Who could forget Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl Half Time Show hairstyle? Those bouncy curls that she flipped back and forth like a queen were nothing short of iconic. Just days after she hit the Miami stage, I met up with the hairstylist behind the style, Chris Appleton, who turned my blonde bob into an A-list worthy look with the help of Glam Seamless extensions.
“This is going to be so fun,” he said as we got started. And it was.
We decided to go for a half-up snatch pony for a bit of drama that’s reminiscent of Kim Kardashian’s 2018 Met Gala hair, which he created for the reality star when she had a dark lob. Though it seemed impossible, he proved firsthand how transformative extensions can be, even for the non-celeb.
How-To
To create the look, he had to totally get rid of my choppy hair. He pulled out a few top pieces and then French braided an entire bottom layer into a bunch of tiny plaits in the back. These were hidden by a wig piece that clipped overtop. Then, he added smaller pieces on both sides for volume before pulling all the front pieces from my ear up into a super slick half-pony. My own short hair blended in between longer faux strands to seamlessly mix in. Most of what you see, though, is not mine.
He wrapped a single strand around the pony’s base to hide the hair tie and waved the ends of the strands, giving the striking look a bit of movement.
One of the trickiest things we encountered was color matching. Though my ends are highlighted blonde, I have darker roots. So to ensure the color matched, he darkened the top of the blonde extensions with a root spray that gave them the same dimension my hair has for a natural-looking finish.
Tips and Tricks
For those who want to give extensions a try, Appleton says the key is to start small.
“What we’re doing today is a bigger deal than what someone would do at home,” he said. “But just adding a few pieces for color or thickness is always a nice way to start.” Once you get more comfortable with wearing them, you can upgrade to something more along the lines of my half-up snatch.”
Again, the color is key to a seamless style, so focus on color blend when shopping for pieces. “Color blend is one of those things that people don’t necessarily look at,” he said. “And I think it’s the make or break of the whole look.” To guarantee you get it right, reach out to an expert stylist who’s worked with extensions before.
While you’re there, you can also ask about the application process. But for at-home users, Appleton says online videos and tutorials are just as helpful. “There are so many YouTube videos and online sources that help [show you] how to apply extensions.
Thoughts
They weren’t as heavy as I had anticipated thanks to the wig piece instead of my scalp supporting a load of clip-ins. With that being said, the snatch was super tight after moving around and living my life for a day. So on the second night, I took it out to sleep more comfortably (and wash out all the product).
But live my life I did! I slept with a silk scarf so it wouldn’t mess up overnight. I went to Pilates class on the second night, pulling it back into a low scrunchie. Not to mention, I felt pretty darn fab.
Reactions
Immediately after the appointment, I met some friends for dinner. “Oh my god, who is this girl?” Briana said when she got there. She was obsessed with it, dreaming up occasions for me to wear them to. And when my sporty roommate who’s basically my sister Julia later said I looked crazy, Briana quickly defended the glam style as if she were the one being attacked. “Stop! We love!”
“It looks like Ariana Grande kidnapped you and gave you a makeover, YES!” my best friend Brendan texted after my Instagram Story went up. “We need to go to the club so we can play with it on the dance floor.”
At work the next day, nearly every one of my co-workers commented on it first thing, asking all kinds of logistical questions because “it just looks so good.” Working in beauty, I’m surrounded by hair enthusiasts, so naturally some of the editors wanted to take a closer look to see if you could make out the clips — you couldn’t.
As fun as the attention was (it’s by far the most commented on Instagram I’ve ever posted), I wouldn’t do it regularly just because of the hassle compared to my average hair routine, which is essentially just washing and brushing. However, I did clean and store the pieces to pull out for special occasions like weddings or parties. With a helping hand (likely Briana), I think I could do a much more basic version of this look like long waves or a low pony seeing as I’m unable to get these styles with my own fine, short hair.
Not to mention, who wouldn’t want to feel like J. Lo every once in a while? Who knew all it took was some fierce extensions.
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