Cara Buono Returns to ‘Stranger Things,’ Talks Her Love for Cold-Fusion Creams and Her Character’s Beauty Evolution

Cara Buono has long captivated audiences with her warm presence and quietly commanding performances, and this fall she’s stepping back into one of her most beloved worlds. Best known as Karen Wheeler in Netflix’s global phenomenon Stranger Things, the actress returns to the Upside Down for the series’ highly anticipated final season, premiering November 26.

But Buono’s impact extends far beyond Hawkins. An Emmy-nominated standout for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in Mad Men, she’s brought depth and dimension to unforgettable characters in The Sopranos, Person of Interest, The Girl From Plainville and Supergirl. Her film work spans everything from Hulk to Let Me In to All Saints, showcasing a range as versatile as it is enduring.

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Off-screen, she channels just as much purpose into her advocacy. As co-founder of Liberty United, she helps transform illegal guns collected by police into handcrafted jewelry and accessories—using the proceeds to support programs that protect and educate children affected by gun violence.

Now, as she steps back into the spotlight for Stranger Things’ final chapter, Buono reflects on the series and looks ahead to what’s next in the new year.

The world is buzzing as Stranger Things returns. How do you feel personally?

“We wrapped last December…we filmed the whole year. On one hand, it seems kind of long to do something, but I was very happy to have the extended time to go through all of the emotions. While you would have these 18-hour days, you knew that it was going to be the last of certain locations. Certain characters were wrapped out at certain times.

It was good to be among other people who had the same emotions about it, who could really understand. I’d sometimes just show up and just start crying, and it was O.K. Everyone understood. Everyone had different moments along the way where something hit them about it being the end.”

What was your most favorite part about playing Karen? Was there anything glam-wise that helped you step into the role?

“Yes! I love the fact that it was in the ’80s when I first got the role. Gosh, it was 2015. To be frank, there wasn’t a lot of Karen in the beginning. I thought, how can I show up in a way that would reveal her when we did see her, and to me, expressing her through hair and makeup. Of course, we always had amazing costumes. I’ve always been an actor, actually, who often works from the outside in. I like to figure how I’m going to look because that informs me in a lot of ways. It always started with the hair.

Season one, I had my own hair. She was still a brunette. She was still a little bit part of the ’70s…she’s from the Midwest and back then, you didn’t have the global reach that we have now. The hairstyles trailed behind. She had a little bit of a ’70s wing flip to her hair. We talked a lot about her having a mousey-brown color. We wanted to be very specific in the color. Then it evolved as she evolved a little bit.

Luckily, I got a couple of wigs in there because it really takes a toll on your hair. The hair got bigger, it got blonder, it got permed, and the colors got brighter. I just love that. I always wanted to go bigger, bolder, brighter. It was a way for her when she did show up in some scene that you could say, ‘Oh, what is going on with her without her having too much in a scene?’”

I love that progress and the stories behind it. Is there anything that you relied on while filming—a cleanser, serum, any holy grails?

“Oh, my gosh. I’ve been into skin care since I was 14. This was a time when it wasn’t popular like it is today for kids to be so into skincare. My mom always had beautiful skin. She taught me to take care of my skin from a really young age. Back then in the ’80s, my dad was really serious about sunscreen. I’m really lucky that he was like, ‘You need sunscreen, you don’t want to get skin cancer.’

Maybe there were two or three choices in the drugstore at the time. I remember my mom would say: ‘Pat, don’t rub!’ So, yes, I’m very into all kinds of skincare. I use the Ginza Deep Cleansing Oil. If I want a deep exfoliation, I use the Tatcha Deep Rice Polish. I use a vitamin C. I alternate between the SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, which I’ve been using forever. It’s amazing. Timeless also has a really good vitamin C that’s at really good affordable price for that. I use the, I don’t know, do you want my hand? I love skincare, so much stuff that I love. I use the 111 NAC Repair Serum.

One thing I always have on me is Weleda Skin Food. I just have been carrying that around with me for years because it just keeps your skin so hydrated. I also read that the company grows 80 percent of its ingredients in Germany, and that just made me like them even more that they really invest in the quality of their products.

There’s also a spa in LA called Carasoin. They have the best stuff. Every time I have an adventure, I go out there. I book the facial because they have this amazing facial and they have their own cold-fusion cream that they make that is really good. I use Tretinoin five days a week. There’s one particular one that has been a real game-changer—the Alloy. It’s for more mature skin, but their M4 cream with the Estreol in it. That is a very good product when you’re, I’d say, over 40.”

You know your stuff! SkinCeuticals serums are the best.

“It’s really good because I know it’s on the pricier side. It’s one of those things that I feel is really worth it for the investment because you put it under your moisturizer. It’s like a defense screen. Yes, you notice the difference. You know that it’s working.

What are you excited about either professionally or personally as the holidays approach?

“I’ve been working on a book. I’m writing a memoir that I was approached about doing, so I’m doing that. This is a little bit of a different career. In addition, I’ve co-founded an app called Gifting Green. I’ve been learning a lot about being in the fintech world. I plan to launch that in the spring, the late spring.”