Dakota Johnson's Oscar Worthy Pony Details

Dakota Johnson's pony was everything on the Oscar red carpet.  Why can't ours look like that every day?  Inspired by her bangs, Mark Townsend, created a fresh, youthful ponytail.  Here's the scoop on how to get her look.

“For the Oscars I wanted her hair to reflect her personality and style, and the Saint Laurent gown she chose to wear was very vibrant," comments Mark Townsend.  "We decided her hair should be off the dress, but not necessarily up, so I went for a young, cool ponytail. She has the most amazing fringe so we kept them down with some face framing layers to keep the style modern and perfectly imperfect."

To create the look, I started by adding a few drops of Dove Youthful Vitality Silk Crème to her damp hair and blow dried with a Mason Pearson brush.

For texture and grip, I liberally sprayed Dove Refresh+Care Invigorating Dry Shampoo throughout her hair, then gathered it just above the occipital bone, securing with a tight elastic.

The key to dressing up a ponytail is in the details, so I pulled a small amount of hair from the ponytail, wrapped it around the base to hide the elastic, and secured with bobby pins.

To create additional texture I sprayed Sally Hershberger Glam Waves Spray in my hands and raked it through the ponytail.

I finished by spraying Dove Style+Care Extra Hold Hairspray to add shine and keep her hair in place all night.

Celeb Stylist, Mark Townsend on Achieving Sexy Hair

Last month I posted about an exciting project I was working on with celebrity stylist, Mark Townsend for Dove®.  To put things into perspective, sitting in his chair is as exciting as a fashion enthusiast shopping in your fave celeb stylist’s closet.  In the video above, Mark gives me tips on how to go about growing my hair out for my wedding and shows me how to create sexy bends.

Throughout my time with him filming, there was a lot of laughs, but even more gossip!  Of course, we'll save that for another time, but what you should know is that I realized that whenever I style my hair or even go for a blowout I know now that I want "bends" and not loose waves, which is something I was always able to visualize, but never knew how to describe.  If you're seeking a more edgy style, then this is for you, too.

Also, like I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really into the Dove® Style+Care Nourishing Amplifier Mousse. My hair is really fine so it's difficult to find products that don't weigh it down.  Mousse is a must-have foundation product for me whether I'm leaving my hair straight or bending it.  This one is lightweight and gives it playful bounce.

*This is a sponsored post by Dove® and the Style Coalition, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

Behind the Scenes on Set with A Celebrity Stylist

I was recently back on set, this time with one of my favorite celebrity hair stylists, Mark Townsend for Dove®.  He's been busy working with some of Hollywood’s leading ladies, so when I have a chance to sit in his chair, I take it!  This time, we partnered to show you how to get some extra sass in your hair style.  I can't wait to show you the video, but for now, here are some behind the scenes pics.

 PS: While on set,  I completely fell in love with the Dove® Style + Care Nourishing Amplifier Mousse.  As Mark says, "It's essential for a good blow out!"

*This is a sponsored post by Dove® and the Style Coalition, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

Celeb Stylist Mark Townsend Conquers My Bob Karlie Kloss Style, Here's How to Get the Look

I decided to give Hollywood's most coveted hairstylist, Mark Townsend, the challenge of styling my bob.  Even though he regularly styles Jennifer Lawrence (yes, he was responsible for her wispy updo at the Oscars), and other A-Listers like Kristen Wig and just recently gave Michelle Williams's grown-out pixie a whole new look, I decided I had the right as a beauty journalist to challenge him.  I ended up with a Karlie Kloss inspired 'do and here's how the magic happened... Still fairly new, I've had blown out a few times, but still struggle with exactly how to wear it so it gives me sass.  Trust me, one wrong turn of a curling iron and I look like a soccer mom! Nightmare.  When I sat in Mark's chair at the Sally Hershberger Salon downtown (thanks to Dove) he asked what I wanted done and I said, I'm curious to see what you do with this (picture me shaking my bob from side to side).  

"I love your length, but the cut will come alive with movement," he explained as soon as he began.  To show off my layers he began by using Dove Style + Care Nourishing Curls Whipped Cream Mousse and told me I should be blow drying with a diffuser, which I've never heard before because my hair is pin straight.  "The diffuser will help to create uneven texture even on the straightest hair," he explained.

After rough drying, he smoothed out the ends only by blow drying with a round brush.  To finish, he took about two inch sections and curled my whole head leaving the ends straight.  It looks perfectly undone, yet smooth and put together.  If only we could all be as cool as Jennifer Lawrence and have him on our glam squads!

Get the Look: Lea Michele's SAG Awards Sexy, Swept Hair in 5 Simple Steps

Whether you're a fan of Lea Michele or not, you had to be a fan of her SAG Awards look as I thought she totally recovered from her Globes catastrophe!  I was honored to talk to her makeup artists immediately after her prep last night about what she would look like on the red carpet and now I have the scoop on her sexy, smooth hair from her stylist, Mark Townsend for Dove. Like her makeup artist, Melanie Inglessis said, "To compliment Lea's Versace gown, we wanted the look to be soft and sexy," Townsend commented.  He gave her touchable blowout with sexy front pieces that swept over her face.

1. Start with a large dollop of mousse on damp hair and blow dry with a round brush.  Townsend used Dove Style+Care Nourishing Amplifier Mousse.

2. Once blow dried, take a dime sized amount of serum like Dove Frizz-Free Shine Cream-Serum (available March 1st) and work it through the hair for shine and separation.  Tip: Warm it up between your palms before spreading it through your locks to warm it up for better distribution.

3. Pull your hair into a loose bun and finish getting ready.  This will give your hair a natural, loose wave.

4. To give it a second day look, spray a beach spray like Oribe Apres Beach Spray all over and shake it out.

5.  Finish with a lightweight styling spray.

Lea Michele's Emmy Hair How-To, "Undone Done"

One starlette stood out amongst the rest on Sunday night at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Glee's Lea Michele. Classic perfection.  Her navy, silk Oscar de la Renta gown complimented her figure, yet the ruffles at the bottom made it a red carpet stunner. With such an elegant look complimented by over 400 carats of Lorraine Schwarts mesh jewels, I was glad to see the birthday girl left her hair down.  Everything worked. “Lea wanted her hair to look touchable and super modern, and full hair with lots of volume and a bit of roughness was perfect against her flawless gown” said her stylist Mark Townsend.

Love the look?  Follow the step-by-step straight from Townsend himself.  Since Lea is in the middle of shooting Glee, she wasn't able to experiment with color, but Townsend added custom pieces into her hair for dimension.

Starting with clean, damp hair, he used Dove Body & Lift Volumizing Mousse and blow dried with a round brush for added lift.  Then, he used a 2" curling iron to give slight bend (not actually curl the hair) from the ends to the roots and clipped each section with a barrel clip for five minutes to allow them to cool.

To achieve the undone look, Townsend took the hair out of the clips and scrunched it with Dove Daily Moisture Therapy Replenishing Mist.  To finish, he spritzed a small, natural bristle eyebrow brush with hairspray and ran it through her bangs creating a center part.

Lea also carried around hairspray with the eyebrow brush in her clutch in case she need to touch up!

Teen Choice Awards: Lea Michele's Sex Kitten Hair

I can't get enough of Glee's Lea Michele lately and it seems like the rest of the world can't either.  Last night at the Teen Choice Awards, the bombshell looked more than fabulous in a short, sequin Naeem Khan dress paired with nude Fendi wedges and a Dior clutch, but what really caught my attention was her sex kitten hair.  The nominee's bodacious curls were done by Mark Townsend who gave me the step-by-step. “Lea and I often pull inspiration for her looks from a variety of fashion, beauty and Hollywood imagery.  But for the Teen Choice Awards, Lea was the inspiration," commented Townsend. "She’s young, modern, smart and sexy and her look really reflected that sensibility. It was a bold choice – we’ve never done this kind of super volume before, but it looked gorgeous."

To get Lea's look, start by evenly applying a volumizing mousse like Dove Body & Lift Volumizing Mousse and blow drying with a round brush.  Once dry..,. divide your hair into five sections (one top, two sides and two back) and curl one three-inch section at a time with a double barrel curling iron.  Try Baybliss Pro Double Curling Tong.

Once curled, warm up a frizz control cream in between the palms of your hands and rake it through your locks with your fingers.  I like Dove Frizz Control Therapy Taming Cream.  This will make your curls shiny and give them a beachy texture.  Finally, flip your head upside down and hit it with a finishing spray.

Get Jessica Biel's Blow Out

Jessica Biel looked stunning as usual at MTV Movie Awards last week.  Her stylist, Mark Townsend, gave me the scoop on how to achieve her glossy  blow out and it's easier than you think.  Check it out: "I wanted Jessica's hair to be cool, modern and beautiful just like her," commented Townsend.  "We were both inspired by Brigitte Bardot's loose, sexy vibe."

On damp hair, he applied Dove Body & Lift Volumizing Mousse and then blow dried in sections with a large round brush to give the hair lift and movement.  When completely dry, Townsend spritzed Dove Flexible Hold Hairspray for natural hold.

Get January Jone's Chic Chingnon

If we had to pick one lady who stood out among all the rest at this year’s Met Gala, it would have to be January Jones.  Her stylist, Mark Townsend, shared with BeautySweetSpot the secrets behind the actress’s gorgeous updo. “I think the whole look was really inspired by this years Met Ball theme of American Woman,” notes Townsend. This was a very modern, and almost futuristic take on a very classic American silhouette."

Inspired by her detailed YSL dress, Townsend chose to juxtapose classic with modern using all Dove hair products to get the perfect texture and finish.  Here’s how to get this look at home:

Spritz

Apply sprays like Dove Heat Defense Protect and Shine Mist to protect hair from damage resulting from heat styling.  Then, apply volumizing mousse for volume and hold without stiffness.

Straighten

Blow dry with a large round brush and backcomb roots at top for more body.

Twist

For an oversized French twist, backcomb all the hair towards the back before securing the twist.  Apply Dove Frizz Control Taming Cream to tame flyaways at the top and to the right side of the twist for some rocker-like texture.  Twist hair in back and fasten with a few bobby pins.