You’ve scrolled through photos of stunning balayage celebrity styles and wondered how you could recreate that same effortless dimension without spending hundreds of pounds at a salon. Those sun-kissed highlights frame faces perfectly and add instant glamour to any hair colour. But booking appointments takes time you don’t have and costs money you’d rather save. You want that A-list glow but need a safer, more affordable option that delivers professional results from your own home.
This guide reveals six iconic celebrity balayage looks you can achieve yourself using Smart Beauty’s home colouring kits. You’ll discover exactly how Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lopez, Hailey Bieber, and other stars get their signature styles, plus which Smart Beauty shades match each look perfectly. Each section breaks down the defining features of every style, who suits it best, and how to recreate it step by step with our vegan, plex-enriched formulas that protect your hair while colouring. We’ll also show you our beginner-friendly balayage kit that makes the entire process simple and safe.
1. Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Home Kit
Your journey toward balayage celebrity styles starts with the right tools and Smart Beauty’s Balayage Highlights Home Kit gives you everything you need to create professional-looking dimension. This complete kit includes our plex-enriched bleach powder, developer, application brush, gloves, and detailed instructions that walk you through each stage. You get salon-quality results without the expensive appointment costs or harsh chemicals that damage your hair. The kit works across all hair colours and types, letting you customise your highlights from subtle to bold depending on how long you leave the lightener on.
Why it is perfect for beginners
Smart Beauty designed this kit specifically for first-time users who want to experiment with highlights safely. The application brush features a precise angled tip that helps you paint exactly where you want colour, while the creamy formula stays exactly where you place it instead of dripping or running. You control the placement and intensity of your highlights by choosing which sections to lighten and monitoring the development time. The kit includes a detailed colour chart showing expected results on different base colours, so you know exactly what to expect before you start. Unlike traditional foil highlighting that requires complex sectioning and timing, this freehand technique forgives small mistakes and creates a natural gradient that grows out beautifully.
Step-by-step application guide
Your home balayage session follows a straightforward process that takes about 45 to 90 minutes from start to finish:
- Section your dry hair into four quadrants and clip three sections away
- Mix the bleach powder with the developer according to package ratios
- Apply the mixture using sweeping strokes on small sections, starting midway down the hair shaft
- Focus more product on the ends and face-framing pieces for natural dimension
- Leave to develop for 15 to 45 minutes depending on your desired lift
- Rinse thoroughly with cool water and follow with the included treatment mask
The beauty of balayage lies in its imperfection, which means your hand-painted highlights will look authentically sun-kissed rather than artificially striped.
Safety and plex technology benefits
The plex-enriched formula actively protects your hair bonds during the lightening process, minimising damage and breakage that traditional bleach causes. This bonding technology works by reinforcing the internal structure of your hair strands while lifting colour, leaving you with stronger, softer hair rather than brittle, fried ends. Smart Beauty’s formula contains no ammonia, PPD, or resorcinol, making it suitable for sensitive scalps and reducing the harsh chemical smell associated with hair lightening. The kit also includes a nourishing treatment mask enriched with proteins and moisture that you apply immediately after rinsing to seal in hydration and smooth the hair cuticle.
2. Margot Robbie’s creamy blonde
Margot Robbie’s signature blonde balayage defines Hollywood glamour with its buttery, dimensional tones that blend seamlessly from root to tip. Her colourist creates this iconic look by painting cool-toned highlights throughout her natural blonde base, then toning everything to a unified creamy finish that eliminates brassy warmth. The result gives her hair movement and depth without harsh lines or obvious regrowth, making it one of the most requested balayage celebrity styles in salons worldwide. You see this sophisticated blonde in her red carpet appearances and film roles, where it adds instant polish to any look.
Defining the look
This blonde balayage style features a light golden brown base at the roots that gradually transitions to pale champagne blonde at the ends. Robbie’s colourist concentrates the lightest pieces around her face and throughout the mid-lengths, creating a soft halo effect that brightens her complexion. The cool-toned finish distinguishes this look from warmer California blondes, giving it a more refined European aesthetic that photographs beautifully. The placement creates maximum dimension without looking stripey or over-processed.
Who suits this style best
You’ll achieve the best results with this look if you have naturally blonde or light brown hair as your starting point. The style works particularly well on fair to medium skin tones with cool or neutral undertones because the ashy blonde shades complement rather than wash out your complexion. Your hair should be in good condition since achieving this pale blonde requires lifting several levels, even with gentle balayage application.
The creamy blonde works beautifully on straight to wavy hair textures where the dimensional tones catch light and create movement.
Recreating it with Smart Beauty
Start with the Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Kit to lighten your base, focusing your hand-painted sections around your face and through the top layers. After lifting to a pale yellow blonde, apply Smart Beauty’s Silver & Grey toner diluted with conditioner to neutralise any warmth and achieve that creamy champagne finish. You’ll need to tone every four to six weeks to maintain the cool blonde shade and prevent brassiness from developing.
3. Jennifer Lopez’s honey bronde
Jennifer Lopez’s honey bronde balayage combines the warmth of golden blonde with rich brunette depths to create one of the most flattering balayage celebrity styles for medium to olive skin tones. Her colourist masterfully blends caramel and honey tones through her dark brown base, concentrating the lightest pieces around her face and gradually increasing the density toward the ends. This multidimensional colour gives her hair incredible movement and shine that catches every camera flash, making it a perennial favourite for those wanting a warm, luxurious look that works year-round. The honey bronde perfectly enhances her natural glow while maintaining enough depth at the roots for easy maintenance.
Defining the look
JLo’s honey bronde style starts with a rich chocolate brown base at the roots that transitions through warm caramel tones in the mid-lengths before reaching golden honey blonde at the ends. Her colourist places the brightest highlights strategically around the hairline and through the top layers, creating a face-framing halo that brightens her features. The colour maintains more warmth than cool blonde balayage, with amber and butterscotch undertones that give the hair a sun-kissed radiance. This placement creates depth and dimension that flatters her complexion without requiring frequent root touch-ups.
Who suits this style best
You’ll love this look if you have medium to dark brown hair naturally and want to add warmth and brightness without going fully blonde. The honey bronde particularly flatters olive, tan, or warm-toned skin because the golden highlights complement rather than compete with your natural colouring. Your hair works best for this style if it’s in reasonably good condition since the technique requires lifting several levels from a darker base.
The warm honey tones in this balayage create a youthful glow that works beautifully on mature skin by softening facial features.
Recreating it with Smart Beauty
Begin with the Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Kit to create your lighter sections, focusing your application on face-framing pieces and concentrating more product toward the ends. After achieving a light golden blonde lift, tone your highlights with Smart Beauty’s Brown & Copper shades mixed with conditioner to create those signature honey tones. You’ll maintain this look by refreshing your toner every six weeks and using colour-safe products that preserve warmth.
4. Hailey Bieber’s expensive brunette
Hailey Bieber’s expensive brunette balayage represents the pinnacle of subtle luxury in hair colouring, featuring microscopic highlights that create dimension so fine you barely notice individual strands. Her colourist paints whisper-soft ribbons of lighter brown throughout her chocolate base, concentrating the brightest tones around her face to create a barely-there brightening effect that photographs as pure shine. This technique costs thousands in salons because it requires precision and patience, but it produces one of the most sophisticated balayage celebrity styles that works beautifully in both natural daylight and camera flashes. The colour appears rich and deep indoors while revealing hidden warmth and movement in sunlight.
Defining the look
This brunette balayage style starts with a deep chocolate brown base that gets enhanced with fine caramel ribbons strategically placed throughout the mid-lengths and ends. Bieber’s colourist keeps the highlights extremely subtle and blended, using a technique that lifts the hair only one to two shades lighter than her natural colour rather than creating bold contrast. The face-framing sections receive slightly more density of highlights to brighten her complexion, while the back remains predominantly rich and dark. This creates a three-dimensional depth that makes the hair look naturally sun-kissed rather than obviously coloured.
Who suits this style best
You’ll achieve stunning results with this look if you already have medium to dark brown hair and want enhanced dimension without dramatic change. The style particularly flatters all skin tones because the subtle contrast works universally, though it especially complements olive and medium complexions with warm undertones. Your hair needs to be in healthy condition since even gentle lifting can stress previously damaged strands.
Recreating it with Smart Beauty
Apply the Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Kit using extremely fine sections and a light hand, focusing your placement on surface layers and face-framing pieces. After lifting to a warm light brown, tone your highlights with Smart Beauty’s Brown & Copper shades diluted significantly with conditioner to create that expensive, barely-there finish.
The key to expensive brunette lies in restraint; less is genuinely more when creating this refined look.
5. Sarah Jessica Parker’s face-framing contour
Sarah Jessica Parker’s face-framing balayage demonstrates how strategic placement creates instant facial brightening without colouring the entire head. Her colourist concentrates lighter pieces exclusively around the hairline, temples, and front sections, leaving the back and underneath layers their natural rich brown. This targeted approach among balayage celebrity styles proves you don’t need full-head highlights to achieve a polished, dimensional look that photographs beautifully. The technique creates a natural contour effect that draws attention to her features while maintaining depth and richness throughout the rest of her hair.
Defining the look
Parker’s contour balayage features a medium brown base that stays untouched except for the face-framing ribbons of caramel blonde painted from the hairline back about two to three inches. Her colourist places these highlights in thin vertical sections that follow the natural fall of her hair, creating movement when she turns her head. The back remains a solid rich brown that provides depth and contrast to the brightened front sections. This placement mimics how the sun would naturally lighten hair that frames the face while keeping protected areas darker.
Who suits this style best
You’ll love this look if you have medium to dark brown hair and want a subtle change that brightens your complexion without full commitment to blonde. The style works particularly well for mature skin tones because the face-framing highlights create a softening effect that draws light toward the eyes and cheekbones. Your hair benefits most from this technique if you prefer low-maintenance colour since only the front sections require regular toning and touch-ups.
Face-framing balayage offers maximum impact with minimum commitment, perfect for testing lighter shades before going bolder.
Recreating it with Smart Beauty
Apply the Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Kit only to your front hairline sections, painting vertical ribbons from roots to ends on pieces you’d naturally tuck behind your ears. After lifting to a warm caramel blonde, tone with Smart Beauty’s Brown & Copper shades to maintain richness and prevent brassiness.
6. Zendaya’s warm copper dimension
Zendaya’s copper balayage showcases how rich red tones can add incredible depth and warmth to brunette hair without going fully ginger. Her colourist blends auburn and copper highlights through her deep brown base, creating a multidimensional effect that shifts from chocolate to fiery copper depending on the lighting. This stunning look among balayage celebrity styles proves that redheads don’t have a monopoly on copper tones, and brunettes can incorporate these warm shades for a unique, eye-catching result. The colour adds instant warmth and sophistication while maintaining enough depth at the roots for practical maintenance.
Defining the look
Zendaya’s copper dimension starts with a deep espresso base that gets enhanced with ribbons of warm copper running through the mid-lengths and ends. Her colourist places the richest copper tones strategically through the surface layers and around her face, where they catch light and reveal their fiery undertones. The highlights maintain more red-orange warmth than golden blonde balayage, creating a look that reads as sophisticated auburn rather than traditional brown. This placement creates movement and interest that flatters her complexion beautifully.
Who suits this style best
You’ll achieve stunning results with this look if you have medium to dark brown hair and want to experiment with warmth without going blonde. The copper tones particularly flatter warm and olive skin tones because the red undertones enhance your natural glow.
Copper balayage works beautifully on textured and curly hair where the dimensional tones create incredible depth and movement.
Recreating it with Smart Beauty
Begin with the Smart Beauty Balayage Highlights Kit to lift your selected sections to a warm golden base. After achieving sufficient lift, apply Smart Beauty’s Brown & Copper shades at full strength to deposit rich copper tones.
Find your perfect shade
You’ve discovered six stunning balayage celebrity styles that prove you don’t need expensive salon appointments to achieve red carpet looks. Each style offers unique benefits depending on your natural colour, skin tone, and the level of maintenance you want. The Smart Beauty Balayage Kit gives you the foundation for all these transformations, while our comprehensive colour range lets you customise your finish to match your favourite celebrity inspiration perfectly.
Starting your balayage journey means selecting which look resonates most with your personal style and lifestyle needs. Whether you’re drawn to Margot Robbie’s creamy blonde sophistication or Zendaya’s warm copper dimension, you’ll find the exact shades you need in our complete range. Browse our highlights collection to discover all the products for recreating these iconic looks at home with vegan, plex-enriched formulas that protect your hair while delivering professional results.