Ashley Benson’s Balmain x H&M Party Look Is The Perfect Fall Transition

Saying goodbye to the ease of undone summer hair and bright colors is not for the faint of heart. Sure, we all love dark, earthy makeup shades and blowdrying our hair so we don't freeze upon exiting the apartment (that second one may be a lie), but that doesn't mean there isn't a harmonious middle ground well-suited for November's not- quite-winter weather. Case in point: The perfect transitional beauty look that Ashley Benson sported to the Balmain x H&M pre-launch event last night in L.A. Her hair? A rad half-up beach wave, and her makeup? A matte, bright cranberry lip color and shimmery bronze eye makeup. It's basically made for November, so let's discuss further.

Makeup artist Lauren Andersen gave the actress her show-stopping makeup, and her hair was courtesy of Kylee Heath, whom you may remember from our recent beach spray hacks story. She put those skills to use on Benson, giving her texture, and a really cool half-up style. “Ashley showed Lauren and me her outfit, and I immediately thought I wanted to do a chic top bun," Health says. "Not a knot – a loop bun." Heath started by blowdrying Benson's locks with a boar bristle brush, and then created the top section "from the arch of each eyebrow back to the crown of her head." Working on just the top section, she dusted Benson's roots with Kevin Murphy Powder Puff, teased it for volume, and created a snug pony. "Then, I used another elastic to loop the top into a simple bun and applied two bobby pins to keep it where I wanted it," Heath says. To give the rest of Benson's hair serious texture, Heath alternated between two irons and two techniques. She wrapped small sections around a 1-inch curling iron, then "loosely curled some small sections (leaving out the ends)" to add variety in the texture. Once all the hair was curled, she sprayed it with Matrix Texture Builder Messy Finish Spray, and reached for a 1.25-inch iron to go back over the ends. "I did this because I wanted the texture to look undone, but wanted the ends to be polished." For even more from Heath, check out her beach spray tutorial here, and then go to this how-to for tips on creating a half-up knot.