Michelle Monaghan waited decades to find the right beauty campaign.
The actress and White Lotus star, 48, has been approached by brands for years but it never felt like the right partnership — until U Beauty came along.
“I was using their Resurfacing Compound and The Return Eye Concentrate and they happened to call,” Monaghan told PEOPLE at a New York City event celebrating the actress as U Beauty’s first-ever brand ambassador. “It just felt so the right time, the right place, the right people. Just such a wonderful team. We all kind of share the same values around skin health.”
For Monaghan, taking care of her skin is about much more than her appearance. A decade ago, the actress was diagnosed with melanoma, which she says was “a turning point” in her life.
“I am constantly dealing with past issues, which is the trauma of not wearing sunscreen in my 20s and my 30s,” she says. “That’s all cumulative. So as our skin regenerates and the cells come up, there’s always going to be sun damage that reveals itself. I feel like the Resurfacing Compound tackles all of those sorts of problem spots and problem areas as well as the hormonal acne that I get.”
U Beauty
Per a press release, U Beauty’s “Meet U in Your Moment” campaign, starring Monaghan and photographed by Olivia Malone, “honors the freedom to define your vision of change no matter where you are in your life.”
Monaghan is certainly at an exciting moment in hers. She’s currently appearing as Jaclyn (a TV star on a girls trip to Thailand) in season 3 of HBO’s hit series The White Lotus, which she describes as “a really very fun role to inhabit.”
In addition to her performance, fans are also taken with the actress’ blonde hair transformation on the show.
U Beauty
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
“I loved being blonde so much and I was nervous because I am a brunette,” she says of the color change. “I knew that [show creator] Mike [White] really wanted me to be blonde. And I was like, ‘Of course I’ll do whatever you want.’ But I was worried because I knew that I was going to have to go back to being brunette for a film afterwards.”
Luckily, celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham took several trips to Thailand, where the season was filmed, to maintain Monaghan’s color throughout shooting.
U Beauty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Whether it’s landing a coveted spot on The White Lotus or doing her first beauty partnership 25 years into her career, Monaghan knows that good things take time.
“I’m so fortunate and I know that there is an ebb and a flow in any career, specifically in Hollywood,” she says. “And so right now is a real celebratory moment for me. This is really exciting to be a part of The White Lotus, to have this opportunity to partner with U Beauty. I’m in flow and so that feels really, really positive to me.”
