With Bridgerton season 3's release imminent, we've been keeping an eagle eye on the cast's social media pages. And granting us – what we're assuming to be – a sneaky preview of what to expect (beauty-wise) is the one and only Nicola Coughlan.
While Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton's love story is at the forefront of every Netflix conversation, over on the Cosmopolitan beauty desk, we cannot get enough of the hair and makeup looks. IRL Nicola is a natural blonde but today, she's reviving her counterpart's 1813-style gingerbread red locks.
The actor's makeup artist, Neil Young, who created the following glam beat, shared a snap of her new hair colour on Instagram. "NEW HAIR, NEW NIC, NEW LOOK 👀🧡👯♀️," Neil writes in the caption of his post.
Sharing details behind the transformation, Neil reveals that the genius behind Nicola's colour was, in fact, her longtime colourist, Jason Hogan.
Jason has been Nicola's resident colourist for quite some time now, upkeeping her trademark Featherington locks. Earlier this year in January, Jason posted a video reel showing how much maintenance such a shade requires.
Side note: Red is the fastest dyed hair colour to fade and so, requires regular aftercare.
Everyone's clicking on...
No wonder she's always in the salon chair!
Oh, and did you spot the sneaky makeup detail? Well, take a closer look at the above snap which shows how MUA Neil colour matched Nicola's brows to her head of hair. It's all in the details, ey?
One can hope that with Bridgerton-approved tresses, Nicola is hinting at the new season's impending launch. *Fingers crossed*.
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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 She is passionate about challenging outdated beauty stereotypes, championing inclusive representation in beauty, and educating readers on the trends, products and conversations shaping the industry today.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.
