I’ve reached a critical crossroads with my hair — a perfect storm, if you will. It’s very long right now, which is great, but also boring, because before hair can be very long, it has to be long, and before that, pretty long — so it’s been long for a long time. And on top of that, I’m having an overwhelmingly hectic summer that has left me with little time or motivation to actually do anything with said hair. The temptation to chop has been strong. But Jennifer Lawrence has unwittingly swooped in and saved the day.
Lawrence was spotted in New York City on Wednesday, August 23, looking impossibly cool in dark blue wide-leg pants, a light blue button-down shirt worn open over a black tank top, pointy black kitten heels, a sparkling necklace, an olive green tote, and oversized sunglasses. I realise if I attempt to recreate this outfit, I will look maybe one-tenth as chic. But her hair is another story.
See, attempting to recreate Lawrence’s hair is not an attempt at all. It’s sincerely effortless — not effortless-looking like some actually effort-full styles — and it reminds me how cool my own very long hair can look if I basically do nothing.
Check out Lawrence’s hair in the clearly annoyed photo below. Those are air-dried, natural waves if I’ve ever seen them. I know because some areas a wavier than others — heat-styled waves would look more uniform — and there’s even (dare I say it?) a little frizz. It’s basically the lowest-key version of the water-waves trend, and I love it. And it made me realise my own long, unevenly textured hair (it’s wavy, curly, and straight all at once) with its sporadic areas of smoothness actually looks pretty effing cool.
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Now, effortless doesn’t mean product-less. That’s the extent of the effort I put into air-drying my length. And although I can’t speak for Lawrence regarding which products she uses, I’m happy to report that, recently, Living Proof Curl Enhancer has been exactly what my hair needs right out of the shower to get a look like hers. (It’s also a past Best of Beauty Award winner and a favourite of fellow Allure editor Kara McGrath.) Another great option for keeping frizz to a minimum while supporting texture: Allure Best of Beauty Award winner Nexxus Ultralight Smooth Frizz Defy Cream Serum.
Won’t you join in me in saving time and looking like Jennifer Lawrence (sort of) this fall?
This article originally appeared on Allure.