With less than a week to go before the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards—where The White Lotus has garnered 23 nominations for its third season—actor Michelle Monaghan hosted a party of her own in Los Angeles. Stepping once again into her role as U Beauty’s global brand ambassador—and the face of the brand’s newest launch, the Smooth Dynamic Wrinkle Defense Serum—Monaghan welcomed friends for an evening in celebration.

To mark the debut, founder Tina Chen Craig took over Hole Gallery on La Brea, transforming the minimalist white-walled space into an immersive U Beauty universe. A looping video of Monaghan’s campaign played in one room, while oversized images from the shoot lined the walls. Long tables were dressed with troughs of gardenias and roses—their fragrance mingling with candlelight—setting the stage for a dinner of Asian pear and avocado salad, filet mignon, and chocolate miso tart.

Monaghan’s inner circle turned out in full force. Guests included Awkwafina, Ellen Pompeo, Malin Akerman, Ashley Nicole Black, Carlos Eric Lopez, Brigette Romanek, Elizabeth Chambers, and Jennifer Meyer. Her glam squad was also in the room—stylist Karla Welch, celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham, and facialists Shani Darden and Ivan Pol among them—along with her husband and daughter.

Before the crowd sat down, Craig addressed the room. “We’ve been secretly working on this for over a year and a half,” she revealed. “Everything we do is about making your skin healthier and defending it, so I told my team we’re not calling this anti-anything—not anti-aging, not anti-wrinkle. Women are dynamic. Aging is dynamic, and Michelle is the perfect ambassador.”

“U Beauty was already on my bathroom shelf before Tina called, so I was like, yeah, we should talk,” Monaghan added. “For me, this isn’t about erasing time—it’s really about embracing every moment.”

Then she turned to her longtime friend Akerman, handing her the mic with a grin. “Now, do you want to tell everyone about season two?” she teased, nodding to the buzzy new Netflix drama The Hunting Wives. Akerman—who has been close with Monaghan since they met nearly 20 years ago on the set of The Heartbreak Kid—didn’t miss a beat: “It’s so great to be enjoying this success at the same time.”

As the evening drew to a close and guests said their goodbyes, one thing was clear: the night wasn’t just about skincare; it was about the beauty of lasting friendships.