Gradient lips, gradient blush, and now, graident hair?
The latest iteration of the melting technique arrived on Wednesday night at the 2026 American Black Film Festival, where Chloe Bailey made a case for color-changing curls outside the opening night screening of “Strung.”
Clad in an Avaro Figlio powder blue drop-waist gown with a black bodice, Bailey unleashed her box braids on the carpet, exposing the subtle progression of her dark coloring. With inky roots and caramel ends, her hair formed a brown gradient that accentuated her carved brows and the smoky shimmer on her lids. Underneath the eyes, her cheeks were dressed in baby pink, blurred blush, while her lips were lined in a cool stone-taupe hue.
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Recently, Bailey has collaborated with hair architect Fesa Nu, parading a myriad of sculptural styles like spiraling braid extensions and spiky buns. For makeup, the “Do It” vocalist has notably partnered with Ngozi Edeme — aka “Painted by Esther” on Instagram and TikTok — the artist to catalyze the gradient blush trend. WWD has reached out to both Nu and Edeme to confirm their hands in Bailey’s Wednesday night beauty.
While this wasn’t the first time Bailey’s boasted multidimensional hair coloring, it’s not often the body of it is let down. The “How Does It Feel” singer typically prefers intricate updos, similar to the one she sported at the “You, Me & Tuscany” screening in Los Angeles in April and at the 2026 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards in March.
She did, however, let her curls loose at the NAACP Image Awards in February, meanwhile her sister, Halle, bundled her box braids with the help of Byron Javar, whose A-list client list also includes Karen Pittman and Taraji P. Henson.
See here for their looks and more from the 57th annual event.