Sherri Berman Laurence has earned two Emmys for in the outstanding makeup for a limited series or movie (non-prosthetic), first in 2014 for HBO’s The Normal Heart and again in 2019 for FX’s Fosse/Verdon. This year, she’s earned her sixth and seventh career Emmy nominations, both in the outstanding contemporary makeup (non-prosthetic) category for Netflix’s The Politician (which reunited her with Normal Heart director Ryan Murphy) and FX’s Pose.

Berman Laurence reveals to THR her process, offering insight into her makeup designs for The Politician’s Judith Light and Pose’s Indya Moore.

The Politician (Netflix)

“Judith [Light]’s character was a strong, career politician, and her makeup was always very polished to reflect that,” says Berman Laurence. The makeup allowed Light to transform into her character. “Judith would walk into our trailer as playful, fun-loving Judith, and as soon as her hair and makeup were done, she would completely become Dede Standish!” Berman Laurence recalls. The actress embraced different looks for her scenes, particularly when flirting with Sam Jaeger’s Tino McCutcheon. “Her lashes were thicker, her eyeshadow was a little heavier, and her lips were always a seductive red. Every time they were in a scene together, her lips would be red-hot with dramatic eyes. It was so much fun.”

Pose (FX)

Pose quickly jumped forward in time across its three seasons. Likewise, the series saw Angel (Indya Moore) go from a sex worker on the Chelsea Piers to an in-demand model. In earlier seasons, Berman Laurence brought innocence to Moore’s face with coppers and bronzes; as Angel aged, the artist used “a lot of brown and beige lips with darker liners.” Angel maintains a youthful glow throughout the series. “The highlighting and shading were key in making Indya’s skin look so beautiful and noticeable,” Laurence says. “Also, Indya has really incredibly shaped lips. I always accentuated them with color, whether it be a natural shade of gloss or a deep matte lip.”

This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.