Amanda Seyfried was up for the Best Actress award for her role as the title character in The Testament of Ann Lee at Sunday night's 2026 Critics Choice Awards, but her performance in the musical drama wasn't the only thing that was award-worthy—the curly Barbie ponytail she sported on the red carpet deserves some applause for being the sleekest, smoothest updo I've ever seen.
Seyfried attended the event wearing a strapless, two-toned Valentino gown that featured a black corset and a blush pink skirt. Her hairstylist for the night was Renato Campora, who revealed in a statement that her look was inspired by French actress Catherine Deneuve and the iconic high ponytails she wore back in the 1960s. To achieve the look, Campora started off by applying a bonding treatment and a few spritzes of an anti-frizz blowout spray before giving the actor a silky blowout using a large round brush. Later, he pulled the top half of Seyfried's hair into a ponytail at the crown of her head using a holding spray from Joico before creating a second ponytail using the same technique. (The two ponytail method creates a much smoother, sleeker, and less-bulky finish.) To finish things off, Campora secured both ponytails together before adding a curl to the end using a one-inch curling iron.
Ponytails and retro curls seemed to be a running beauty theme on last night's red carpet. Peacemaker star Danielle Brooks showed up to the awards show wearing a short, flippy high ponytail while The Studio's Chase Sui Wonders wore a shoulder-length bob with pin curls and a deep side part. The looks are obvious callbacks to vintage Old Hollywood hairstyles that once defined an era, and I'll never get tired of seeing them pop up on the red carpet.
With the right tools, a sleek ponytail is actually pretty easy to achieve on your own at home. To get a look similar to Seyfried's, read ahead to shop everything you'll need.
Start off by giving yourself a salon-style blowout using this smart blow dryer that dries the hair in under 20 minutes using minimal heat.
Using a large round brush while blow drying will add more volume to the hair.
Once your ponytail is set in place, grab a one-inch curling iron to give the ends of your hair a deep curl.
Before going in with your heat tools, prevent thermal damage by spritzing your hair with a heat protectant.
Grab a firm hold hairspray to ensure your curls won't flatten and that your ponytail doesn't fall victim to static and flyaways.
