Brittany O'Grady's Summer Beauty Hacks Are Surprisingly Easy to Follow

When I sat down with Brittany O'Grady, I immediately recognized that she's even more stunning than she is on TV. With perfectly-defined curls, a yellow Lela Rose dress, and beautifully applied makeup, it looks like she's coming right off a movie set not Manhattan's murky, humid, summer air.

When I sat down with Brittany O'Grady, I immediately recognized that she's even more stunning than she is on TV. With perfectly-defined curls, a yellow Lela Rose dress, and beautifully applied makeup, it looks like she's coming right off a movie set — not Manhattan's murky, humid, summer air.

She's no stranger to humidity, though. O'Grady shares with InStyle that growing up on the East Coast and D.C. area helped prep her for the heat, and since she currently lives in Atlanta, it's something she continuously battles. "I'm never as great as the professionals, but I've learned a lot from the people that I've worked with," she tells us.

And speaking of hair, The White Lotus star is here to talk to us about her new partnership with Bumble & bumble — which she says is one of the greatest brand experiences she's ever had.

Along with her latest venture, she also shares her summer beauty tips, where she falls on the middle versus side part debate, and a surprise detail about filming for the HBO smash hit.

You have great curls! What's your haircare routine?

The most important thing to me in my haircare routine is that it stay hydrated. I use the Bumble & bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Shampoo and Conditioner — even my fiancé uses it because he has long hair. I wash my hair maybe once every three days. When I apply the conditioner, I'll comb through my hair with a Wet Brush and start from the bottom and make my way up to the scalp, then I rinse. Then, once I get out of the shower, I'll let my hair be sopping wet and put it in the brand's Light Defining Cream and then put a gel in to make sure it holds.

And then, if I want to do a wave without heat, I'll slick my hair back with the middle part, apply gel, and then put edge control. And then I'll either do a braid to keep the moisture in or wrap my hair in a tight bun for a day or two. On the third day I'll let my hair out and it'll have a loose curl. I try to manipulate my curls and really embrace them.

On that note, I'm so grateful to be working with Bumble & bumble. Meeting them and hearing about their intentions with this collab — I couldn't say no. I'm really excited for other people to embrace the products the way that I genuinely have. I don't promote things I don't feel passionate about, so this is a very authentic partnership.

Were you always a middle part kind of person?

No, I used to do a deep side part — it was deep left, always. In middle and high school I'd always straighten my hair and would do the side part with a little braid. It was one of my best friends who told me to embrace the middle part and now I'm all about it. It's so funny — if you look at pictures from when I was a kid, you can see I did not have a hair routine at all. It'll be little frizz in the front and then a plop in the back.

What are some of the best tips you've learned from working with celebrity hairstylists?

It was definitely how to diffuse my hair properly. I also learned to make sure to get all of the excess product out of my hair and make sure it doesn't stick on my scalp since that will weigh my hair down.

VIDEO: The Best Hot Oil Treatments You Didn't Know Your Natural Hair Needed

You also have incredible eyebrows — what's your secret?

I get my eyebrows threaded. I have specific people I go to — in D.C., L.A., New York, Atlanta. I just find spots where they know what to do.

Do you ever put product in them?

No, but sometimes they'll fill them in at work for some characters.

Did you ever tweeze them?

Yes... I went through a period where I would get my eyebrows waxed or threaded pretty thin — probably half the size of this. I look back and am like, "My face looks like a bowling ball." It doesn't shape my face at all. Both sides of my family have really thick eyebrows. Both my grandmas did. And my dad has pretty bushy eyebrows and my mom growing up had very thick eyebrows. I got lucky in that regard.

Courtesy of Bumble & bumble

What does the rest of your summer beauty routine look like?

I use a vitamin C serum and make sure I then put on a moisturizer with sunscreen in it. I struggle with acne, so I have to be really careful about the medical products that I use. Once I'm done with all the clinical things for my skin, I'll just put a little concealer and foundation — but if it a bit of my acne scars shows, that's ok. Then, I'll put on some liquid eyeshadow with glitter and some mascara. There's also a Chanel lipstick I fell in love with. I'm not a big lipstick person, but this one is close to the color of my lips and I just love it. And on my cheeks I use a cheek tint from an amazing L.A.-based makeup artist who I work with, her brand is JaimeMakeup.

Do you follow any of the TikTok beauty trends?

I don't have a TikTok account. I'm already sucked into Instagram, so I feel like I'd get sucked into TikTok since it's way more addicting. Like, my sister only communicates with me through there — she send me videos all the time. Maybe one day I'll get a secret TikTok — or just a regular TikTok account. If I made one people would figure out my personality a bit more. I'm really quirky and outgoing and soft, but also very awkward. I feel people see these really intense characters I play, so if I made a TikTok, maybe I could show a little bit more of my actual self.

Speaking of which, your White Lotus character reads a lot of really intense books. Did you read any of those?

So, the covers were completely different from what was actually inside. I don't remember what was actually on the inside, but I remember sitting there and thinking, "These are different." I didn't know the books were going to be such a big thing for our character development or that they were going to be such a big deal to the audience, which I love.

Are you reading anything now?

I just read "Verity" (by Colleen Hoover) for book club with my friends. It's the quickest I've ever gone through a book in my adult life — it has so many twists and turns. Then I just started reading Molly Shannon's book — "Hello, Molly!" She just had it sent to me. I've gotten through a couple of chapters and it's remarkable. I just love her vulnerability, she's a really impeccable person and has been very kind and inspirational. I was just reading it on the plane on the way here.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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