How “Devil Horn” Updos and Forehead Scars Brought Florence Pugh’s Cathy to Life in ‘East of Eden’

You don’t have to be perfect at doing hair and makeup. You don’t need to be good, either! That’s what the experts are for.

Take Heba Thorisdottir, for instance. As Florence Pugh’s personal makeup artist on Netflix’s new East of Eden adaptation, Thorisdottir was trusted to help the actress physically embody one of literature’s most iconic characters. On-screen, Cathy Ames looks perfect. There are certain scenes where she looks really good, too.

“Florence is fun and lovely to work with, and one of the things I love most about her is that she has absolutely no vanity when it comes to makeup,” the artist tells Byrdie. “There have been times when I’ve worked with her where I’ve put her straight in front of the camera without any makeup at all.”

Ahead, Thorisdottir breaks down everything you need to know about Cathy’s looks, from the secret messages in her hair to the historical context of her rosy cheeks. Thou mayest keep reading, but be wary of spoilers.

The Inspiration

Cathy Ames’ arc in East of Eden spans approximately 25 years. This meant there was a lot to consider with her hair and makeup from a storytelling standpoint.

“Cathy’s beauty look evolves through the show as she ages and [from a historical standpoint] as cosmetics became available. Her costumes—designed by the legendary Kirsty Cameron—set the tone. She wore her wealth!” explains Thorisdottir. “I knew from previous projects that Florence is detail oriented so historical accuracy was important. At the same time, to help allow the audience to follow the timeline, we expanded Cathy’s world.”

Throughout the project, the team used cosmetics that would have been available from various countries—especially as Cathy becomes a popular madam.

“It made sense that clients might bring her gifts—the latest and greatest from Paris, for example,” says the artist. “The series begins in the late 1800s, when women typically did not wear makeup, so Cathy’s beauty look had to evolve gradually.”

The Scar

The character’s scar, which the audience quickly learns the harsh backstory of, also needed to be carefully considered.

“At the start of the series, our focus was on Cathy’s hair—designed by Jaime Leigh McIntosh—and her injuries. We wanted the audience to track the timeline through the stages of healing,” notes Thorisdottir.

The mark’s final form was especially important.

“We considered how a visible scar would psychologically affect a woman whose beauty had shaped every stage of her life,” the artist adds. “I sent [writer and executive producer Zoe Kazan] photos of real scars as reference, and we agreed it would be more effective if the scar were raised and more visible. From there, I designed the injuries with prosthetic makeup designer Vincent Van Dyke—so we worked backwards, deciding on the final scar first.”

The Makeup

The big Cathy makeup look that comes to mind is the dramatic appearance that graces the show’s official poster. It’s how she appears as “Kate,” madame of a Salinas brothel.

First things came first, though: excellent actresses need skincare, too.

“While Florence’s hair was being prepped, I started her skincare by alternating 111Skin and Talika Reusable Eye Therapy Patch. Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Face Mist always began her day in my chair, followed by La Mer Lip Balm,” explains the artist.” “I used Yon-Ka Le Contour Eye Cream around the eye area, then Joelle Ciocco Magic Comfort Cream.”

After letting everything absorb, Thorisdottir kicked things off with Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick mixed with a little Beau Domaine The Fluid Cream “to sheer it out” and added Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Petal.

“For her more made-up madam look, I added Diorshow On Stage Crayon in Blue and smudged it out, then finished with black Diorshow Mascara,” she notes. “For the red lips, I made a custom color for Cathy by blending Le Rouge Francaise Lipstick in 010 with MAC Cosmetics Russian Red.”

The Hair Symbolism

While Cathy’s makeup didn’t contain any hidden secrets or Easter eggs, the hair certainly did.

“Jaime Leigh did these little buns that we started calling ‘cat ears’ that slowly started changing into horns,” says Thorisdottir.

While “the beginning of the series is all about her gorgeous, flowy hair,” we see more updos than romantic waves as the story goes on.

“As we moved into the 19th century, more beauty products were introduced [as more cosmetics] beyond Pond’s Cream became available. Makeup and a little aging helped tell her story as she became a madam with access to products and clothing that would have been uncommon for the other women in town to have access to,” adds the expert. “The aging on her was a little delicate as she was only around 37 in the last chapter so not old but had lived a life!”

Related Stories

Pomegranate Blush and "Vagina Braids": Behind the Hair and Makeup of 'Wuthering Heights'

Do We Dress For the Love Lives We Want?

Cathy’s Transformation

As mentioned, Cathy goes through quite the transformation (physically, not so much mentally) in the book.

“The introduction to Cathy in the series is definitely one of my favorite moments. When you see that bloody hand reaching for the door, it’s Cathy at her most vulnerable—completely stripped of control—and it is incredibly powerful,” says Thorisdottir. “But I love the transformation when Cathy becomes a madam and begins to fully embrace her wealth through her hair, makeup, and wardrobe. It is such a contrast to that first image of her.”

As the artist explains, “Cathy goes from having no control over how she is seen to having complete control over the image she presents to the world.”

When she’s at her most polished, absolutely everything about how she presents herself is deliberate.

“With her hair—those little cat ears that becomes devil’s horns—she is telling everyone exactly who she is and how she wants to be seen,” adds the expert. “And yet the scar is still there. That’s what makes the transformation so powerful to me. She hasn’t erased what happened to her; she has taken ownership of it. The scar becomes part of the image she chooses to project rather than something that defines her vulnerability.”

“There is still an emotional edge underneath all that polish because we know what she has survived,” she continues. “She has gone from being a woman who is physically and emotionally exposed to a woman who controls the way the world sees her—and the scar is the one thing that reminds us that the vulnerability is still there beneath the surface.”