Emmys 2013: Kerry Washington

Celebrity hairstylist Marcus Francis created Kerry Washington’s soft curls for the Emmys and shares with Solessence readers how you can get this look:

“It is a big day for Kerry being a nominee for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and we both wanted to make this look a memorable one.  Her Marchesa dress has a soft elegance to it that subtly commands one to double take.  Kerry and I agreed that we wanted the overall look to be ‘classic simplicity’ with bouncy, shiny waves.

• We first started with Leonor Greyl Masque Quintessence and left it on for 15 minutes to help promote shine as a part of the foundation.  Then we cleansed the scalp and hair with Shampooing Reviviscence.
• On towel-dried hair, I sprayed Leonor Greyl Condition Naturelle from roots to ends. This helped to protect her hair from heat while giving volume throughout. Then, I combed through to help distribute and applied a large amount of Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice to the ends for added bounce and lasting texture. I blow-dried with a medium size round brush working around an off center part. Then, I set a large velcro roller at the crown to give that natural lift and height.
• Taking 2 inch sections of Kerry’s hair, I lightly sprayed Leonor Greyl Voluforme on each piece before wrapping it around 1 1/4″ curling iron from roots to ends. I pinned each section vertically throughout to promote lasting volume at the ends. Then, I wrapped the hair away from the face on each side, and alternated directions in the back. For the face framing layers, I just took the curling iron and wrapped around once to create a bend at the eyes and let set without pinning.
• After 10 minutes, I unpinned all the sections and brushed out her hair (with a paddle brush like by Mason Pearson) to soften the curls into more of a natural wave shape. I undid the velcro roller at the top and gently teased for a little extra height (you can tease for more height as desired). Then, I used a quarter size of Leonor Greyl Éclat Naturel styling cream to seal the ends and smooth out any unwanted frizz. Next, I tucked her hair behind her ear and used a bobby pin to keep it in place.  Once we had the look of easy, effortless wave and body, I gave a final spritz of Spray Structure Naturelle for all night touchable hold.”