Celebrity Hair Secrets

Rihanna’s edgy cut is perfect for a/w09’s tough fashion vibe. Ursula Stephen who masterminded the look explains that ‘this cut is perfect for oval shaped faces’ however ‘it can be universal, it just needs to be tailored for each face shape and personality.’
Ursula advises you ask for ‘the sides and back tapered and length left at the top and front’. The length means you can style the hair in different ways and, she adds that your hair doesn’t need to be straight, ‘it’s cool to see this cut in different textures.’ Finally she tells us ‘maintenance is easy! Use heated rollers to create curl, volume and texture. After, mix a molding paste and serum together and use to separate and style, finally spray with shine mist.’

Alexa takes her hair inspiration from 1960s actress Jane Birkin. We called her stylist George Northwood to found out how he recreates this look for her with an essential modern twist.
George tells us ‘this is a simple, one length bob, but it’s cut into for a shaggier feel’. It tends to suit all hair types and face shapes. The colour is subtle ‘ask for a balliage technique, it focuses colour through the ends of the hair rather than at the roots, giving a natural sun-kissed look.’ To style, use ‘a light crème like Kérastase Oléo-Crème, £14.65, for lived-in texture, and rough dry or use a diffuser.’ Luckily this is ‘a low maintenance look – perhaps a trim every eight weeks to maintain it, but the colour should last well as it’s only on the ends’.

Leigh’s asymmetric cut and dramatic, dark colour makes her long hair look edgy.
‘The weight and length in the back of my hair annoys me in the summer, but I like it long in the front, so the idea for my inverted hairstyle came from that and I just got my friend to cut it.’
Leigh’s hair colour is also a DIY job, ‘my hair is naturally blonde, I've been dying it myself since school. I went black when I was 17-years-old and never went back.’ Leigh doesn't use a particular dye, her only tip 'make sure it's a blue-black shade' and we recommend getting your hairdresser to dye it for you to avoid a possible hair disaster.
Leigh always straightens her hair, ‘I use Kiehl’s products to protect against the heat, then I finish with a gloss’.

We called Rosie’s hair stylist George Northwood to give us the lowdown on her enviable style.
The cut and colour are ‘really simple’ explains George. But, you do need long, naturally thick hair to start with. Ask to ‘keep your hair long with invisible layers and cut choppy - not wispy - at the ends.’ This style suits all face shapes, but ‘if you have a round face ask for more layering at the front to flatter.’
For colour, ‘request up-lighting on the ends and keep roots dark.’ It looks easy to style, but you need to perfect your blow-drying skills (or pay for a pro), ‘blow-dry with a round ceramic brush to give the hair shape and movement and use a blow-drying cream like Kérastase Nectar Thermique, £13.60’.

Lily is a hair chameleon, but the ELLE office loved this look so we spoke to James Brown, the brains behind her bob.
James explains that this cut ‘will suit anyone with a heart shape face best, but a good stylist could cut the style to suit any face shape’. When asking for this style, ‘request a long Louise Brooks bob, (she was a 1920s film star who pioneered the bob) with a blunt fringe’. James advises ‘regular fringe trims’ to keep the hair blunt and above the eyes, ‘most good hairdressers will do this for free’.
If you like your beauty sleep this isn’t the style for you, ‘unless you have straight, thick hair, this is a high maintenance cut as you need to create poker straight hair to avoid it looking mumsy.’

Diane’s modern twist on the 1940s hairstyle was created by Adam Reed, he explains how to get the look. ‘Diane is low maintenance, so this style and colour is perfect. She has a mid-length bob, which suits most face shapes and hair types.’ At the salon, Adam advises you ask for ‘hair cut into a one length sharp line and a small amount of graduation around the face if you want it to look softer.’ For colour, ask for ‘soft honey tones to be added and lighter highlights around the face to soften.’
To style ‘dry using a large round brush, mist hair with Shu Uemura Art of Hair Sheer Lacquer, £19.50 and use a curling iron to curl two inch sections from the back to the front, wrapping hair at the front away from the face. Finally spray a paddle brush with Sheer Lacquer and gently work through the hair to break up the waves.’