Tips from the Pros: Jacqueline Bush on Clémence Poésy’s Easy Parisian Chic

Whether turning heads at a film premiere or doing her star turn on the red carpet as the new face of G-Star Raw, French actress Clémence Poésy always evokes a modern élan, the epitome of young, hip Parisian flair. Her signature anti-coiffure is the result of the creative styling expertise of celebrity stylist Jacqueline Bush of Aim Artists. Here, Jacqueline gives us the styling scoop on how she gave Clémence’s long locks an urban edge with a French accent in sync with G-Star Raw’s street cool vibe.

“When creating a look for Clémence, I always go for a style that’s effortless yet utterly chic,” says Jacqueline. “The trick to an undone look with staying power is to mix the right cocktails with the right styling products to enhance hair’s natural movement while adding flexible hold.”

1. After lightly misting Clémence’s hair with water, I pumped two quarter-size squeezes of René Furterer VEGETAL SCULPTING GEL and two dime-size portions of Magic Move Light Pomade into the palms of my hands, rubbing my palms together to emulsify the mixture. Then I ran my hands through her hair from roots to ends. The gel and pomade cocktail add long-lasting hold without leaving hair too stiff to move easily.
2. Next, using my blow-dryer and my hands instead of a styling brush, I rough-dried hair in the natural part, twisting some sections and using my fingertips to give hair a little more lift, wave and texture.
3. Taking random sections of hair, including a few pieces around the face, I used my Hot Tools curling irons, alternating between the 3/4-inch iron and the 1 and ¼-inch iron, to curl hair in different directions. About ¾ of hair was left loose—I lightly curled just enough sections to add a bit of movement throughout hair.
4. After letting the sections cool (touching them while still hot will make the curls collapse), I ran my fingers through hair to loosen up curls. Leaving a few pieces to fall freely around the face on either side of the part, I gathered the rest, pulling it to one side and loosely divided it into three sections. I braided hair starting at the base, taking care to be neither too messy nor too perfect. I left about 2-3 inches at the ends free in keeping with the overall organic look of the braid.
5. After securing the braid with a small covered elastic band, I took a small piece of hair from underneath the end of the braid and wrapped it around the elastic, pinning the piece underneath the braid. Again, the key is not to wrap it too neatly—you want the effect to look effortless.
6. Loosening up the braid with my fingertips made it look more asymmetrical. For more suppleness and shine I added a touch of René Furterer STYLING WAX at the end of the braid and on face-framing pieces. Last, an overall misting of L’Oréal Elnett Satin Hairspray Normal Strength added shine and flexible hold.