Pretty Simple :: Rocker Chic

I love a good transformation! We all have our “go to” day-to-day looks, but it’s always fun to transform ourselves by simply upping the glam for a special occasion. Martha Lynn here, with a special SXSW-inspired edition of Pretty Simple: When Lauren walked into my salon, I couldn’t believe she was the same girl I had seen headbanging onstage in the band Ume. Could this demure beauty possibly be the same Telecaster-shredding star of one of Austin’s most powerful and high-energy live acts? The petite blonde with a sweet, Southern drawl says she gets that a lot — “I’m kind of a Jekyl-and-Hyde. People don’t even recognize me from onstage to off. They’re like, ‘Hey you kind of look like that girl that was just playing guitar…’”

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Lauren’s one of those natural beauties that can throw on some lip gloss and walk out the door. She says that she’s usually working on band business at home, so most days she skips makeup altogether — lucky girl. But for the stage, she likes to turn up the volume with more eye makeup, a bold lip and, of course, major hair. It’s safe to say that Lauren has perfected the art of tossing those blonde layers around the stage as she commands her honey-toned Fender. She was even kind enough to give us a sampling of a few of her signature stage moves! Read below to see how we transformed this artist from her day look to night:

Lauren’s Day Look
For day, we did a simple top knot and very light makeup. Everyone should have their “five-minute face” that they can use to get out the door fast! For me, it’s a little concealer, mascara and blush.

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Lauren’s Stage Look
We added tons of eyeliner, a bold lip and created what I call “mermaid waves” using an oval wand. You simply twist and wrap the hair around the wand and that’s it. I teased her hair at the crown for volume. I used Living Proof Flex to both set the waves as I was curling, and to finish it off at the end.

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Catch Lauren in action at Ume’s official SXSW Showcase at Brazos Hall (with Blondie) tomorrow night. For more show dates, visit monuments.umemusic.com.

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