‘Bridgerton’s Penelope & Colin’s Ultimate Season 3 Glow-Ups, Explained
The Bridgerton glow-up is real, y’all. Every time a new leading lady or gentleman takes the reins, they undergo some of the most stunning physical transformations ever committed to the silver screen. Just look at Anthony Bridgerton: Season 1 Anthony is not the same man as Season 2 Anthony (and shaving off those awful sideburns isn’t the only reason why). It’s like each season’s lead characters are required to unlock the hottest versions of themselves that have been played down in the past to not distract viewers from the main action.
When it comes to Season 3, the Shondaland school of glowing up didn’t come to play. Penelope and Colin are the latest Bridgerton characters to undergo the Bridgerton transformation. But what is it about them that changed? What actually goes into the Bridgerton glow-up? Thanks to the show’s talented makeup artists and costume designers, we now know exactly what it took for Polin to fulfill the Bridgerton glow-up prophecy.
PENELOPE
Her makeup
The first thing I noticed about Penelope’s show-stopping entrance at the first ball was her makeup. Her skin this season is taking “glow-up” literally; look at her for too long and you’ll go blind, then thank her for it.
Bridgerton’s hair and makeup designer, Erika Ökvist, explained that she was going for a classic Hollywood siren look. “Instead of enhancing anything round, we’re just enhancing all the lines going up,” she told Slate. “So, we’ve got these cheekbones going up to God, as I say. We’ve got a snatched jawline, we’ve got the cat eyes.”
TikToker Cat Quinn notes that Penelope’s eyeshadow and lashes are winged, which creates a sultry look that’s totally different from her previous doe-eyed makeup aesthetic. She’s also wearing shimmery shadows in bolder shades that scream, Yes, I’m wearing makeup and yes, it looks bomb.
Her hair
Penelope’s always rocked her natural curls, but this season, they’re less spirally and more Old Hollywood glam. She’s wearing her hair down more often in simpler styles, which adds to the understated glamor the Bridgerton team wanted to achieve. “We got rid of her necklaces, elongating her neck, and made her clothing much more simple. It just enhances the whole shape of her body in a nice, smooth way,” Ökvist tells Country & Town House.
Her costuming
After her Season 3 glow-up, Penelope Featherington won’t be caught dead wearing neon yellow anymore. She looks much more harmonious in the blues and greens she’s dressed in this season. Additionally, TikTok user @sew.sumalee observed that the waistline on Penelope’s dresses is lower this season than it has been in the past. The combination of a better color scheme and fit creates an overall look that is much more flattering on her.
COLIN
Luke Newton clearly put in work at the gym to make Colin get “so sturdy,” as the Bridgerton brothers say in Episode 1. But Colin’s glow-up isn’t just physical: it comes down to his costuming and his hair.
His costuming
Colin starts Season 3 fresh off the heels of a European tour that not only changed his worldview but also his fashion sense. Gone are the days of overly frilly collars; Colin’s all about structured lines that define his jawline, slightly open shirts that show off his chest, and dark colors that make him look more grown-up.
His overall look is a lot less Regencycore and a lot more Rugged Travelercore. “He’s been traveling, living in the basement of the bottom of a ship, so his glow-up is more manly,” says John Glaser, Bridgerton’s costume designer. “That’s what Colin is based on: the dust, dirt and sweat.”
His hair
This season, Ökvist wanted to emphasize Colin’s square hairline. “Every single facial feature that was very masculine, we enhanced in this season,” she told Slate.
Glaser seconds this. “If you look at a superhero in a comic book, you’ll notice they’ve always got the square jawline, the square hairline, those almost-square seagull eyebrows – that’s what we’ve been showcasing. And [Luke Newton] came like that, which was just great for us.”
You don’t need a team of makeup artists and personal stylists to have your own Bridgerton glow-up. Think of what the best version of yourself would look like — then, take steps to make her come to life. With a haircut, closet clean-out, and an extra glowy skincare routine, you’ll be ready to lead the next season of your life.
