The last time we saw three ass-kicking private investigators disguised as "Angels," the year was 2000, and, as such, their beauty moments were entirely different. There was crimped hair [1]! Glossy lips! Unfortunately thin eyebrows that somehow Drew Barrymore made seem endlessly cool [2]!
Fast-forward two decades, and the latest reboot of Charlie's Angels is hitting theatres [3] with hair and makeup that's "a little more raw and gritty and could stand on its own," said the film's lead makeup artist, Melanie Hughes Weaver. What does that look like, exactly? According to hair department head Camille Friend, a little like what you'd see from Cardi B [4], Foxy Brown, and other badass chicks throughout the years.
"We wanted to develop each character's look individually and build on that," Weaver said. "For instance, Jane (played by Ella Balinska) had 12 different looks throughout the film, and they all progressed throughout the film. She had a signature brown smoky eye one moment, and then we'd bring in high-shine peacock-inspired colours. Kristen Stewart [5]'s character, Sabrina, was this badass, so her makeup artist created looks that would range from natural to edgy contemporary, with bold liners that had a near-patent-leather shine. Elena (Naomi Scott) was the scientist, so we kept her beauty look business-organic at first, and then as she grew we started enhancing her bone structure and focusing on the intensity of her eyes and popping a colour in there. They all tended to wear a type of smoky eye in all the battle sequences."
Check out how else Weaver and Friend kicked it into high gear for Charlie's Angels ahead.
The 1 Makeup Product the Glam Squad Went Through the Fastest
"Let me tell you, I have used the Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Gel Eyeliner [6] ($27) in so many films," said Weaver. "It really is tried and true and you can blend it out and get a shape that you want. Whether you want it smudgy and smoky, or you can really manipulate it and it has enough time to be bendable before it sets. It's the one product that's stayed on well in all kinds of conditions. It's my go-to."
![Who are some of the individual "cool chicks" she looked to for each individual actor, you wonder? "I looked at each of the girls and said, 'What can we do to make them look modern? What can we do to make them look cool? What goes with their outfits?' For Ella [Balinska], for example, I looked at everyone from Foxy Brown to more modern celebrities like Cardi B. She always has a different hair look, and even fashion looks. Honestly, it was just about creating that cool factor."](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/McBUiu8DLHP_EULJLJI3cNrMalw/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2019/11/14/002/n/1922153/155f434190efb9ed_GettyImages-1178295675/i/Who-are-some-individual-cool-chicks-she-looked-to-for-each.jpg "Who are some of the individual \"cool chicks\" she looked to for each individual actor, you wonder? \"I looked at each of the girls and said, 'What can we do to make them look modern? What can we do to make them look cool? What goes with their outfits?' For Ella [Balinska], for example, I looked at everyone from Foxy Brown to more modern celebrities like Cardi B. She always has a different hair look, and even fashion looks. Honestly, it was just about creating that cool factor.\"")
Who are some of the individual "cool chicks" she looked to for each individual actor, you wonder? "I looked at each of the girls and said, 'What can we do to make them look modern? What can we do to make them look cool? What goes with their outfits?' For Ella [Balinska], for example, I looked at everyone from Foxy Brown to more modern celebrities like Cardi B. She always has a different hair look, and even fashion looks. Honestly, it was just about creating that cool factor."
The Genius Hack For Removing Fake Blood
For beauty buffs, it's basic chemistry: oil breaks down tough-to-remove makeup. But when an actor is wearing fake blood for an entire day of filming, you need to bring out the big guns. Weaver has a trick up her sleeve: "This might be surprising, but the Blue Cross Cuticle Remover [7] ($4) is one of my favourite things to remove the stain on skin."
The Makeup Team's Secret To a Perfect Smoky Eye
For the "action glam" looks, as Weavers, call is, she leaned on a few Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes. "I love the Modern Renaissance and Norvina palettes," she said. "Those were really great to carry in my kit to be able to do quick changes, bump up for high shine, or add beautiful warm mustard tones with pink highlights. The were really, really important for me to have for this project."
Just How Many Wigs Went Into Charlie's Angels
"At some point I lost count, but each of the girls, I think they ended up ... we had so many hair changes. I think each of the girls probably had at least 15 to 20 hair changes. I mean, and all of it is done through different using their hair, extensions, bang pieces, pony tail pieces, wigs. It's just whatever would fit to get into the style, and that's always been a trademark, especially the girls who started the Angel movies. It was always a trademark that the girls would always have wigs and have disguises. So that's something we definitely wanted to add. And you know, that's the real ... that's the fun part of it."
The Secret To Making Sweat Look Realistic Onscreen
There are obviously plenty of action sequences in Charlie's Angels, which means making the actors look sweaty is par for the course. Weaver's big tip? Blue shop towels you can get at car shops, like TK. "Those cut up and ice squares are great for blotting skin with water and sweat," she said. "I cut them up in squares and blot the skin; I can use them over and over and keep the makeup on as long as you lightly blot and don't pull on the skin. Believe it or not, autobody car shop towels can work movie magic."
Simpli-Magic Blue 50 Pack Shop Towels [8] ($15)
Doing the Makeup of Actor/Director Elizabeth Banks
"Elizabeth's look as Bosley was a strong, contemporary, clean look that had to be buildable," said Weaver. "I had to be able to think very quickly on my feet and have very organised quick changes because she was writing, directing, and producing this. So most of her looks were easily changeable — we sometimes had to do our touch-ups in a parking lot, or the back of a car, or in a restaurant because she couldn't go back to the trailer."
The Hair Brand You'd Spot Most On Set of Charlie's Angels
There are only a few products Friend loves in her kit more than her clip-on bang pieces (which she actually "ended up using a lot of" in the film), but one of her biggest favourites: the Living Proof No Frizz Humidity Shield [9] ($23). "We used the whole line; the hairspray, the paste. I was really happy with those products."