We’ll forever be envious of Blake Lively and her signature Disney princess hair, but it turns out she’s was ready for a fresh change. She just debuted one of her shortest hairstyle ever on the red carpet.
The All I See Is You actress stepped out at the Los Angeles premiere looking all kinds of old Hollywood glam in a white skirt suit by Ralph & Russo, sparkly gold pumps, and a shoulder-grazing, sleek new bob. A deep side part definitely gave the style a Victoria Lake-esque touch. But clever fans weren’t fooled. They guessed that Gossip Girl star didn’t actually chop off her hair, and instead had her longtime hairstylist Rod Ortega tuck the ends underneath to give the illusion of a bob.
Ortega confirmed the trompe l’oeil to Brit + Co, calling it the “T3 Tuck,” named after the styling tools that he is a brand ambassador for. It’s a pretty genius (and easy!) way to test out short hair for a night without going under the scissors. And he even gave us the instructions on how to pull off this exact look, calling it “seriously awesome”!
First, you start with wet hair. Lively’s stylist dried using the T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i Dryer, but any dryer will work. He also used an Ibiza Hair Paddle Brush to give the hair, in his words, “a smooth finish with some body.” Then you create a side part.
Next, take two-inch section right at the nape of the neck and create a braid. Take the braid and shape it horizontally against the nape of the neck, pinning with bobby pins until it was completely secure. As Ortega tells us, “This pinned braid will be used as the ‘pin cushion’ in which I anchor the rest of the hair.”
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After the braid is complete, heat up your curling iron! For Lively’s hair, Ortega used the T3 Voluminous Curls (1.5”) Barrel from the T3 Convertible Collection to create some body and texture in the hair. Pro-top: use a large curling iron. “I used a bigger sized barrel because I didn’t want it to be too curly, but also not too straight!” Ortega tells Brit + Co. Curl the hair in two-inch sections and pin up the ringlets as you go. Once all of the hair is pinned, let it cool give it a generous spritz of hairspray (Lively used L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray). Once your hair has completely cooled, unpin your curls and brush ’em out.
Now comes the “tucking” part. Separate the hair into three sections. Starting with the weft from the back of the head (which is, according to Ortega, ear to ear), roll the hair up from the bottom and used hair pins to anchor the rolled hair to the braided ‘pin cushion’. This large back section is the most important, since it “gives the tuck width, so the sides can blend easily.”
Then roll up the other two sides and and again pin those into the ‘pin cushion’ braid. To make it look more natural, shape the hair with your fingers, pulling out some pieces, and creating an overall seamless look.
But if you’re obsessed with her mermaid-length locks, fear not: The mom-of-two was spotted the next day at the airport in LA with her long, boho waves firmly intact.
What do you think of Blake’s new look? Tweet us @BritandCo.
(Photo via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty, SMXRF/Star Max/GC Images)
