Penelope Featherington from Bridgerton Looks Absolutely Gorgeous in Real Life

While fans might be used to seeing Nicola Coughlan sporting red curls and yellow hues as Penelope Featherington, the actor shared a much more subdued approach to beauty when breaking down her routine for Vogue. After doing her multi-step skincare routine, which saw the star massaging her face with a microcurrent tool and moisturizing with The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Multi-Depth Hydration Serum, she did her makeup for a casual dinner with friends.

“I’m gonna do really lazy girl eyeshadow,” Coughlan said. “It’s gonna be just like one shade over the lid.” The “Bridgerton” star used a natural-finish foundation before applying a sparkly eyeshadow and shimmery highlighter. She similarly opted for a minimalist eyebrow look, using a brown pencil and tinted gel, before applying Lancôme’s Lash Idôle Lash-Lifting & Volumizing Mascara. “I’m very obsessed with mascara,” the actor said. “I put on too much.”

Coughlan finished out her makeup look with a striking red lipstick and glossy top coat, with the final look giving effortlessly chic French girl makeup and contrasting the Regency-ball-ready glam of her on-screen counterpart. “I feel most beautiful, I think, when doing my own makeup, like, to go out for dinner with friends,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “There’s something about sitting there with your own face … and then, you know, presenting that version of yourself in the world which feels very authentically me and slightly maybe different from, like, a red carpet [look] or at work.”