Monday, May 6 was Met Monday!
The biggest names in entertainment went all out with their outfits, makeup and hair for this year's Met Gala. The 2024 Met Gala celebrated the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The dress code for the event was “The Garden of Time.”
Offering plenty of opportunities for creativity, OLAPLEX Global Ambassadors and celebrity stylists used OLAPLEX products to create stunning hairstyles and rich hair color for celebrities Willow Smith, Lana Del Rey, Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Riley Keough, Ambika Mod, Kaia Gerber, Karlie Kloss, Sarah Paulson and Janelle Monae at the 2024 Met Gala.
Willow Smith
Celebrity hairstylist Vernon François (@vernonfrancois) worked with Willow Smith on a look emulating African Royalty.
“When crafting this look, I didn't adhere strictly to transient trends," François shares. "Instead, I focused on accentuating specific features to ensure a timeless appeal while infusing an element of allure and sophistication. The intention was to evoke a sense of tradition intertwined with seduction, ultimately embodying elegance and romance.”
How-To:
- Braiding Backwards: Start by braiding the hair backwards, focusing on creating a clean look from the front and leave out the low back section.
- Pulling Up the Back Section: Pull up the loose hair at the back into the braided section of the hair to maintain a neat appearance, this creates a defined shape.
- Using Rectangle Polystyrene Circles: Employ lightweight Polystyrene circles as stencils to shape the hairstyle, maintaining precision and structure.
- Hair Doughnut Placement: Wrap natural kinky hair around hair doughnuts and place them strategically to add volume and shape to the hairstyle.
- Binding with Cotton: Bind the entire head with 100% cotton, incorporating loose Afro kinky straight hair for a realistic look and securing the shape of the hairstyle.
- Sculpting and Weaving: Sculpt the hairstyle further as needed and weave Afro kinky straight hair extensions, through the cotton binding to add texture and dimension.
“This approach retains the essence of your original statement while providing a clear step-by-step process for achieving the desired look," François says.
OLAPLEX Products Used:
- OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector: Applied as a pre-treatment to strengthen and repair the hair. I love this product. It’s a staple in my kit.
- OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother: Applied to damp hair to provide moisture and protect against heat damage. I genuinely use this on most of my clients. It’s a great preset.
- OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil: This product serves multiple purposes: besides massaging it into the scalp, it acts as a finishing touch, enhancing shine and smoothing where necessary, all while offering protection against environmental damage. Keep this close to you!
- OLAPLEX Nº.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo: As a personal touch, I love applying dry shampoo at the end of the styling process. It not only refreshes the hair but also adds a subtle, natural finish. I particularly enjoy using it on hair extensions, especially curly ones, to tone down any excessive shine. This technique works wonders for red carpet looks and special events, giving the style that perfect finishing touch.
“For those looking to recreate this look at home, start by ensuring your hair is well-protected and hydrated using the mentioned products for a strong foundation," François explains. "As you style, allow yourself the freedom to let your creativity flow and embrace the wild side of your imagination. Let your hair be a canvas for your artistic expression.”
Lana Del Rey
OLAPLEX Global Ambassador and celebrity colorist Tracey Cunningham (@traceycunningham1) worked with Lana Del Rey to refresh her honey blonde hair to create a desert sand-inspired color.
“Desert sand will definitely be a trend this summer! It’s the perfect honey blonde, but with a new twist that gives it more depth than traditionally seen in past iterations," Cunningham explains.
How-To:
“To take Lana from dark to light it took a lot of OLAPLEX, since we wanted to be really careful in order to protect her hair. Even though Lana is naturally blonde, you still need a base color for more depth to get the final right look," Cunningham shares.
- The whole process happened over a three-day period to get to the final look. I stripped the hair with a clear color three times, then highlighted the hair with bleach and a hair lightener using a quarter oz. of OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier.
- Then I went through with highlights and lowlights and treated the ends with more OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier.
- Then we glossed the hair, coating it in OLAPLEX 4-in-1 Moisture Mask to finish off the process.
"For Lana’s look, I used OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier, Nº.2 Bond Perfector, OLAPLEX 4-in-1 Moisture Mask, OLAPLEX Nº.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum and finished the look off with OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother and OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil," Cunningham reveals.
Jennifer Lopez
Cunningham also worked with Jennifer Lopez to brighten up her golden hair and enhance her natural beauty.
"“The focus was on refreshing Jennifer’s look, so we kept the color process simple and just worked to amp it up a bit to heighten her natural beauty," Cunningham says.
How-To:
- We started by dipping her hair straight into OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier, and then coated it with the OLAPLEX Nº.1 4-in-1 Moisture Mask - she loves this conditioning treatment.
- We finished this look off with some highlights to touch up her hair and add brightness to the overall look.
Riley Keough
Cunningham worked with Riley Keough to richen and deepen her hair color for a rich and glossy brunette.
“We did a simple color and gloss to darken and richen her hair color. We wanted to focus on an overarching glossed look and the deeper color really brings that out. The overall goal for this look was to make the hair more rich in color to bring out the shine," Cunningham says.
How-To:
- We used OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier inside the gloss and shampooed with OLAPLEX Nº.4 and Nº.5 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & Conditioner.
Lily James
OLAPLEX Global Ambassador and celebrity stylist Halley Brisker (@halleybrisker) worked with Lily James on a neat and tidy chignon to enhance her natural beauty.
“The design went through a few stages, but we landed in the end on something that felt stripped back and simplistic while also being elegant to complement Erdem’s slight touch on vintage styling. The enhancement of Lily’s natural beauty was the goal," Brisker shares.
How-To:
- Beginning with a pre styling regimen of OLAPLEX Nº.4 and Nº.5 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & Conditioner with the OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector prewash to create an optimum condition to work with, we then created a sharp center part and a luxurious blowout using a base of OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother and OLAPLEX Volumizing Blow Dry Mist.
- Once finished here, using a hair elastic we pulled the hair into the nape of the neck and secured, before creating a neat and tidy classic chignon for style and elegance.
- A handful of ‘U’ shaped bobby pins were used to secure the chignon in place, and OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil was generously used to give the ponytail a beautiful shine before twisting and folding away into the chignon.
- Finish with a misting of a hairspray of your choice.
“Optimum condition is the key here as this will elevate what is essentially a fairly simple and straightforward look," Brisker explains for stylists who want to create the look for their clients. "I recommend when knowing an event is on the horizon, a good regimen of OLAPLEX Nº.4 and Nº.5 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner, and a supplementary OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector or Nº.0 Intense Bond Building Treatment ahead of time to prepare and make sure you get a great blowout before styling! OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil is your friend when it comes to shine too and creating a chignon is very simple with the right tools so it’s all about having fun with it.”
Ambika Mod
Celebrity hairstylist Kat Thompson (@katthompson) worked with Ambika Mod on sleek straight hair for a modernist contrast.
“At the end of the story “The Garden of Time” (which was this year’s MET Gala Theme) statues are mentioned at the end of the story and we wanted a complimentary contrast to the romantic silhouette up against the sleek straight hair," Thompson shares. "It gave modernist feels while still highlighting the traditional beauty of her overall look.”
How-To:
- We started Ambika’s look with freshly shampooed and conditioned clean hair. I used OLAPLEX’s Nº.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum first, adding a weightless layer of heat protection and soft texture.
- Next, I used a small pump of OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother all through her mid lengths to ends. This helps ensure smooth and frizz free hair for the shiny sleek look we were wanting to achieve.
- After blow drying her hair, using a 1.5” round brush, I then took small sections and straightened her hair to make it as clean and polished as possible.
- I Finished with OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil to add extra shine and tame flyaways.
“The best way to achieve this look is by using clips to section your hair so as to get it as sleek and smooth as possible, all while using products like OLAPLEX Nº.6 Bond Smoother to soften the hair texture and get that silky look," Thompson explains. "Then, finish with OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil to add shine and glow.”
Kaia Gerber
OLAPLEX Global Ambassador and celebrity colorist Jenna Perry (@jennaperryhair) worked with Kaia Gerber for a rich and glossy brunette color, inspired by Cindy Crawford.
How-To:
- I did a rich enhancing gloss using the OLAPLEX 4-in-1 Moisture Mask.
- I finished it off with OLAPLEX Nº.7 Bonding Oil to achieve the rich glossy look and to prepare and protect Kaia’s hair for MET day heat & styling.
“We’re seeing a lot of nostalgic looks that are revisiting childhood hair and youthful lightness," Perry explains. "'90s supermodel hair is also making a huge comeback this season.”
Karlie Kloss
Perry also worked with Karlie Kloss to brighten and touch up her blonde for a golden toffee color.
“Karlie’s final look was really close to her natural color," Perry shares. "I did a chelating treatment to remove any build up and old gloss. That treatment brightened her tone immediately. I finished the look by enhancing it with a golden toffee gloss. Karlie and I were inspired by embracing your natural color, giving it a slight glow.”
How-To:
- The OLAPLEX Broad Spectrum Chelating Treatment we did for Karlie is essential for bringing out and enhancing the hair brightness.
- I finished with the OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier treatment and topped it off with the OLAPLEX 4-in-1 Moisture Mask.
Sarah Paulson
Perry worked with Sarah Paulson for a golden balayage highlight, inspired by classic 90s Prada blondes.
“When Sarah said she was going with Prada - I was inspired by the stunning 90’s blonde from the runway. That was a huge inspiration for this look. I gave Sarah a very traditional balayage highlight. She’s planning a slicked-back hair look, so I painted her hairline to give it a little touch up. We kept the overall tone golden," Perry shares.
How-To:
- First, we used OLAPLEX Broad Spectrum Chelating Treatment to remove any impurities.
- Then, I used OLAPLEX Nº.1 Bond Multiplier in the bleach mixture to assure healthy hair quality.
Janelle Monae
Celebrity hairstylist Nikki Nelms (@nikkinelms) worked with Janelle Monae on a short, cropped look that is softly sculpted.
How-To:
- We prepped her with OLAPLEX Nº.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & Nº.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner and OLAPLEX Nº.3 Hair Perfector day-of to make sure her hair was as healthy and shiny as possible to make this beautiful sculpted look.
- We gave her a slight trim for precision. We wanted a really soft sculpted look.
"Always start with clean hair! You can get a really great result with fresh hair," Nelms shares. "I always use the OLAPLEX Nº.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & Nº.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner as it gives the perfect base for any look."
