Blake Lively has officially joined the celebrity beauty brand club with the announcement of Blake Brown, a clean (surprise) haircare brand that promises performance at an accessible price point.
While our opinions on celebrity beauty brands are always TBC (ie. until they’re across our desks or in our hair and faces), the move sparked a fiery group chat amongst the fashion and beauty girlies, prompting us to reflect on exactly how long Blake Lively’s locks have been living rent-free in our brains.
Turns out, ages.
For fashion and beauty editor Angela Law it was a significant moment. “I was 14 when the Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants was released in 2005. Sure, I loved the strong female friendships, but as a future beauty editor, Blake Lively’s flowing head of blonde hair really captivated me.”
Law never questioned why Bridget Vreeland could effortlessly flip her rapunzel-like locks around while playing football or running marathons with nary a dorky hair elastic in sight. She was too mesmerised. “I was in awe of how shiny it was for bleached hair because it somehow felt achievable to me,” says Law. I convinced my mum to buy me a bottle of hair lightener spray and wore my buttery blonde to school with pride.”
Beauty and fashion director Alison Izzo is haunted by memories of Lively’s flawless fishtail braid era, with one particular instant stuck in her mind: The Green Lantern premier braid. “This was the braid that launched a thousand Pinterest boards. The year was 2011, and a Chanel-clad Blake Lively nailed the boho-but-better brief. This tousled side braid with gold embellished flowers would look nuts on anyone but Blake. Trust me, I tried.”
Meanwhile, fashion writer Rebecca Mitchell was floored by a more recent appearance. “I was tickled by Taylor Swift‘s choice to wear an Australian designer (Dion Lee) at the 2024 Super Bowl, but Blake Lively’s hair really had my jaw on the floor. These big, bouncy curls are the perfect example of hair I always dreamed of having but could never actually execute, let alone pull off.”
For this writer, it was Serena Van Der Woodsen’s perfect bedhead in Gossip Girl. It was hair full of secrets and drama, and I woefully tried to recreate it. I achieved a rats’ nest that earned me a “presentation warning” at my Catholic Girl’s School, but I can’t hold it against Blake. I was Icarus; her perfectly dishevelled locks were the Indie-Sleaze sun.
Whether Blake’s haircare line will bring the ELLE team closer to a lifetime of Pinterest-board hair goals remains to be seen (we don’t even know if or when it will launch in Australia).
But, we’ve taken the moment as inspiration to walk down memory lane and commemorate some of her best hair looks.
Blake Lively’s Best Hair Moments That Live Rent Free In Our Brains
Sister Hood of The Travelling Pants 2 Premier: Boho
An image that has served on 1000 wedding Pinterest boards, her appearance in the 2008 premiere of the aforementioned Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 was peak boho. The dishevelled volume, the tumbling locks, and the fairy princess mini braids had us in a chokehold.
The Green Lantern LA Premier: The Fantasy Fishtail Braid
An architectural feat, Lively combined the perfect messy fishtail with a chic floor-length Chanel column dress at the LA premiere of The Green Lantern in 2011.
Croisiere Show 2011/12: Tousled locks
Lively’s Serena Van Der Woodsen bedhead was always perfectly contrasted with polished glamour, as seen here in a sparkling Chanel short-suit in 2011.
Times 100 Most Influential People Awards: Cowgirl Copper
A pioneer of the Cowgirl Copper trend, Blake Lively appeared at the Times 100 Most Influential People Awards in 2011 and influenced many of us to visit our hair salons.
Superbowl: Corkscrew Curls
Pictured with fellow blonde fishtail braid queen Taylor Swift, Lively’s glossy corkscrew curls show that our girl is never short on surprises.
69th Annual Cannes Film Festival: Polished High Pony
Giddy-up, this is the high pony of our dreams.
10th Annual Power Women’s Summit: Princess Curls
Lively showed us the soft, glossy tendrils the Dyson Airwrap was designed to recreate at the 2022 10th Annual Power Women’s Summit.
Related Posts:
- Proof Blake Lively Is The Fashion Icon We All Need
- Every Time Blake Lively Matched Her Outfit To The Met Gala Theme Perfectly
- Every Time Blake Lively’s Wardrobe Paid Tribute To Her ‘It Ends With Us’ Character, Lily Bloom
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
