WickedMakeup Artist Confirms Ariana Grande Used r.e.m. beauty to Get a 'Princess-Like' Glow (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ariana Grande in ‘Wicked’.Photo:Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures

Ariana Grandeglows as Glinda the Good Witch inWicked.That’s both due to her sparkling performance as the co-lead character — and her on-point Glinda glam.Frances Hannon, makeup and hair designer for the film, tells PEOPLE that Grande wanted to “find” Glinda’s look with the help of Hannon’s team.Ariana Grande in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures"She absolutely loves makeup," Hannon says of Grande, 31. “We very much tried to keep her very light and iridescent, keeping with those wonderful costumes. No harsh lines, everything soft. We kept her very youthful — lifting up the outer corner of the eyes, lifting up the corner of the lashes.“Hannon also notes that Grande’s skin is “perfect,” which made makeup application that much easier for her and her team.Grande, who has often gushed about her fondness for makeup, got involved in the glam process as well, adding her own little touches to the look in an “interactive” way, Hannon says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.r.e.m. beauty highlighter.r.e.m. beautyThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“She used to put a little highlight — herr.e.m. beauty interstellar highlighter topper in miss mercury— on the end of her nose as her sort of final touch before she left the makeup trailer,” Hannon says of how the actress incorporated her own beauty brand into her daily routine on set. “It was a very cute touch that Ari had for her Glinda.“In April 2023, while Grande was still filming, she teased onYouTubethatGlinda would likely wear r.e.m. beautywhen all was said and done, but she didn’t want to reveal the specifics just yet.“Glinda wears a few things,” she said at the time, adding, “I just wanted to be a new girl and find Glinda with her.“Over the course of theWickedstory, the characters do age a few years — and in the beginning of the film, Glinda appears a bit older than when she’s at Shiz University, so Hannon says she used makeup to subtly show that difference in the character’s age. For Glinda’s younger years at school, her makeup is lighter, while in her older years, she appears more strong and “princess-like” as she officially becomes “Glinda the Good Witch.“Those subtle differences came through in the wigs Grande wore as well. Hannon says that Glinda, as a student at Shiz, has warm-toned blonde hair that is slightly shorter to appear more youthful, while the older Glinda has a more icy-toned blonde with length.“In her bubble [in the beginning of the movie], we stayed with the curls and the swells of the dress,” Hannon says of how she and the team sculpted the wig. “We very much worked in conjunction with our costume designer, Paul [Tazewell], and our sets, keeping the flow and the look very magical.“Wickedis in theaters Nov. 22.

Ariana Grandeglows as Glinda the Good Witch inWicked.

That’s both due to her sparkling performance as the co-lead character — and her on-point Glinda glam.

Frances Hannon, makeup and hair designer for the film, tells PEOPLE that Grande wanted to “find” Glinda’s look with the help of Hannon’s team.

Ariana Grande in Wicked.Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

“She absolutely loves makeup,” Hannon says of Grande, 31. “We very much tried to keep her very light and iridescent, keeping with those wonderful costumes. No harsh lines, everything soft. We kept her very youthful — lifting up the outer corner of the eyes, lifting up the corner of the lashes.”

Hannon also notes that Grande’s skin is “perfect,” which made makeup application that much easier for her and her team.

Grande, who has often gushed about her fondness for makeup, got involved in the glam process as well, adding her own little touches to the look in an “interactive” way, Hannon says.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

r.e.m. beauty highlighter.r.e.m. beauty

r.e.m. beauty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“She used to put a little highlight — herr.e.m. beauty interstellar highlighter topper in miss mercury— on the end of her nose as her sort of final touch before she left the makeup trailer,” Hannon says of how the actress incorporated her own beauty brand into her daily routine on set. “It was a very cute touch that Ari had for her Glinda.”

In April 2023, while Grande was still filming, she teased onYouTubethatGlinda would likely wear r.e.m. beautywhen all was said and done, but she didn’t want to reveal the specifics just yet.

“Glinda wears a few things,” she said at the time, adding, “I just wanted to be a new girl and find Glinda with her.”

Over the course of theWickedstory, the characters do age a few years — and in the beginning of the film, Glinda appears a bit older than when she’s at Shiz University, so Hannon says she used makeup to subtly show that difference in the character’s age. For Glinda’s younger years at school, her makeup is lighter, while in her older years, she appears more strong and “princess-like” as she officially becomes “Glinda the Good Witch.”

Those subtle differences came through in the wigs Grande wore as well. Hannon says that Glinda, as a student at Shiz, has warm-toned blonde hair that is slightly shorter to appear more youthful, while the older Glinda has a more icy-toned blonde with length.

“In her bubble [in the beginning of the movie], we stayed with the curls and the swells of the dress,” Hannon says of how she and the team sculpted the wig. “We very much worked in conjunction with our costume designer, Paul [Tazewell], and our sets, keeping the flow and the look very magical.”

Wickedis in theaters Nov. 22.

source: people.com