as I was watching it, I was really impressed. How did you go about Ariana’s hair for Glinda?

We didn’t want her to be the type of princess [with] very structured, tailored, and extravagant updos. That really wasn’t our Glinda. She was very natural. The more she finds herself, her heart, and falls in love with Elphaba, [the more we wanted] to keep [her looking] casual, even though she is the princess. Her hair emulated the beautiful waves and curves of her costumes. Also, our sets had a very Art Deco, Art Nouveau feel. Though [we put waves in her hair], it had a freedom that most people will be able to relate to.

I don’t know how much you can say about Part Two, but will the beauty looks remain consistent, or will they change at all with the characters?

Without revealing anything from Part Two, I feel like everybody will find that Part Two is equally as original and exciting as Part One. The characters all still have a really long journey, so there’s loads more to come, visually and in the story.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Katie Berohn is ELLE’s beauty editor. Previously, she held the same title at Who What Wear, where she was promoted from associate beauty editor. She’s written for publications like The Cut, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, and Mashable. Her interests include fragrance, vintage shopping, hot yoga, food, travel, music, books, and attempting to make every NYT Cooking recipe. She’s on the endless hunt to find the perfect shade of red lipstick.