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Gracing a magazine cover is no new feat for Jennifer Garner. After countless photo shoots, it’s hard to believe that there’s a look the actor hasn’t tried for the sake of a glossy spread, but we promise you’ve never seen the star like this. For Allure’s May cover, hairstylist Adir Abergel transformed Garner into a nearly unrecognizable version of herself with six different hairstyles, including a highlighter-yellow wig with long wispy bangs, a blonde bowl cut, a pale pink bixie with a deep side part and wet waves, a fiery red lob, and a long, sultry number with Jennifer Lopez-esque layers.
Garner has cemented herself as one of America’s sweethearts through her many roles on the silver screen. In every era, she’s maintained a natural-looking glow and has rarely deviated from her signature brunette hair. That’s part of Garner’s own allure: She has a familiarity that evokes fondness and nostalgia. But Abergel was determined to break Garner out of her usual mold for this cover and introduce her most daring looks yet.
After working with Garner for more than 20 years, the stylist is well-acquainted with the star’s signature, “beautiful, healthy, luxurious hair.” Abergel has seen Garner through highlights and low lights, but a simple color tweak was not enough for this cover. “I immediately thought about the power of transformation and the idea of hair being your greatest accessory,” Abergel tells Allure. In that vein, he used wigs to turn Garner into a high-fashion model.
The hairstylist worked with six wigs, all of which he styled on a mannequin before installing them on Garner. He cared for each wig as if it were Garner’s actual hair, using products from Virtue (he’s the brand’s creative director) to cleanse and condition the wigs before styling. To prep Garner’s hair for a wig-filled day, Abergel used the Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask before slicking the hair back and using a wig cap to protect it.
Installing and removing six different wigs in one day is no easy task, but Abergel has the process down to a science. “I apply a wig glue all along the hairline and let it dry for about 30 to 45 seconds before applying the wig, placing the wig lace directly on top of the area where I applied the glue,” he explains.
Though there was no specific reference for the shoot, Abergel collaborated with Allure’s creative team and photographer Tom Schirmacher to come up with looks that felt “timeless” and “cinematic.” One glance at the photos and you would think these are stills of Garner in an upcoming movie — and that’s exactly what the stylist was going for.
Photographer: Tom Schirmacher
Stylist: Yashua Simmons
Hair: Adir Abergel
Makeup: James Kaliardos
Nails: Temeka Jackson
Production: Viewfinders
Discover more BTS stories:
- Kim Kardashian Wears a 15-Foot Braid on the Cover of Allure
- Abbott Elementary's Lead Hairstylist Had Over 100 Wigs Ready on Set at All Times
- How Stranger Things' Lead Hairstylist Made Eleven's Shaved Head Look So Real
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