'Virgin River' Makeup Artist Robbi O’Quinn on How to Achieve Mel's Healthy Glow [Exclusive]

With Season 5 set to debut on Sept. 7, Netflix's Virgin River is the little show that could. It premiered in 2019 as an unassuming romantic drama about a big-city nurse named Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge, This Is Us) who steals away to a quaint northern California town and meets the ruggedly handsome barkeep Jack (Martin Henderson, X). But Virgin River performs a magic trick: The series delivers deeply moving character studies of people who have endured the worst—widowhood, PTSD, postpartum depression—while retaining that glossy, will-they-won't-they romance. It's a winning balance, and one of the chief architects of that magic is Robbi O'Quinn, Virgin River's Head of Makeup.

Videos by Wide Open Country

The cast of Virgin River starts their day in the hair and makeup trailer, making O'Quinn the tone-setter for often jam-packed filming schedules — or, as she tells it, "As a makeup artist, you're psychologist, you're listener, you're mom, you're best friend." Crafting signature looks for a large cast of characters (her "canvases") is no small feat, especially when those looks are subject to the wind, the wet and all other elements of the picturesque Canadian wilderness where the show is filmed.

Wide Open Country sat down with O'Quinn to talk about the delights and challenges of working on the hit series, including her go-to products (high-end and drugstore), the secret to Mel's dewy skin, what male actors actually wear on their faces and one crucial consideration when it comes to intimacy scenes.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Creating Mel's Signature Glow

Mel is the queen of luminous, no-makeup makeup, and we have O'Quinn's skin-first approach to thank for it. "I'm not really big on a lot of makeup," she says. "I like to see skin. It tells a lot of stories." 

O'Quinn joined the Virgin River makeup team in Season 3, eventually taking over glam duties for leading lady Alexandra Breckenridge in Season 4. Her first order of business was gradually warming up Mel's palette. Viewers probably didn't notice the shift to ruddy brown shadows and peachier lip and cheek colors, and that's by design. Not much time passes between each season, so Mel's look has to stay somewhat consistent.

Generally, O'Quinn sticks to natural tones and stays away from matte products that cake or sap moisture. Her rule of thumb? "Pay attention to the skin and add a bit of glow."

How the Men of Virgin River Get All Dolled Up

Women spend anywhere from 30-45 minutes in the makeup chair. Believe it or not, men aren't far behind. It takes 20-30 minutes to get the gentlemen of Virgin River camera-ready. Much of that time is spent buffing and blending the product: "What takes me out of a scene right away is if I see makeup on men. It's my pet peeve." 

But the boys aren't always so receptive to O'Quinn's makeup brush ("Sometimes, men are a little bit more delicate than women.") — not to mention the at-home skincare routines she enforces.

"I send them home with sunscreen. I send them home with moisturizers. When they go on their little vacations, I'm like, 'You better do it!' I lecture them all over. I think they've pretty much had it up to here, but they're very nice with my lectures. I'm like, 'Don't make my life more difficult. [It's] mostly for your skin health.'"

Behind-the-Scenes Tips and Tricks

You'd be surprised at just how collaborative the makeup department's job is. O'Quinn's process begins with the first production meeting of the season, from which she creates booklets of makeup ideas to pitch to the actors — who come with their own ideas. ("They know their character best, right?") The wardrobe department, directors and even set decorators must be consulted, too. For intimacy scenes, the question is, "How's that going to transfer on sheets?"

But it's not all business for O'Quinn, who knows their time in the makeup chair can make or break an actor's day. She lights candles and plays music for the cast of Virgin River. If an actor is gearing up for an emotional scene, she'll even put on something melancholy. She's particularly proud of the bonds she's forged with her leading men and women after three seasons of close proximity. Her love language? Pranking the more gullible subjects who dare sit in her makeup chair.

"I have an actor who I can sell almost anything to," she grins, recalling one particularly impressive con. She always receives scripts before the cast, so she told one actor lies about his character's fate in the season finale. He bought it, suffering through a whole day of shock before finally reading the script himself. The next season, O'Quinn changed tack and told him the truth about what would happen to his character. He didn't believe her, so she bet him $100 that she wasn't fibbing. What happened when he inevitably forked over the cash? "I'm like, 'I'm taking it!'" she gleefully recalls.

Virgin River Season 5, Part 1 premieres Sept. 7 on Netflix.

READ MORE: Netflix Unveils Gripping First Trailer for 'Virgin River' Season 5