Remember our history textbook that's book greatly about the Renaissance period and this one particular character called Botticelli? Now imagine one of Botticelli's paintings or at least the hairdo coming to life and you get to watch all of this on Netflix…If you think we are talking about the recent rave about the Netflix series, BRIDGERTON SEASON 3, you are right my friend! Nicola Coughlan has definitely captivated us with her sudden 360 glow-up in this season of Bridgerton. And we love the new hairdo and the whole wavey seductive look.
Without any further ado, here is an entire expose on everything you need to know about Pen’s glow-up and hair transformation, in this series of the GEMERIAN HAIR CHRONICLES!
Falling in Love with Bridgerton: From Queen Charlotte's Attire to Season 3's Hairstyles
When we watched the Netflix series we were absolutely in love with everything that we saw. We definitely fell in love with Queen Charlotte's attire, the opulent sets in every scene, and the effort it took to replicate every element of the Regency Era. Above all, we fell in love with the wig and the hairstyles in Season 3 of Bridgerton.
Nicola Coughlan was the star of this season and her role as Penelope Featherington charmed everybody who saw the show. I mean nobody was expecting this big of a transformation or a character development in this series.
We all secretly hoped that Pen would fall in love with Lord Debling and not Colin. I mean the girl deserves far better than to be made to run after someone she so passionately loves.
But the entire idea of giving Pen the Botticelli Waves perfectly encapsulates the whole romantic look and that charm or elegance from the Regency era.
In season 1, if you had watched closely, you would have noticed that the character, Penelope, had extremely child-like features, something that depicted innocence and playfulness but a longing for love.
She had an up and down kind of hairstyle, coupled with tight curls right above her forehead, with a few curly strands grazing her face and when you look at her hair and makeup, in total, it wasn’t as mature as it is in season 3. The Featheringtons didn't want to shy away from society because of their “so-called” money problems. And Pen’s mother greatly influences her style of hair and her dress.
This was all purely pressurized into finding a suitable Shooter which was the biggest goal at the time.
This is precisely the kind of glow-up that we all wish we had and we are exactly going to talk about this, in this comprehensive blog.
Nicola Coughlan has definitely captivated our hearts and our minds with her entire transformation in season 3. Recently her new look in the ongoing SKIMS campaign has taken the world of fashion and aesthetics for chubby women to a whole new level.
Talk about a fine balance between blending modernity with classical elements in such a seamless way, she definitely has left fans and fashion enthusiasts in awe.
These are some of the aspects that we are going to talk about in this article about our dear Nicola Coughlan’s Renaissance transformation.
We will also talk about the magical allure of Nicola Coughlan’s Botticelli waves, their historical inspiration, and how you can recreate this enchanting hairstyle with GEMERIA’S Human Hair Extensions.
Nicola Coughlan's SKIMS Campaign: A Modern Renaissance Inspired by Botticelli's Venus
Her appearance in the latest SKIMS campaign is nothing short of a marvellous masterpiece. The whole campaign and her particular photoshoot in focus was inspired by this one Renaissance artist called Botticelli and his iconic painting of Venus. The painting that they took inspiration from is called "The Birth of Venus”.
This particular painting is a 15th-century Renaissance painting which depicts the Goddess of love, Venus emerging from the sea, in a shell, with long red locks that are naturally Wavy flowing down her body.
They tried to recreate this entire look giving it a modern-day touch of what Venus would look like. The whole short was nothing short of a dream-like sequence and Nicola's hair was styled with its soft cascading waves that imitated the painting and channelled the natural beauty of the Goddess of love herself.
The man behind all the magic was Elizaveta Porodina, a renowned celebrity and Hollywood elite photographer. The entire styling was done by Sophie Thomas and Halley Brisker. They not only brought the essence of the painting into the whole aesthetic but they also went ahead and gave Nicola’s hair a crimped and parted look that made the entire shoot look otherworldly.
Mind you in all of this styling of the hair human hair extensions were used and in our best gas these human hair extensions could have been either clip-in hair extensions that were in a baby form or maybe even front lace wigs that were styled to match the painting's aesthetics.
And if you look closely at the Netflix series in season 3, the character, Penelope Featherington, Has somewhat a similar kind of aesthetic and transformation to the painting itself.
You can see that her character has given up the whole goudy outfits with extra and unnecessary elaborate hairdos and tacky colours. Her transformation in this season talks about how she has blossomed from being a young, naive playful girl to becoming a woman with grace, sophistication, and elegance.
Recreating Nicola Coughlan's Botticelli Waves: A Step-by-Step Guide
We know that somewhere down in your heart you want a glow-up that is very similar to that of Penelope Featherington. And trust us, when we say this, you can have this full 360-degree transformation and Glow up just like she did.
But for that, you will need our help and our expertise for it.
If you are looking forward to recreating the perfect Botticelli waves with the same essence of natural beauty and timeless Grace and elegance, here is how you can recreate it with our body wave human hair extensions.
- First Things First, you will have to make sure that your hair is clean and dry and free of any kind of oils, serum, or even mousse. We recommend that you get the I-tip body wave hair extensions that are of 100 strands, for that fuller and voluminous look. For this attachment process, you will need to visit a hair stylist or a professional to get them attached firmly and securely.
- Once you have attached your I-tip body wave hair extensions, it is time that we start working our magic. You will now spray some volumizing mousse or texturizing spray to give more fluff or volume to your hair.
- Next, using a large barrel curling iron, you will now create loose waves throughout your hair and you will alternate the direction of the curls to give it that relaxed undone finish which is exactly that rustic look that the Botticelli wave gives.
- You will now part your hair in the middle just like how Venus did in the Renaissance painting. This is where you can go ahead and use any kind of lightweight non-greasy hair oil or even a serum to add that smoothness or shine to eliminate any kind of frizziness or roughness.
- Lastly just to add a little more Elegance and some glamour and give this painting a modern-day touch you can go ahead and attach delicate hair pins or even a floral headband or even settle embellishments on your lock to enhance the overall look without making it look like you overdid it.
The Bridgeton Glow-up for Penelope – Hair, Makeup And Attire
In the world of “Bridgerton,” Or even the Regency Era, Hair makeup and your attire were more than just style. Some of your hairstyles, your attires or even the choice of jewellery give out subtle and low-key meanings of what you intend. For example during the Regency Era, women who were looking for husbands or shooters were often seen to have their hair pulled back and with their faces on full display. This was a way of showing Elegance and sophistication along with innocence.
Some of the other flattering hairstyles around this time were an up-down hairstyle with tight curls right above the forehead region just like how Pen wore them in Seasons 1 and 2.
If you noticed in Seasons 1 and 2, definitely also had pulled-back hair when it was the time for her debutant. However, throughout the Seasons, you could see that on some occasions like when she visited balls or any kind of parties she had her lower down and had wispy little Bangs on her forehead.
Another notable thing around this particular time and age was the practice of using wigs and other forms of human hair extension.
We are talking about the elaborate wigs of Queen Charlotte. Don't worry, we will be talking about Queen Charlotte's Wigs in detail about what went into the making of her oversized, elaborate and intricately designed wigs.
Coming back to our darling of season 3 Penelope Featherington's Hairstyles have shown drastic and dramatic change, especially from season 1 to season 3.
For the entire look, throughout all the Seasons her stylist admitted to using hair extensions and other human hair wigs that went through hours if not days and weeks of designing and styling before she could adorn them and begin shooting.
Penelope, Has taken her entire look from bright yellow citrus colour dresses and pin-up hairstyles to subtle pastel shades and pre-flowing hair with flattering pins to set a statement in society. This entire shift in her appearance and her aesthetics was a stocking reflection of her character's need to grow out of child-like whimsical fantasies and to own her own identity in a world that often tries to put her down if not define her.
One of the starking changes or rather significant transformations that the third season witnessed was that she no longer looked like a child with curly hair. If anything she had long flowing hair that was partly to one side of her head and gave a sense of sensuality and also made her look more like a woman and less like a girl.
The iconic Botticelli waves complemented her costumes and reflected her character's growth. And if you thought that day hairstyles were all natural hair; they are not. Erica Okvist, The woman behind all the wigs and the extensions that were used throughout Bridgerton, says that these wigs that were intricately designed played extremely crucial roles in achieving the perfect look and also defined certain characteristics of each of the characters in the series. Each wig is custom-made for Coughlan, ensuring a flawless fit and a natural appearance. And you would have noticed this throughout all the Seasons of this beloved Netflix show.
The New Bridgerton Hairstyles With Human Hair Extensions
The whole idea of Nicola Coughlan's Botticelli waves is not just a nod to the past, but it also is a sign of celebration of what beauty looks like and how it develops through different eras of time.
If you are a fan of “Bridgerton” or if you are somebody just looking for a new hairstyle for your Prom Night or, your best friend's wedding, or even just an entire glow up like that of Pen’s…the Botticelli waves are a good place to start thanks to the perfect blend of classic elegance and modern flair.
I mean think about it, these waves that are on a deep partition of your head don't you think they resemble one of our favourite cartoons of all time?
Remember Jessica Rabbit?
Nicola’s hairstylists knew exactly what they were doing!
I mean just think about it: the same reddish-orange hair with the seductive makeup and those plump red lips…. her hairstyle is exactly going for this look and wanted to recreate what Jessica Rabbit would look like during the Regency era! We were just kidding but then we love Jessica Rabbit’s hairstyle and her seductive look but we cannot deny the fact that Pen resembled some elements of Jessica's entire aesthetic.
And it is not only that the Bridgerton character, Penelope Featherington, Was bringing back some kind of essence of the Renaissance period, many other actors and actresses from time to time take inspiration from this particular period.
This is because their chance period was known to be a particular period in history Where art and culture had a new wave of transformation. There was an unspoken cultural movement and the Renaissance period was a time where Emphasis on realism and the human form was appreciated at its peak.
In the 17th century, wigs and ‘human hair extensions’ at the time became popular, particularly in France, and their cost varied depending on the individual's budget. Wealthy individuals would buy hair from poor young women, while those with less money would buy from deceased people.
Crazy and creepy right? Now, say thank god for GEMERIA HAIR!
And before we end this entire article about Nicola’s AKA Penelope’s transformation during the Regency Era, here is another shocking and fun fact about wigs and human hair extensions during the Renaissance period!
“The Medici family – Cosimo III de’ Medici, A well-known Renaissance royalty family had quite a business-savvy idea and they came up with the yearly tax in 1692 for anyone who wanted to wear any sort of wig or hair extension.”
Thank god we live in 2024 and that we do not have to pay taxes just to look better and feel more confident!
The Final Note
At the end of the day, the allure of Botticelli waves is a sign of effortless and timeless beauty.
This makes it a perfect hairstyle for any kind of occasion or any kind of function or if you just simply want a different hairstyle altogether. Nicola Coughlan’s transformation in both the SKIMS campaign and “Bridgerton” was something otherworldly and it also set a trend for women to feel more confident and empowered and also to have a voice of their own.
And so, as you channel that inner Venus and celebrate the Botticelli beauty of waves, let your hair flow as naturally and exquisitely as the goddesses themselves did.
This article is a reflection of Nicola Coughlan's Botticelli waves, avant-gardism at the junction of Renaissance art and modern hairstyling. Whether you are a fan of "Bridgerton" or just need a dose of summer hair inspiration, these waves infuse a feeling of magic in your appearance.
