Whitney Leavitt is officially a Broadway girl — and Tarte Cosmetics made sure her debut came with a full glam glow, standing ovations, and an afterparty straight out of a main-character mood board.
The Dancing with the Stars semifinalist and breakout star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives took her first Broadway bow on earlier this week (February 2), stepping into the iconic role of Roxie Hart in Chicago to a sold-out, electric crowd at New York City’s Ambassador Theatre. During curtain call, Leavitt was handed a bouquet from the company and visibly teared up as she looked out into the audience — according to PEOPLE — where her husband Conner, childhood friends, and several of her Mormon Wives costars were cheering her on from their seats.
But because one does not simply make a Broadway debut and go home, the celebration continued just a few blocks away at Glass House Tavern, where tarte teamed up with Whitney to host a glitzy, Chicago-inspired afterparty that felt equal parts Broadway backstage energy and SLOMW girls’ night out. The space was styled with gold candelabras draped in pearls, themed cocktails, faux cigarettes, and a photo booth moment that basically begged for Instagram Stories — while cameras and boom mics captured every hug, happy tear, and “we’re so proud of you” moment for what may become a future episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
As promised, Whitney’s Mormon Wives crew showed up, as Mayci Neeley, Jessi Ngatikaura, Mikayla Matthews, Miranda McWhorter, Layla Taylor, and Jen Affleck all pulled up in full glam, husbands in tow, ready to celebrate their girl. And honestly? It felt less like a brand event and more like the kind of intimate, champagne-fueled, “remember when?” night you throw when someone in your friend group officially levels up — which was intentional.
Instead of doing a red carpet placement, a sponsored post, and or even “congrats bestie” comment, tarte showed up as Whitney’s real-life beauty partner, embedding Shape Tape and their hero products into a milestone moment that felt emotional, personal, and culturally relevant.
“We invented the influencer trip 10 years ago and now we’re reimagining it,” tarte founder and CEO Maureen Kelly says in a statement obtained by Celeb Secrets. “Celebrating Whitney’s journey from SLOMW to DWTS to Broadway with her closest circle is what the next era looks like: intimate, culturally grounded and rooted in real friend groups.”
“We watched Whitney become a fan favorite on SLOMW, then captivate an entirely new audience on Dancing With the Stars, and now she’s starring on Broadway,” Kelly adds. “Supporting her and hosting the SLOMW cast to celebrate this moment is exactly how tarte continues to evolve how we show up for creators.”
Instead of treating the moment like another influencer activation, tarte treated it like what it actually was: a career milestone worth celebrating properly with your closest people, your favorite products, and a room full of women hyping you up because they genuinely love you.
“You don’t plan moments like this — you recognize them and act,” Kelly explains. “We saw Whitney’s momentum across SLOMW, DWTS, and pop culture, and when Broadway became the next chapter, we moved quickly to show up in real time.”
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And when it came to her opening night glam, Whitney stepped into her Roxie Hart era with skin that looked filtered IRL, lashes that deserved their own applause break, and lips that said, “Yes, I’m on Broadway — what about it?”
If you’re wondering exactly what tarte used to create (and keep) her glow, we’ve got the breakdown along with shopping links because we don’t gatekeep around here. For concealer, tarte used their Shape Tape Concealer in 22N ($32); Creaseless Setting & Brightening Powder in Translucent ($37); Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner in Blushing Pink ($23); Maracuja Juicy Lip Gloss in Strawberry Milk ($27); Macaron Blush in Toasted Coconut ($38) and Lights, Camera, Lashes Platinum Mascara ($28).
If you wind up snagging any of these products to copy Whitney’s look, don’t forget to tag us in your GRWMs on IG at @celebsecrets.
