This year’s BAFTA awards presented yet another opportunity to honour the best in British and international contributions to film.
And as celebs took to the red carpet ahead of the event, all eyes were on their outfit, hair and beauty choices.
But which styles and trends dominated this year’s awards? Hair Expert Nicole Petty at Milk + Blush reveals all…
Long and Flowing Tresses
An array of actresses chose to wear their hair down this year – an ongoing trend seen at other awards shows like the Grammy’s and the Golden Globes.
Best actress nominee Michaelle Yeoh parted her long dark hair down the middle, styled it pin-straight and tucked the front sections of the hair behind her ears – to create a casual but sophisticated look to match her that powder pink power suit.
Similarly, the Princess of Wales opted to wear her long brunette hair down, with a bouncy blowout, middle parting and hair tucked behind her ear – her signature style for the red carpet.
Tucking the hair behind the ears with your hair down is a great way to accentuate strong bone structures and draw attention to the eyes and any statement earrings.
To get it yourself, simply blow dry your hair using a large paddle brush, smoothing it out through mid-lengths before curving it out at the ends. If your hair is a little bit harder to tame, follow up by straightening the ends and finishing with a smoothing spray to finish the hair off.
Next, ensure your hair is parted down the centre and gently tuck a section from each side behind your ears, ensuring that the rest of the hair grazes the back of them.
Chic Crops
Film industry veterans Jamie Lee Curtis and Dame Emma Thompson showed off their iconic pixie cuts and truly embraced their grey hair to create effortlessly glamourous styles.
Curtis, who has sported a crop since the 80s, rocked her signature pixie with short and wispy layers that lightly fell across the side of her forehead.
Her rectangular-shaped face is well-suited to this style, as the light volume at the top of the head adds some fullness to balance her facial features.
Dame Emma served a masterclass in incorporating Hollywood glamour into a modern look, with searches up 300% in the last day alone. The actress created a deep side parting and added plenty of volume to the front of the hair, creating a swopping effect with her side bang that grazed the side of her forehead.
The treasured actress has come to embrace her silver hair in recent years and seems to be incorporating grey blending – a technique to smooth the transition between the natural hair colour and emerging silver tones.
Use a reference photo of Jamie or Emma to show a salon professional as a guide, and then discuss some pixie features which will work best for your face and needs.
Some pixie cuts require more styling than others, so consider how much time you would like to put into styling your hair and ensure you create the best look for your face shape.
Elegant Up-Dos
Classic up-do styles have been a red-carpet staple for decades, and this year was no different.
Don’t Worry Darling actress Florence Pugh debuted a micro-fringe with a fanned-out updo and slicked-back hair.
The blunt micro-bang is perfect for Florence’s heart-shaped face, as it elongates her rounder facial features but accentuates her strong jawline.
Her fanned-out look perfectly matched her organza dress which featured similar elements and the mix of blonde hues in her hair created a perfect contrast.
Cate Blanchett won big on the night with her best actress award and winning hairstyle. Her sandy locks were back into an elegant French twist-like bun with plenty of volume at the root of her hair.
The style beautifully showed off her multi-tonal hair – a piecey look that looked fabulous on her oval-shaped face and highlighted her cheekbones and jawline.
Florence’s fanned-out style will likely require some experienced help, so use her image as a reference point for a stylist to replicate, and you can customise it to suit your preference.
You can achieve Cate’s French twist at home. Start by putting it into a low ponytail, before twisting the hair into place and securing it with bobby pins.
For best results, try it with second or third-day hair -so your locks have some texture and grittiness to hold the style.
Trendy Bob Cuts
Bob cuts are all the rage this year, and they made their inevitable appearance on the BAFTAs red carpet on the likes of Viola Davis and Carey Mulligan.
Viola chose to part her hair to the side and sported a bouncy chin-length bob featuring plenty of width and volume alongside some soft Hollywood curls.
The chin-length style works perfectly for the EGOT winner’s diamond face, softening her naturally narrow jawline by adding fullness and removing weight to give her a youthful and trendy look.
Carey Mulligan rocked a blunt box bob at this year’s awards, styling her sandy hair in a middle parting with a gentle wave.
The gentle inward flick at the end of her hair creates the illusion of fullness and helps soften her sharp jawline to add more balance to her dimensions.
Bob cuts are a perfect way to change up your hair, and there is an endless array of styles and lengths to choose from.
Viola’s bouncy bob looks gorgeous on oval, heart, and diamond face shapes, but the style can be adjusted to suit every face, so discuss the cut with a stylist to find what is best for you.
Carey’s boxy style is a great option for ladies with thinner hair looking to add fullness.