Jennifer Coolidge is known for many things. Most notably, there's her larger-than-life personality, her iconic character Tanya McQuoid on White Lotus, and her penchant for classic, red carpet glamour. The latter certainly held true at last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards. Coolidge walked the red carpet in a sleek Saint Laurent gown that she paired with diamond-encrusted jewelry. The real star of the look, though, at least in our opinion, was her retro bombshell hairstyle. With lots of volume, big blown-out barrel curls, and a sleek black headband keeping it in place, Coolidge channeled a classic French look popularized by Brigitte Bardot in the '60s.
The look was created by celebrity hairstylist Sami Knight, who counts other A-listers such as Gwen Stefani, Rita Ora, and Adele as clients. "I really wanted Jen to be the ultimate bombshell," he says. "This look is all about big volume and soft waves.” Keep scrolling to see a step-by-step guide to re-creating Coolidge's red carpet hairstyle.
To start, Knight prepped Coolidge's wet hair with this mousse. The formula is lightweight and provides a flexible hold and body. He applied it directly to a brush and brushed it through her hair for "perfectly even distribution." Take it from us; don't sleep on mousse if you're looking to create a voluminous hairstyle. It's so helpful, especially for those of us who have fine hair.
Here's the brush Knight used to evenly distribute the mousse through Coolidge's hair. He said the "two-tier teeth gently detangled the hair while evenly drawing the mousse through."
Once he was sure the product was evenly dispersed, he reached for his hair dryer. Using medium heat, he blow-dried Coolidge's hair while using a round brush to accentuate volume.
Before applying heat directly to her hair with a curling iron, Knight spritzed this hair spray through each section for two reasons. The first was heat protection. (It protects hair up to 410ºF.) The second was staying power without stiffness. (Remember a Brigitte Bardot look is all about volume with movement.)
From there, Knight moved on to curling her hair. "I took a 1.5-inch curling iron, pulling two-inch sections, and curled round the barrel," he says. "I curled all the hair from the top of her ears down towards her face, and all of the hair above this away from her face. Doing this is flattering, as it gives a voluminous kick to the shape."
Next, it was time to tease Coolidge's hair. "Once the hair was curled, I used a tail comb to tease the hair at the crown as big as I could," Knight says. "It’s important that the hair can stand on its end if you want it to withstand a brush-out."
Once that was done, he applied this volume-and-texture spray hybrid throughout her lengths. Doing so added even more volume and body to Coolidge's hair. The bigger, the better.
Once the volume-and-texture spray hybrid was applied, he went ahead and smoothed the top layers of Coolidge's hair with this brush so it had a voluminous yet seamless look.
"We added in a black headband at the front of the hair for a touch of that '60s Bardot vibe," Knight says. "You could also add in a ribbon or big barrette, whatever you like!" All in all, it's not a red carpet style that's too difficult to re-create on your own.
Just don't forget to spritz some hair spray. Knight says the finishing touch was a "generous cloud" of this hair spray to hold the style all night long. It works for all hair types and offers a firm hold without stiffness.
Shop 5 Simple Accessories to Channel Jennifer Coolidge
A matte, faux-leather headband? Yes, please.
These are comfy and incredibly budget friendly.
We like this puffed take on a classic headband.
This headband is stretchy and has an ultra-wide fit.
It doesn't have to be a headband. You can also channel a '60s Bardot vibe with a simple black bow.
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