In Bridgerton season 4’s version of the famous Cinderella narrative, Benedict Bridgerton meets his love interest, Sophie Baek, at a masquerade ball before she inexplicably leaves at midnight. Having only seen her with a mask, he explores the Ton, hoping to see her again, cross-referencing the debutantes with his memory of her shiny lips instead of a glass slipper.
Sophie’s lip color for the ball, a gorgeous bright pink, spurred us to do our own search; we simply had to know what lip combo she was wearing. Luckily, Bridgerton season 4 Hair and Makeup Designer Nic Collins answered our calls and gave us all the details on the makeup.
Collins ingeniously chose Clinique’s Chubby Stick, utilizing one of the lip version’s unique finishes and matching it with the cheek version as well. “They’re more like stains,” Collins told Teen Vogue. “So when you layer them up, you can get some depth to them.”
Collins began by applying Clinique Lip Color Balm in the shade Super Strawberry to Sophie’s lips. Then she applied Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Color Balm in Roly Poly Rosy “as the final coat to pop the lip.” She used the Sleek Locked Up Super Precise Lip Liner shade Friend Zone to enhance the lip and outer line, which is a near match to the two Clinique shades together.
Though Collins noted that the makeup team tried with a few tones, they settled on this routine to complement the Regency atmosphere. “Even though it’s a really poppy color, it still looks quite natural,” she jokes. “We wanted something more sheer, and the Chubby Sticks are ideal because they are so sheer. It’s almost like reliving the past. You’d just take your small pot of grease paint and put your finger in to rub your lips.”
Collins worked on producing designs for the debutantes that were appropriate for the era. “You’re always trying to hit within the period; the roses, the blushes, all those kinds of colors that were fashionable back then,” she concurs. “It’s also the season of romance. It’s as if everything is subdued, pastel, and lovely. Sophie, on the other hand, had to consider her maid position and how she’d prepare fast and with few resources. “Sophie’s was more about her persona, about the situations and how she would’ve gotten that appearance in that moment,” she explains.”
Sophie’s pared-down appearance as a maid influenced this season’s hair and cosmetics direction, so it may look slightly different from previous seasons. “We wanted to soften things,” Collins explains. “The hairstyles for males are slightly softer. The makeup is slightly less in some spots. That worked great for us because you were going to the [maid’s] downstairs realm, and there would have been a huge difference between the two worlds if everyone was all made up and then you have individuals who aren’t. So we divided it into many levels across the board.”
These four episodes, however, represent only half of the season. The second installment will be released on Netflix on February 26, 2026, implying that there will be more looks to come.
