Marcus Owen/startraksphoto.comIt's about time Lea Michele surrendered her long tresses to the heat and threw her hair into a messy side braid. Until last night, in every photo we saw of the Glee star she either wore her hair long and pin straight or in big fluffy waves.
She still hasn't managed to give up the wall of bangs – we wonder if she's hiding a big bump or full forehead tattoo. The only excuse a woman has to wear a bangs wall every single day is if the bangs are an alternative to Botox. This obviously isn't the case for the 26-year-old Ms. Michele.
We'll let the bangs slide since we are so in love with her messy side braid. It's another one of those perfect looks for summer – mainly because you can come straight from the beach and be "going out" ready within minutes.
Get the Look: Forget washing your hair, the messier and dirtier your hair the better. Don't take this to an extreme and go a week without washing, but this look is perfect for recycling last night's down ‘do.
If your hair is stick straight and/or you get the creepy crawlies if you don't wash your hair everyday, then you're going to need to add some texture to your hair before you start braiding. Before blow-drying, apply a volumizing hair cream like Paul Mitchell Thicken Up, which won't make your hair stiff or sticky but will add shine, definition, and soft memory.
Once your hair is bone dry, use a medium or large barrel curling iron to curl 2" sections of your hair. When you're done, run your fingers through your curls to break them up. Next, spray your hair generously with a salt spray like Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray to give it that messy, beachy texture.
Now for the fun part… sweep your hair to one side and braid loosely. Hint: To get Lea's voluminous look, begin your braid below your ear. Fasten the end of the braid with a thin elastic that matches your hair color.
Next, take your index fingers and thumbs and pull your braid in opposite directions. Then, pull out random pieces of hair from your braid. If you have layers, this will be super easy. Finish this look by spraying a light hold hairspray to ensure your messy braid looks just as messy tomorrow morning on the way to the beach.
We're proud of Lea for breaking her usual mold of perfectly coiffed down ‘dos. We're hoping this messy braid is just the first of many rebellious looks. And let's face it, we'll be gleeful if she gets rid of that wall of bangs. Baby steps.
If you're a beauty addict, Janna will be your enabler. Just an occasional user? She'll be your bad influence. Visit her blog at mybeautybinge.com and indulge!