It was a Balenciaga moment for Nicole Kidman at this year’s Met Gala – and with a flamenco-inspired dress so head-turning, it was only right that her accompanying hair and make-up took on the role of supporting act. With a bombshell blowout, fresh skin and winged liner, the 56-year-old struck a pose during fashion’s biggest night out looking nothing but luminous.
“We had so much fun trying to figure out what look to create on Nicole,” says hairstylist Adir Abergel. “Keith [Urban, her husband] was with us, and Demna from Balenciaga also came by to say hello – it was a very special night.” With the aim of reimagining Mr Balenciaga’s vision through Demna’s hands, Abergel created a voluminous blowout with a slight bend at the ends – for him, it was all about taking the past and celebrating it in the present.
“I wanted to nod to the vintage volume of the ’50s, but make it modern by creating irregular patterns of waves,” says Abergel, who prepped her hair with Virtue’s Damage Reverse Serum to safeguard it from heat damage. “I accentuated the look with a middle parting, creating height at the crown and face.”
To add extra dimension, length and body, Adir added in some seamless extensions – Hidden Crown’s Clip In – around the front of Nicole’s face, then created asymmetric waves using Kristin Ess’s 3-in-1 Titanium Flat Irons.
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Make-up came courtesy of Gucci Westman, who used her own product line to enhance Kidman’s natural beauty. For rosy cheeks, she applied Baby Cheeks Blush Stick in Poppet; for that dramatic feline flick, her Eye Love You Pencil in Khôl Noir worked a treat; and for the perfect nude lip, it was all about her Lip Suede in Les Nudes.
An effortlessly undone film star look, Kidman may have let her dress do most of the talking, but she sure looked good.
