Mark Townsend was the behind Cate Blanchett’s soft waves and has the scoop on how to get this simple yet beautiful hairstyle.  Townsend has been working with Blanchett for nearly four years, so it doesn’t take long for the pair to decide on the perfect style for big red carpet events. 

As soon as Cate tried her stunning Balenciaga gown for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the entire fashion and beauty team agreed that hair should be down and simple to not overpower the intricate gown.

to achieve the look, Mark first took Cate’s damp hair and applied Biolage Hydro-Foaming Styler ($14) all over to add a little texture, and blow-dried her hair with a medium round brush.  When the hair was completely dry, Mark used a one inch HAI Elite curling iron, taking random sections of hair from one to three inches in size sections of hair, and wrapping them around the iron.  According to Mark-the trick to getting perfect waves and curls is to never actually open the iron, just wrap the hair around it while closes.  When finished, Mark rubbed Biolage smooththerapie Smoothing Serum ($14) in the palms of the hands and raked it through Cate’s hair to soften the curls into soft, loose waves and blend the curled pieces with the straighter pieces of hair.  To finish, Mark used Biolage Complete Control Hairspray ($15) to softly set the look so it lasted all night.