The Oscars were, well, the Oscars: three hours of waiting to hear whether Leo won or not. But he wasn't the only thing that kept us watching. We feasted our eyes on the stunning hairstyles actresses wore on the red carpet. We especially loved the twist these three leading ladies put on their half-up, half-down styles—which are shockingly easy to recreate on your own. Fatima Sheikh, a Cutler/Redken Soho Stylist, walks us through looks worn by Brie Larson, Alicia Vikander, and Diane Kruger.
Brie Larson’s clipped loose waves
brie-larson.jpg ) as you go for added hold," Sheikh explains. Smooth the crown of the hair and then secure your pretty pin. We like this Claire's Crystal Flowers and Vines Hair Comb ($13; claires.com). With the front pieces that weren't pinned back with the hair comb, divide the front of the hair in the center for a middle part and smooth away from your face, then twist each section back and delicately tangle the ends around the pin vines and leaves of the comb. Use bobby pins to hold any fly aways down and for extra hold with the twisted pieces.
Alicia Vikander’s half top-knot
alicia-vikander.jpg ) for some lived-in texture. Part your hair down the middle, and then pull back the top half of your hair as you would if you were doing a classic half-up-half-down. Tie with an elastic, making sure not to over-smooth out the front for a natural effortless look, Sheikh says. Take the hair you just secured and twist it around itself into a bun. "Secure the ends with two Bobby pins going in each direction so that they lock into each other, helping to hold better," she explains.
Diane Kruger’s undone tiered braid
diane-kruger.jpg ) to give that great bedhead texture. Rub strands between fingers and tease a bit to fully achieve the grittiness that Kruger had going on," Sheikh explains. Section the top part of hair, leaving the frontmost pieces free, and make a very loose braid with the back pieces, and secure it with a clear elastic. Divide the front sections that were left free and roll them away from your face. Bring them together in the back, twisting them around the length of the braid, and secure the ends in the clear elastic that's holding the braid together. Next, grab the bottom section of your hair that was left loose and braid that, too, pulling the ends of the top braid to the end of the bottom braid; tie a clear elastic there as well. Gently pull both braids to make the whole look appear undone and natural, Sheikh notes. Add a few fancy bobby pins to the top and you're done!