The Biggest Makeup Secrets Behind Moira Rose on Schitt's Creek

But, as bright as each and every one of Schitt's Creek's stars shine, it's the Rose family matriarch, Moira (Catherine O'Hara), who perhaps most captivated eager viewers with GIF-able quotes and a rotating collection of wigs. The instantly iconic Moira Rose is a puzzle of moving parts, made up of bizarre accents and an avant-garde wardrobe that sticks out like a sore thumb in the small town of Schitt's Creek, where her family was forced to relocate after losing their fortune.

After Bromhead and O'Hara read the script for Schitt's Creek, they sat down together to discuss: Who is Moira Rose, and what does she look like? Bromhead says that she and O'Hara aligned immediately in that they would be pulling from Moira's well-traveled and opulent life. "Moira would draw inspiration from where she's been," explains Bromhead. Take, for example, the character's signature smoky eyes: "If she would gone to Moroccan marketplaces and seen beautiful women with smoky eyeliner, she would draw inspiration for her own look."

In collaboration with hairstylist Ana Sorys, O'Hara and Bromhead agreed that the only thing that should change about Moira's look was her wig du jour. "The wigs allowed Moira loads of ways to express herself," says Bromhead, adding that since she could change her hair, she did not need to change her makeup. "There are so many iconic people that never change a certain element about their look, like [Vogue editor-in-chief] Anna Wintour . Her hair does not change for years, but it stays fashionable." And so, Moira's red lipstick was born.

Bromhead tells us that she was literally wearing red lipstick when she and O'Hara were having this discussion about her character. "Catherine suggested Moira wear a red lipstick and I agreed 100% because it's such a strong color and it really is a signature," she recalls. "We did make the conscious decision that the red lipstick is something Moira would wear to hang onto her old life. It's also how she maintains the core of her identity."

Candice Ornstein, head of the makeup department on Schitt's Creek, explains that the eponymous small town in which the show is set is meant to look and feel bleak in comparison to the Roses. "There's an obvious juxtaposition between the Roses and those who inhabit Schitt's Creek," says Ornstein. "This family comes in and it's the biggest shift these townspeople will ever see in an environment like that. In a way, the Roses are the color of Schitt's Creek."

Before filming officially began for the show, Moira's makeup was perfect - on paper. But when shooting started, both Bromhead and O'Hara felt that something was off. "Catherine suggested she try something with Moira's lipstick, out of curiosity," she says. "She took the lip liner and she did what I call 'The Naomi Campbell.'" Like Campbell often does, O'Hara drew her lips without a Cupid's bow. "Initially, it was not that big, but then we made it bigger and bigger," she says. "Her entire face changed because of the shape of her lip." Bromhead credits MAC for almost every part of Moira's routine, including MAC Lip Liner in Stripdown to outline the lip shape and either MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo or Dubonnet depending on Moira's entire look (wardrobe and wig included).

Bromhead says that budge-proof, foolproof cosmetics - like MAC products - are crucial for working with O'Hara, who is perhaps one of the most expressive comedic actors in Hollywood. "I wish I could explain to you what a genius she is with her face, in so many ways," says Bromhead. "I do not only mean when she was creating this character and emoting, but also when I would paint on her lips in the trailer. She would have a full conversation with me while I was putting on her red lip without moving her mouth and I would understand every word." (O'Hara's ventriloquial talent was even featured on the show in season 2 episode 6 .)

Instead, they ditched the red color for a nude formula - without altering the overdrawn lip shape - and built up her usual smoky eye, which typically included at least four MAC eyeshadows ( Concrete and Carbon being the boldest of the bunch) topped off with MAC's Brush Stroke 24 Hour Liner in Brushblack . "She had to look creepy, but still Moira. So, I suggested keeping the black smoky eye, but making it even darker, a little rounder and bird-like," says Bromhead. "I also suggested taking away her eyebrows because that immediately made her look strange." It changed her whole face - again.

Do you think Prince Charles fancied Camilla because she looks like his butler?

Michael? Well now you come to mention it, wig and some Dulux splashed on and....voila...peas in a pod