Celebrity hair, awards edition

Awards season is well under way in Hollywood – as well as in London, where the 36th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards was recently held – which means celebrities and their “people” (stylists, assistants, managers) are busy preparing for red carpet appearances to get maximum publicity for their work.

As the popularity and vibe of these awards vary, so do the red carpet trends. The less “important” the event, the more casual the look. The recent Golden Globe Awards saw a list of celebrities taking things up a (tiny) notch with sequined gowns, intricately embellished dresses and perfectly-fitted tuxedos.

When it comes to hairstyle, though, the trends seem to be more obvious for both women and men. The good news is, man buns have not been spotted at any of the awards so far, although there are a few actors who’ve kept their hair long.

For the ladies, there are basically two main styles to look out for: Sleek and polished, and messy chic.

Here are some of the hairstyles we love (and a few questionable ones) that we’ve seen at the awards so far.

Do it yourself, maybe

Alicia Vikander, Leslie Mann, Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh turned up at separate awards looking like they tied up their hair themselves and without even using a comb! That’s actually not a bad thing; in fact, this “effortless” look is what most people go for these days. The award-winning actresses look softer with the hairstyles, and more natural too.

Constance Wu also took the effortless approach, although many of us who have ever tried the halo braid hairstyle will know that this is not an easy style to create or manage.

British actresses Maisie Williams (left) and Florence Pugh at the 36th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards in London. Photo: Reuters

Let it go … the long version

Actress/producer Melissa McCarthy has been killing it on the red carpet with her gorgeous eye makeup. She’s kept her hairstyle “safe”, wearing it loose and flowy, possibly to match her dresses. You can see a slight difference in hair colour and we have to admit that we love the darker shade more.

British actress Natalie Dormer at the People’s Choice Awards a few weeks ago turned up with her lovely long blonde locks hanging loose on her shoulders. So pretty!

Golden Globe winner Brie Larson, who stars in Room, won our hearts with her long locks, too.

Melissa McCarthy at the Critics Choice Awards (left, EPA) and the Golden Globe Awards (Reuters).

Actress Natalie Dormer, who stars in the supernatural film The Forest, at the People’s Choice Awards. Photo: AFP

Brie Larson at the Golden Globe Awards. Photo: AFP

All tied up

For some people, a neat ponytail goes a long way in creating a beautiful pulled together look. Bryce Dallas Howard, Emmy Rossum and Zoe Kravitz all chose to wear low ponytails at the Critics’ Choice Awards, and we just love them (though we don’t really like Kravitz’s outfit).

In short, dazzle

While it did surprise some people that Lady Gaga won a Golden Globe award for her role in American Horror Story: Hotel, it wasn’t surprising that she turned up at the event dressed to the nines. Gaga went for the classic Hollywood look, keeping things simple yet glamorous with a short Marilyn Monroe-inspired hairstyle.

Gaga’s co-star Sarah Paulson turned up at the Critics’ Choice Awards looking as hot as ever in a retro minidress and an intricate hairstyle. Paulson, who has a straight bob that falls just below her ears, looked like she had a sleek businessman cut on the front. It was perfect for her outfit, but pictures of the back of her head showed just how difficult it was to get that effect.

Also on a short hair trip is award-winning actress Rachel Bloom, who looks just as cute and sassy as her character in the TV series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

What’s going on here?

Taraji P. Henson may be the talk of Tinseltown these days but her hairstyle at the recent Golden Globes, where she won an award for her role in Empire, was just unflattering. Henson’s character in Empire, Cookie, would never walk out of the house (or prison!) with that hair.

Meanwhile, at the Critics’ Choice Awards, actor Mel Rodriguez appeared with half his hair and moustache shaved off. We’re sure there’s a story to be told about that er, look, but so far we don’t really want to know.