Nicola Coughlan’s Botticelli Waves Are Straight Out of a Renaissance Painting

Nicola Coughlan’s SKIMS campaign is a work of art—literally. The phrase gets tossed around a lot, but this time it’s really the only description. For the brand’s latest A-list cameo, Coughlan transformed into a Renaissance-style painting in beautiful, dream-like shots that show the actor wearing the brand’s beloved Fits Everybody Dress. In it, she’s styled in Botticelli waves that have a mermaid-esque charm that we’ll be copying all summer long.

SKIMS posted photos of the campaign to their Instagram earlier this week, alluding to the actress’s romantic role as Penelope Featherton in Bridgerton as the inspiration for the ethereal photoshoot. Photographer Elizaveta Porodina, who shot Bella Hadid’s Orebella campaign, is the mind behind the otherworldly shots. In the photos, Coughlan has extra-long blonde hair that’s crimped in pretty natural waves, as though she’s Venus in Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.”

Extensions expert and stylist Sophie Thomas and hairstylist Halley Brisker worked together to craft the 37-year-old’s long blonde inches and soft waves. Coughlan kept her roots a little darker to add to the natural vibe of the look, and her long blonde hair cascaded down to her hips. It looked as though she stepped right out of the ocean into the shot—her wavy hair was parted in the middle, just like Venus’s was in the painting.

Her glowy, blushed makeup added to the whimsy of the shoot and was courtesy of artist Neil Young. Her lips were pink and glossy, with a flush of pink blush covering her cheeks up to her temples. She wore little eye makeup and a tiny amount of mascara that looked like it could be her natural lashes. A glazed complexion was key to pulling off the oil painting vibe, with lots of pearly highlighter on her cheeks and forehead.

Beachy waves are a summer staple, and Coughlan’s are the perfect inspiration. They obviously required some styling, but look as though they are totally natural, which is the energy every great hair look has. While we won’t be stepping out of magical shells anytime soon, we will be wearing her Botticelli waves all summer long.