Jessica Alba-Summer Chic

NEW YORK NY – AUGUST 05: Jessica Alba sighting on August 05, 2014 in New York City

While summer’s beach waves, air-dried bedhead, and messy buns mark the return of laissez-faire hair, Jessica Alba’s polished curls offer a thoughtfully pulled-together counterpoint to the season’s breezy take on beauty. Snapped in New York yesterday in crisp, high-wasted sailor pants and a simple, tucked-in shirt to promote her latest film, Sin City: A Dame to Kill, Alba upgraded her shoulder-length ombré into a thing of salon beauty with a style that called for wrapping a few thick, glossy sections around a pair of tongs. Building on the momentum of Daria Werbowy’s barrel waves in the recently released fall Céline campaign, the minimal effort look—which the actress paired with fresh skin, subtly sculpted cheekbones, and a swipe of flesh-toned lipstick—feels timely, providing yet another convincing case for getting reacquainted with your curling iron. Think of it as a shorthand guide to mastering work-appropriate hair and makeup in the midst of August’s soaring heat and humidity.