This $13 Drugstore Beauty Tool Is the Trick to a Runway-Worthy Sleek Ponytail

Hairstylist Lacy Redway shared a simple-yet-genius hack backstage at Christian Siriano.

When it comes to beauty, backstage is where creativity flourishes — that’s true for the looks being masterfully crafted, but also for the innovative techniques, tools and hacks used to perfect them. And while the fashion week runways are certainly full of glamour, backstage in particular is also rife with practical, accessible problem-solving moments that have plenty of potential for real-life application. 

Take, for example, the simple-yet-genius backstage hack hairstylist Lacy Redway (for TreSemmé) used to get a perfectly sleek finish on the rose-inspired look she created for Christian Siriano‘s Fall 2023 show on Thursday: It involves a drugstore hairspray and makeup brush.

As Redway put the finishing touches on the “Rosie Twist” bun — which featured textured “petal” loops and a sleek “stem” snaking from the models’ hairlines toward the crowns of their heads — she misted TreSemmé Freeze Hold Hairspray ($7.79) all over, then swiped the RealTechniques Retractable Kabuki Makeup Brush ($12.85) over the hair to tamp down any stray stands.

“I use a makeup brush to get any little flyaways that might be peeking out as I touch the hair, the baby hairs that are sticking up to really seal it in place,” says Redway. “It’s just the Real Techniques drugstore brush — most of the stuff I use back here is pretty affordable, really accessible; you can get the TreSemmé Freeze Hairspray in the drugstore, you can get the Real Techniques in another aisle, so you can complete the whole look from the drugstore.”

Why a makeup brush rather than a hair brush? It’s all about precision.

“I also sometimes will use a tint brush that is used for [hair] color to complete the look or a toothbrush — I usually use a toothbrush to brush the fine baby hairs around the hairline. I have all of them around, but I do love this [makeup brush] because I like how close the [brush] hairs are together, so I can really just manipulate the hair as I need to,” she says.

Of the Siriano hairstyle specifically, Redway explains: “It’s essentially a backwards rose if you’re looking at it from the front. It’s a very romantic hairstyle, which I think really complements the collection.” 

The makeup look for the show was similarly floral-inspired, with makeup artist Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury (for Charlotte Tilbury) going all-in on rosy tones. She swept dusty pink over models’ eyes and cheeks, then traced a flick of black eyeliner (a modernized take on Audrey Hepburn, per the artist) along the lids. The focal point of the face was a vibrant fuchsia lip, which came courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Velvet Underground.

While the artists used the same lip color on every model and the same general hairstyle on all of the ones with long enough hair to pull it off, Redway emphasizes that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. The exact size, shape and texture of the bloom-shaped style varied slightly depending on each model’s hair. She advised her backstage hair team to work with each model’s natural texture, rather than against it, embracing the diverse model lineup through the look for more of a personal feel. 

“It’s really important for me when I collaborate with the designers that they support having diversity in their show, and then we also support that by having a diverse team back here,” she says.

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Source: Fashionista.com