She may be a relative newcomer to the red carpet, but stunning Eva was the only starlet who really wowed this awards season. Edgy, sexy and bordering on the gothic, her experimental brand of beauty stands out among a blur of veteran celebs playing it safe. Not only have her latest red carpet looks been 'wow'-inducing – going by the plethora of hair heaven on this season's catwalks – she couldn't have been more bang-on-trend if she'd tried! Eva, we salute you, and your wacky hair habits. And with the help of Karine Jackson, one of London's leading stylists, you too can cause a tress-sation this season...
Eva up...
Eva's Baftas 'do may appear daunting, but textured teasing is one of the hottest looks of the season, with the likes of Jasper Conran and Alexander McQueen flaunting identical dos on their spring/summer catwalks. If you've got a big night out planned, take a leaf out of Eva's book and don't be afraid to experiment – with Karine's help you'll have this look sculpted to perfection in seconds!
'Eva's look is messy but with control,' Karine says, 'and the strong elongated shape and carefully placed hair gives it a vampy, gothic feel. She has great thick hair, which is perfect to achieve this style. To recreate her fab hair up style at home, start by using a mousse on damp hair making sure you put a lot on the roots. Dry this in while lifting the hair from the roots - this will give you the volume you'll need. Once dry, use heated rollers to set the hair in large sections - lift up from the roots and over direct the rollers. Each section should be sprayed with a setting lotion; Tecni Art Pli by L'Oréal Professionnel (£9.95, www.lorealprofessionnel.co.uk) is great for this. Let the rollers cool down, then take them out and section the hair from just in front of the ears. Leave the front section for now, and gently backcomb the hair, then sweep the hair at the back loosely into your hand like a ponytail, roll the hair over your hand and spread hair horizontally across your nape like a French pleat.'
'A top tip for hair up-dos, is to source some matte hairgrips – they're much better as they don't slide out of the hair – and fringe pins which are a long U shape,' suggests Karine. 'Slide matte hairgrips into the top of the roll securing it well. With a pintail comb, gently pull the roll to loosen it up. Use a good hairspray to hold. Divide the front of the hair into three sections – the top and two sides. Gently backcomb the roots of the hair and pull apart. Lifting it high, take the top section over to the back to meet the French pleat and pin into the pleat spreading loosely; repeat this with the side sections leaving a few pieces cascading over the top. Spray the hair well with finishing spray and add a little L'Oréal Tecni Art Gloss Control shine spray (£9.95).'
This look may take a bit of practice to master, but you won't regret giving it a whirl! Although this style suits any shade, you might fancy copying Eva's dark and delicious hue while you're at it. 'Eva's colour is rich and glossy.' says Karine. 'Even though the style is tousled and messy, the strong glossy colour keeps it looking healthy. For a similar colour try a semi-permanent gloss colour in rich chestnut brown.'
Eva down...
For the Oscars, Eva brought a little vamp-style beauty to proceedings with this rich, dark chocolate mane, lengthy and glossy with great volume at the crown. 'She has stayed with the rich chestnut brown colour giving her maximum shine,' notes Karine.
Again, another on-trend move by the actress. 'There's a distinctive '60s look here, which is a great sexy style and easy to achieve yourself,' says Karine, 'it shouldn't take more than half an hour to do at home. You don't want to make the hair sticky, so use the Kerastase Volume Active Spray (£9.95, www.hqhair.com) on the roots to give you the lift needed, and a good sculpting mousse on the rest of the hair. Blow-dry with a large round brush, lifting the hair as high as possible and rolling right up to give a soft bouncy curl. If you find this difficult to do then set the hair in very large Velcro rollers and, using the L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni Art Pli, dry well. Once the hair is dry gently brush through using a natural hair bristle brush, so you have soft movement.'
Karine advises taking 'a middle parting at the front of the hair about 3” long, then smooth this over with some hairspray and tuck behind the ears. Pin it at the back under the rest of your hair so you won't have to worry about it falling into the face. Take the hair left at the top and backcomb from the back getting as much height as possible. Spray the root area well with hairspray again, then gently smooth the hair over to the back. Let the hair tousle softly to the front.' Sounds simple enough eh? But oh-so effective. Finish with a spritz of a good holding spray and a gloss spray to achieve Eva-like shine, and you're good to head out and find your own red carpet.
If you fancy a appointment with Karine, visit her gorgeous Covent Garden salon, which has also just introduced an organic colour range and also offers brilliant beauty services. Karine Jackson is at 24 Litchfield Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9NJ. Appts 020 7836 0300 www.karinejackson.co.uk
