Nicola Coughlan just attended her very first Met Gala (an invitation to rival any Bridgerton ball, may I add) and absolutely killed the red carpet in a custom Richard Quinn floor-length pink gown. Her look was finished with Swarovski jewellery and, even though they're hardly visible, the all-important Jimmy Choo heels. Penelope is living the high life, we've gotta say.

Although the actor couldn't make the Bridgerton premiere late March due to unfortunate circumstances (aka, Covid), this look has certainly made up for a lifetime of gala lewks. Including the Featherington Ball (see: season two, episode eight).

Our favourite aspect of the look, bar the feather details, floral jewels, and full-length gloves (OK, we love it all), has to be the hair. It may not seem as out-there as say Kim Kardashian's bleached Marilyn-inspired 'do, but it is a dramatic change from her signature bob cut.

And to fuel our Met Gala beauty dreams, Nicola made an Instagram video documenting the entire getting ready process featuring the whole hair, makeup, and styling team. Watch below:

Celebrity hairstylist Halley Brisker, who has worked on the star's hair before, left no crumbs when it came to this incredible hair look. In his IG post, Halley shared the effortless, ethereal, and feather adorned tresses which fit perfectly in line with this year's 'Gilded Glamour' theme. And luckily for us, he also added that the extensions were "blown out and styled with the Cloud Nine premium collection".

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To finish off the hair look, Halley added some volume and subtle movement using the Cloud Nine Waving Wand, £119, gently wrapping medium to large sections of hair around the wand and sliding each section off once it has heated through.

Everyone's clicking on...

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Making this look even more spectacular, Jason Hogan, hair colourist at Josh Wood Atelier, posted a video sharing the process behind creating the custom hair piece for Nicola.

Ahhh, to have a glam squad on speed dial. A girl can dream...

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Lia Mappoura
Beauty Writer

Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK, with over four years of experience reporting across the brand's print, social, video and digital platforms. Lia covers everything from emerging trend analysis to viral celebrity hair and makeup moments, making her an expert at spotting the season’s next big beauty look (before it takes over social media feeds).

In 2025, she was named The Rising Media Star at the Love Perfume Awards with The Perfume Shop, recognised for her outstanding digital fragrance content and for building genuine authority within the space. She is passionate about challenging outdated beauty stereotypes, championing inclusive representation in beauty, and educating readers on the trends, products and conversations shaping the industry today. Follow her on Instagram or find her on LinkedIn.