A Toast to White Lotus Star Michelle Monaghan’s New U Beauty Campaign—Plus, a Surprise Birthday Treat

With the third season of The White Lotus well underway—and its signature sense of foreboding steadily mounting—cast member Michelle Monaghan was in anything but ominous spirits last night at The Mark Hotel. The actress, in town for a few days, was positively radiant as she celebrated her latest venture: fronting the first-ever celebrity-driven campaign for skincare brand U Beauty. The evening drew an eclectic mix of fashionable friends and familiar faces, including designer Prabal Gurung, spiritual author Gabrielle Bernstein, Real Housewives of New York City’s Sai de Silva and Carole Radziwill, and celebrity trainer Lia Bartha.

Guests mingled over glasses of champagne and Tajin-rimmed margaritas—one of the night’s specialty cocktails and a personal favorite of U Beauty co-founder Tina Chen Craig. Conversations swirled from the latest White Lotus plot twists to the just-wrapped Paris Fashion Week and the buzz surrounding the downtown opening of private members club San Vicente Bungalows. “I went today and I’ll probably go back tomorrow,” said Bernstein, fresh off a flight from Switzerland.

Meanwhile, Gurung playfully teased creative director Adam Glassman with details from his forthcoming memoir, Walk Like a Girl, out May 13. “I want to be surrounded by people I love,” Gurung told Vogue, nodding toward the glossy black dining table that stretched down the room. “I’m definitely taking notes for my own celebration—this is gorgeous.”

While Monaghan remained tight-lipped about her White Lotus character Jaclyn’s fate, she did share a glimpse of what’s next: filming The Whisper Man alongside Robert De Niro and Adam Scott. “I’ll be in New York for the spring, which I’m thrilled about,” she said. “I lived here for 12 years—this is my old stomping ground.”

According to U Beauty co-founder Katie Borghese, she and Craig had been carefully searching for the right ambassador for nearly three years. “We wanted someone who had never fronted a beauty campaign before—and someone who actually used our products,” she explained. “It wasn’t about rushing; it was about finding the right person. And with Michelle, what a moment.”

The word of the night, in fact, seemed to be moment. Over dinner, Chen Craig reflected on the brand’s milestones: “This is such a huge moment for us,” she told the room.

Monaghan echoed the sentiment in her heartfelt dinner speech, her eyes misting as she addressed Craig and Borghese. “I feel like I’m having a moment right now. Thank you for meeting me in mine,” she said.

But the night wasn’t over just yet: one final surprise appeared—a birthday cake to honor Monaghan’s upcoming birthday this weekend, bringing the evening to a sweet, celebratory close.