Marsai Martin loves braids, regardless of style. Back in February 2022, the Black-ish star told Allure she adores braided looks because they don’t require styling. “You just wake up, take off your bonnet, and your hair is just perfect,” she explained. Despite that, Martin has experimented with how she wears some of her braided looks. So it’s no wonder that her latest set of box braids was styled into an intricate half updo that we can’t quite figure out. 

Martin arrived at the world premiere of The Little Mermaid on May 8 in a brown gown with a massive slit and her half-up hairstyle. She wore medium-sized goddess box braids that flowed past her hips. The braids were installed by Atlanta-based braider Kesh Kesh, and hairstylist Alexander Armand finessed them into the unique style for the film premiere. 

It’s hard to fully describe how Armand took these textured braids and transformed them into the loops that were piled high on her head. The front half of the braids was divided into two sections. Each section was then wrapped into a circular shape and pinned in place at her crown. A few curly tendrils fell toward the front of her face. 

With a stunning style like this, Armand made sure her baby hairs were slicked into light swoops along her hairline. Right at the center of her head, he shaped a small tendril of hair into a swirly loop.

Los Angeles-based makeup artist Diana Shin painted Marsai’s face for the event. She gave Marsai’s lids a thin cat-eye and blended it out to give it a smoky effect. Shin also applied long, wispy lashes onto her eyes, which only further emphasized her sharp eyeliner. Shin added a nude brown hue to Marsai’s lips to pull the entire look together.