It may be the dead of summer—but a Duchess doesn't have time to fuss over her hair. Meghan Markle made a joint appearance today with Prince Harry at the ‘Your Commonwealth’ Youth Challenge Reception in London's Marlborough House, and while most of the Internet was busy talking about her dress (what a gorgeous yellow!), we couldn't help but notice her subtle change in hairstyle.
Markle sported a low chignon with a pristine center part with not one hair out of place. This isn't the first time the Duchess has worn a super-sleek hairstyle, but she typically only wears them under a hat or fascinator. Her signature—and polarizing—tendrils were not on display; instead they were pulled back along with the rest of her hair. If her tendrils are long enough to be pulled back without falling forward (like they did at the royal wedding), then perhaps that means Markle is growing them out and ditching the style she's made her own. Only time will tell if we'll still see the loose, face-framing tendrils at future appearances.
No hairstyle is more summer-ready than a sleek chignon. It's the hair equivalent of a portable a/c unit because it gets your hair off both your face and neck. But getting short layers to stay back, especially in heat and humidity, is a challenge. Some hairsprays and gels can leave hair feeling and looking crispy—not ideal.
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Instead, try blow-drying your hair back in the direction you want it to fall, then let it cool with flat pins that won't leave a crease in your hair like a bobby pin. A few blasts of a lightweight hairspray (we like Hair by Sam McKnight Modern Hairspray) should then hold the style in place for hours.
Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.
