Mark Townsend is a genius. It’s always easy to spot his work. Mark is a master at creating that “easy-chic” hair that everyone wishes they could achieve on their own. His creations look effortless…and impossibly stylish at the same time. It’s no wonder that every A-list actress has him on speed dial.

Luckily, I do, too!

When I spotted the beautiful Natalie Portman on the cover of this month’s Elle, I knew her chic-carefree do had to be the handiwork of Mr. Townsend. I was right. I gave mark a ring to get the scoop on Natalie’s stylish tresses. Mark was generous enough to share his tips on how to get the look.

“For the April cover of Elle magazine with Natalie Portman, the inspiration was "a casual, cool French young woman," so I wanted her hair to look natural and not fussed over.”

1. Natalie arrived at the studio with wet hair, so I sprayed in Biolage Volumizing Spray Gel and blowdried with a Spornette Mixed Bristle Round Brush to add fullness.

 

2. When Natalie's hair was dry, I used an FHI Heat Runway Flat Iron to straighten just the ends.

 

3. For the inside pictures, we wanted to roughen up the hair, to create a cool but soft texture. I mixed Biolage Moulding Souffle and Biolage Shine Endure Spritz together in my hands and then scrunched the products into her hair as a finial touch.