The 'Bella Hadid bun' is simpler than you think

Celebrity hair stylist Chris Appleton truly is the gift that keeps on giving. First, he blessed us with the ability to buy the exact hairspray Kylie Jenner uses for silky strands. Then, he gifted us a trick that delivers a Dua Lipa-level ponytail with just three hair elastics (yes, seriously). And now he’s spilled the secrets behind a style that we’ve long wanted to recreate for ourselves: the ‘Bella Hadid’ sleek bun.

Because here’s the thing about said bun; it looks hard as hell. Like, how exactly does one keep a centre part perfectly intact while still sweeping the hair back in a flyaway-free way that grants you instantly chiselled cheekbones? Seems like a tall order, right?

Not according to Appleton; he created the entire style (which he accurately refers to as a “snatched middle part bun”) in one speedy TikTok tutorial, dropping some serious wisdom around what you need (just four products) and how to easily achieve the coveted aesthetic.

Surprisingly, you actually want to start out by establishing a ponytail, not a parting. “Take a triangular section at the front and separate it,” Appleton explains, clipping up a portion of hair at the front of the head (spoiler alert: this will later serve as the ‘parted’ section).

Once you’re ready to pull back your hair, you’ll want to get your texture looking super sleek. “You want to saturate the first two inches of the roots with hairspray,” says Appleton, noting that he uses the ColorWow Cult Favourite Firm + Flexible Hairspray ($45.54 at Beauty Expert).

“Follow [the line of] your cheekbone and tie [hair back] into a snatched ponytail [wherever you want your bun to sit],” he shares. “Once you’ve got your ponytail in place, [let down your pinned front section], clean up your middle part with a tail comb, and add more hairspray [to enhance sleekness and smoothness].” Any tail comb will do the trick, but we’re definitely partial to the Mason Pearson Tail Comb ($31.95 at Adore Beauty).

Next you want to join the two sections together. “Add that [centre-parted section] back [into the ponytail], but brush it down lower so you get the cheekbones that are popping but then you [also] get the sleekness of the middle part,” Appleton explains.

Almost done – just a few finishing touches to go! “Twist your bun round and add a bit more hairspray,” says Appleton. “I like to leave the ends out just for a little bit of that kind of cool-girl finish. I usually use an elastic [to secure] and then flick the ends with a flat iron.” Hello, ‘90s aesthetic. For the record, if you're after similar straight ends, we're fans of the Philips MoistureProtect Straightener ($139 at Philips).

“Don’t forget to fill out your hairline [with a little root touch-up powder suited to your hair colour]; that’s a game changer,” Appleton adds. His powder of choice? ColorWow Root Cover Up ($52.50 at Adore Beauty).

And that’s it; you’ve got (as Appleton would say) “a perfectly snatched bun [and the] cheekbones are popping.”

Want to see Appleton's approach in action? Here's his guide to nailing the look.

Main image credit: Getty Images

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