Lights, hairspray, action! Or something like that. Emma Stone, nominated for her role in The Favourite, showed up to the Golden Globes looking pretty, relaxed, and touchable — from her Louis Vuitton Atelier gown to her head of softly cascading waves with pearl accents. The Cut spoke to Stone’s longtime hairstylist Mara Roszak about the work that went into creating a look that would last all night without looking too over-done.
What is the process of creating a look for a red carpet event?
The process is different every time, but it’s always fun. Sometimes Emma will tell us, “I wanna feel like this” but for the most part, we just go with the flow. Rachel [Goodwin, her makeup artist] and I have been working with Emma for so long now that we end up just always being on the same page. [Laughs] Of course, we all work to create the image, but the process of working together is effortless.
Do you ever approach Emma’s look differently when she’s nominated for an award versus when she’s not?
I can’t say that I do. Awards shows in general, are different than your “everyday red carpet” [Laughs]. By “everyday red carpet,” I mean like a premiere or something. An image from an awards show has a much longer presence, so I always have a desire to create something timeless that will also look new. Approaching every look with a new sensibility while remaining quite classic is something that’s important to me.
Something that stands out to me about Emma’s hair is that it always look very natural and soft. What is her hair texture like, and what kinds of products do you use?
She has straight-ish hair with a slight wave, but it has a great hold, so I tend to use volumizing products. Today I used a volumizing dry shampoo from Suave [Editor’s Note: Stone’s hair look was sponsored by Suave]. Products that build up your hair texture are good, especially when you want the look to last throughout the night without falling flat. I’m glad that you said her hair looks really soft and natural because there are definitely products in there, but I never want her hair to look stiff!
What kinds of products do you use to keep hair shiny without it getting greasy or flat?
Using really lightweight shine products is important. I tend to use hairsprays that have a little bit of finishing shine in them, because you’re right, shine products can sometimes go greasy on the hair. Instead of using shine products, I try to do the work while I’m styling to get the hair really smooth, and then use those hairsprays and finishing sprays to enhance the hair’s natural shine. This Suave one is really good, and it smells really good too. Emma was like, Oh my god this smells like candy! It gives good control but it’s soft to the touch and you can still move your hair while wearing it.
What is the best advice you would give someone about keeping their hair healthy?
Make sure that you are conditioning your hair enough. That’s typically the issue, people are sometimes scared of using masks because they think they’re too heavy, but they are so valuable. You can ask your stylist which one would be best for you, but the key to keeping your hair healthy is definitely using conditioner.