
Beyoncé makes me ponder the deeper things in life. You know, like has her hair technically been half up or half down these past few weeks?
But seriously, by sticking hard and fast to this style, she's reminding us all why it's the ultimate best-of-both-worlds styling solution. You get the va-va-voomness of having your hair down without any of that front-pieces-in-your-eyes, stuck-on-your-lip-gloss business. This, whether your hair is curly or straight. Long or short. Dirty or fresh-out-of-the-shower.
It's a beautiful thing, and thanks to the Queen, we've got so many different iterations to inspire us. Here a few different takes on the notoriously '90s look with her 2016 twists.
Brushed-Out Waves
Playing up the rock 'n' roll vibes of her vintage T-shirt and leather skirt look, her long blonde waves are fluffed out for XXL volume. Achieving this texture is as easy as brushing it out with a round brush and amping things up with a volume or texture spray like Living Proof's Full Dry Volume Blast (opens in new tab).
It's-My-Birthday-and-I'll-Tease-if-I-Want-To
Curly girls, grab your styling piks. Ladies with wavy or straight hair, you can use an ultra-small barrel curling iron on tiny sections of hair for her tightly-wound curls. The key is going for a pineapple-like effect when you gather the hair at the top.
Business-in-the-Front, Statement-in-the-Back
As we saw at the VMAS (opens in new tab), Bey loves accenting her looks with plaits. Here, she has two braids pulling back the top sections of the hair. They meet in the middle to create one larger braid at the base of the ponytail. The plait stops at the mid section, fading out amidst her honey waves. She punctuates the look with a gold barrette.
She donned a similar look here and the braid looks especially cool in contrast to her Raphaelite ringlets.
The Sleekest of Slick Backs
Playing up the athleisure vibes at the U.S. Open, she opts for pin straight hair slicked back with a nearly-invisible plastic elastic. Simple and sexy.
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Lauren is the former beauty editor at Marie Claire. She love to while away the hours at coffee shops, hunt for vintage clothes, and bask in the rough-and-tumble beauty of NYC. She firmly believes that solitude can be a luxury if you’ve got the right soundtrack—that being the Rolling Stones, of course.
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