A tumultuous love-affair spanning twenty years has resulted in Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck boarding a plane to Vegas, and tying the knot in the city’s chapel in the wee hours of the night. This happened just yesterday, and we’re still processing — because just how long have we waited for this?
While we’re all heart-eyes for the duo, we’re thinking about J.Lo’s tryst with her hairstyles, and how they’ve created just as much of a buzz over the past couple of years as rumors of her rekindled relationship with Affleck. The American singer has become a perennial source of inspiration for mane-loving enthusiasts like ourselves. That’s why we’re rounding up some of her most iconic, carpet-ready ‘dos — along with a guide on recreating them at home. Read on.
J’Lo’s Tryst With Her Hair Is A (Pony)Tale As Old As Time
Lopez looked like a dream yesterday — and much of it is courtesy of hairstylist Chris Appleton. All you need to do is add a couple of curls toward the bottom of your hair to achieve a bombshell blowout-like look. Appleton has slicked the front of her hair toward the back. This is a lot like the pouf — just flat against the scalp. You can secure the ends with bobby-pins or hair-clips to keep it intact, and spritz a little bit of hairspray all over to hold the style.
A Sky-High Updo
J.Lo’s tryst with sky-high ponytails is one that goes beyond her long affair with Affleck — one that accompanied her to many a carpets through her career. This one’s a highly-coveted ‘do thanks to how voluminous it is, and Lopez’ hairstylist, Chris Appleton, has shared a step-by-step hack to achieving the look effortlessly. Start off by separating your hair into halves — the top-half and the bottom-half. Secure the top-half into a ponytail before splitting the bottom-half into two sections (of equal thickness). Proceed to pull both the sections up and over the ponytail, and secure them with an elastic. Blend it all into the ponytail, and that’s it. This hack adds instant (but temporary) thickness to your ponytail — perfect for those with thin, fine hair.
A Slicked-Back Top-Knot
J’Lo’s messy top-knot has always messed correctly. Pull out a few chunks of your hair to frame the front of your face. Pluck out a few from behind the ear as well. Throw all of your hair back into a low-hanging ponytail before spritzing a little bit of a volumizing hairspray over it. Next — twist the ponytail into a chignon. You might notice a couple of inches sprouting out from the bun toward the end — just flat-iron them to give them some shape, and spray them with a little bit of hairspray. Add shape to the face-framing layers with the same flat-iron by directing them away from the face, and voila — your very own J.Lo-approved bun. Conclude with a shine spray if needed.
Space Buns
Lopez proves that Gen Z doesn’t have a monopoly over space-buns. Start off with a middle-part, and pull out a couple of face-framing chunks — thicker and chunkier this time. Divide your hair into two equally-thick sections before brushing your hair into pigtails on either side. Make sure you’re using a clear, transparent elastic to do the securing. Add a little volume to your tresses with a volume-inducing/texturising hairspray. Now — twist the pigtails into a bun the way you’d with an everyday bun, and secure them with hairpins to hold onto the hairstyle. Lopez was even likened to Princess Leia from Star Wars by the comment-section — and we cannot help but agree.
A Crimpy & Curly ‘Do
Appleton created this look for J’Lo’s Christmas campaign with Coach. He suggests starting off with damp/wet hair — it’s easier to reform your curl-pattern, and create more control over how your curls look in this way. Next — saturate your hair with a curl-enhancing product to enhance your look further. Wrap small sections of your hair around your fingers as it dries. Go on to dry your hair with a diffuser-nozzle. You can flip your hair upside down while drying them to create more volume. Once your hair is 50% dry, tip it back, and continue drying. Use your fingers to lift your hair at the roots. This adds to the volume. Once your hair is 70% dry, flip it one last time for a final diffuse. And when it is is almost dry, stop blow-drying. Let the remaining bit air-dry, and run a moisturising cream/shellac through your hair to nourish it and break up the curls a little.
A Full-Bodied Blowout
Yet another masterpiece brought to life by Appleton who created this look for Lopez’ appearance at the Venice Film Festival in 2021. He prepped her hair with a colour-protectant before running a volume-inducing mousse/hairspray through her tresses. He went on to blow-dry her hair with a large, round brush, and clipped a few extensions in to create length and volume quickly. Next — he curled her hair with a one-and-a-half-inch curling-iron, and pinned them to set. Then — he brushed them out, and applied a shine spray for a ‘diamond-shine’ finish. And that’s all it took to create a carpet-worthy moment.
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Which look did you like best?
Featured Image: Instagram
