Designing beauty looks for a prestige television series that spans more than four decades presents an immense and unique challenge for behind-the-scenes artisans. Co-hair and makeup designers Nancy Hennah and Sarah Rubano faced the daunting task of charting visual changes alongside the narrative evolution of Steinbeck’s characters and the shifting fashions of early American history. "East of Eden is set over 43 years, so our beauty vision changed with the characters and with what was in fashion during each time period," explains Hennah.
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The ambitious seven-part series begins in New England immediately following the American Civil War, introducing viewers to veteran Cyrus Trask and his sons, Adam and Charles. The narrative traces the brothers as they transition from boyhood through adolescence into manhood, only to have their world completely upended by the arrival of a bloodied, mysterious Cathy onto their family farm. By the time the final episodes air, the historical setting shifts to the 1910s, capturing a tense era just as young men are being mobilized to fight in the trenches of World War I.
To achieve historical grounding across every chapter of the characters’ lives, Hennah and Rubano collaborated closely with the production’s art and costume departments, digging deep into historical archives and period-accurate references. "We focused mainly on the script rather than the book for reference," notes Rubano, highlighting the distinct vision of the creator. "And Zoe was very descriptive and had clear ideas for most characters."
Working alongside Hennah and Rubano, Pugh’s personal on-set glam team—hairstylist Jaime Leigh McIntosh and makeup artist Heba Thorisdottir—pushed themselves to maintain rigorous historical authenticity. McIntosh intentionally avoided modern hot tools when styling Pugh’s extensive wig collection, opting instead for traditional "wet setting" techniques to build authentic period texture. Meanwhile, Thorisdottir had to navigate a specific historical reality regarding cosmetics: in the late 1800s at the start of the series, commercial cosmetics were not yet widely manufactured or readily available to the general public. However, as Cathy’s trajectory shifts and she eventually transitions into her role as a powerful brothel owner known as Kate, makeup becomes increasingly accessible, running parallel to her empowerment and character arc. "The cosmetic availability went perfectly with the storyline of Cathy transforming into Kate and wearing makeup," Thorisdottir explains.
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In Kazan’s ambitious retelling, Cathy is a figure who ruthlessly craves power and freedom, manipulating the men in her orbit to achieve her ultimate goals. Her physical beauty serves as one of her primary tools, and attentive viewers will discover subtle cosmetic and hairstyling clues scattered throughout the episodes that hint at her hidden motives and calculated power plays.
Cathy Plays the Innocent
Because East of Eden follows Cathy through the many tumultuous chapters of her life, establishing a visual arc for her hair was paramount. McIntosh approached the design by mapping out the character’s entire trajectory. "I needed to figure out her starting point and her end point and then fill the space in between to work out how we get from A to B," she says, emphasizing her constant mindfulness of the passage of time over the course of more than 40 years.
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Pugh wore a total of three distinct wigs throughout the production, all meticulously crafted by renowned wigmaker Samuel James. The first wig is worn during Cathy’s time in Boston alongside Mr. Edwards—a brothel owner with whom she becomes romantically involved—during her arrival at the Trask family farm after suffering physical abuse, and later on the sprawling ranch in Salinas Valley, California, where she settles with Adam Trask, whom she eventually marries and bears twins with.
This initial wig features a lighter, natural shade that serves as an organic evolution from Cathy’s childhood blonde into a realistic adult hue. "We wanted the color to be a darker blonde than it was when she was a child, but still look incredibly natural with lighter ends, as if they were sun-kissed," McIntosh details.
Leaving Cathy’s hair unbound and flowing during her early introduction was a deliberate choice grounded in both logic and narrative necessity. When she first arrives at the Trask farm, she is recovering from severe injuries, including a broken wrist. "We figured the most she would be able to physically do herself is brush it, so we left it out and natural," McIntosh explains. "As she begins to heal, we started pulling it back softly into a half-up style, but we kept it very practical, effortless, and soft."
The entire hair department deliberately embraced a softer aesthetic characterized by flyaways, wisps, and subtle fluff during this phase of production. These whimsical touches not only underscored Cathy’s physical healing state but also lent her a disarming vulnerability. This perceived fragility allowed her to successfully manipulate Adam, gaining his absolute trust and securing her position as his wife.
Hair accessories also served as critical narrative indicators of Cathy’s evolving psyche and precarious societal footing. "When we see Cathy in Boston, she is young; she is presenting with beauty and innocence. We chose key moments to have an Alice in Wonderland-inspired blue ribbon in her hair," McIntosh notes.
While living on the farm, dressed in hand-me-down garments belonging to Mrs. Trask, Cathy continues to project an image of helpless innocence. To maintain this illusion, McIntosh utilized small scraps of fabric torn into makeshift ribbons. "I was using small pieces of fabric ripped into ribbons to tie her hair back," she reveals. "I also created one of those out of the bloodied dress she [was wearing when she] arrived at the home. Just a bit of a secret for Florence and me that no one would notice unless pointed out."
The Guise of a Youthful Flush
In the early episodes, Cathy’s makeup was designed to complement her deceptively nonthreatening appearance, prioritizing a fresh, skin-first aesthetic. "For her younger look, I sheered out the Westman Atelier stick foundation with Beau Domaine The Cream to add a wash of color," explains Thorisdottir. The cornerstone of Cathy’s faux-naïf facade, however, rested on flushed cheeks and rosy lips, achieved using Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Petal and HydroBalm Tinted Lipstick in English Rose. Thorisdottir has since incorporated English Rose into her kit for nearly every subsequent project. "It is the perfect nude for this skin tone."
Pugh proved to be an invaluable collaborator in shaping Cathy’s physical transformation. "Florence is very authentic in her approach to her acting, which sets the tone for my work," Thorisdottir says. "She is just as comfortable in front of the camera with or without makeup on as long as it is right for the scene." Pugh routinely offered her glam team total creative freedom before discussing narrative details. "If it makes sense, she is game."
Kate’s Dark Side Eclipses Cathy
After giving birth to twin boys, Cathy feels her autonomy slipping away as she is forced into the restrictive mold of a traditional wife and mother. In a shocking act of violence meant to reclaim her narrative narrative independence, she shoots Adam, abandons her children, and flees to a brothel in Salinas proper to resurrect her former life as a sex worker.
Taken in by brothel owner Faye, played by Martha Plimpton, Cathy initially maintains her old habits. "It’s not until we see Cathy at Faye’s that we see the first big change [in her hair]," McIntosh notes. "When she meets Faye, she wears her signature blue ribbon, presenting herself as she did to Mr. Edwards. Then we slowly start to see her morph into Kate."
Drawing directly from Steinbeck’s novel, the production team mapped out the visual shift for Cathy’s second wig. After the local town sheriff recognizes Cathy from a portrait hanging in the Trask home, they reach a pragmatic pact: she will forge a completely new identity, and the sheriff will protect her secret if she permanently abandons her family. "Once the sheriff tells her to color her hair darker, she is presenting to the world as Kate and not Cathy anymore," McIntosh explains. "This second wig was made identical to the first, but then I dyed it. I didn’t want it to be made with darker, naturally brown hair. I wanted to color it like Kate would have [in order] to have more control over the final result."
Once established at Faye’s establishment, Kate experiments with bolder hairstyles. During a morning styling session, McIntosh crafted a look featuring two distinct peaks. Pugh immediately gravitated toward the design, and the team affectionately nicknamed the style "kitten ears," a motif that evolved and grew alongside Kate for the remainder of the series.
Madame Kate Becomes Queen of Her Arena
By the time Kate assumes full ownership of the brothel, further time has elapsed, and her final wig reflects her darker reality and preference for indoor environments, complete with visible gray strands. "Because she is running the brothel and not working [in it], she is presenting with intricate styles," McIntosh says. "I am also keeping in mind where in the world this is taking place. She is not in Paris, London, or New York, so I never went too elaborate or perfect."
As Kate fully embraces her power, McIntosh and costume designer Kirsty Cameron sourced elaborate hairpins, crowns, and tiara-like accessories to symbolize her absolute dominance. Some pieces were custom-made by local New Zealand artisans, including the independent studio Daughters of July. "Florence beamed with delight at the idea of Kate wearing tiara-type hair accessories—for Kate to be queen of her arena, and to be in full control of her world," McIntosh recalls.
Thorisdottir similarly adjusted Kate’s makeup to reflect her growing wealth and access to worldly goods. "While makeup products might not have been readily available in Salinas, her clients would have likely traveled and traded, so she could have cosmetics before anyone else in that town," she reasons. Thorisdottir’s discovery of Westman Atelier products during filming also shaped the character’s aesthetic across her lifetime.
In episode six, titled "The Great Try," Kate steps out wearing her boldest red lip of the series—a sharp departure from her early days as innocent Cathy. "For the red lips, I mixed Le Rouge Français 010 and MAC Russian Red, a shade that’s been in my kit since I did Inglourious Basterds," Thorisdottir shares.
By the final episode, "Tinshel," Kate’s criminal empire begins to crumble, and her appearance disintegrates accordingly. "In her final hours, we wanted Kate [to look] a little unraveled," McIntosh notes. "We also wanted to keep those kitten ears, essentially keeping a crown of sorts on her head, but made of hair. The half-up style also mirrors the little Cathy we see her come face-to-face with at the very end."
In a departure from traditional television makeup designed to withstand long hours without fault, Thorisdottir intentionally engineered Kate’s final look to break down naturally. Watching Pugh perform the climactic scene—decked out in heavy jewelry, long, messy hair styled with the signature kitten ears, and melting makeup while hugging her younger self—left the makeup artist spellbound. "She has yet another breathtaking costume on, her hair is long and messy with the ‘kitten ears’ styling, and her makeup is all broken down," Thorisdottir reflects. "That scene is so epic. I was in awe watching it all happen in front of me."
