Wendy Iles’ Unfailable Method – Iles Formula

Wendy at Cannes Film Festival with actress Marion Cotillard, captured by Elliott Bliss 

When Wendy Iles dresses hair for the red carpet, the work begins long before the curling iron. Her un-failable method rests on a single principle: hair that has been properly nurtured holds a style with grace, movement, and a quiet confidence the camera always finds. At Cannes Film Festival, Wendy created two distinct looks — a soft bohemian style and a set of voluminous waves with a modern “easiness” — and both began with the same Iles Formula foundation.

The good news? Both are entirely possible to recreate at home. Below, Wendy shares her step-by-step method for each look — bringing the red carpet to your bathroom mirror. Save them for your next event, and tell us which one you’ll try first.

Get the Look

The Bohemian Hairstyle

The first look was soft, loose, and lived-in — the kind of hair that suggests a long lunch on the Croisette rather than hours in front of the mirror. The how-to is, as Wendy puts it, really quite simple.

Izabel Goulart attending a film premiere at the 70th Cannes Film Festival

1. The hair was first prepped with Iles Formula Shampoo and treated with Iles Formula Conditioner, delivering the instant repair that makes every step that follows possible.

2. Wendy then applied Iles Formula Finishing Serum evenly to mid-lengths and ends of wet hair, then blow-dried section by section with a round brush — heat activates the formula into a spun-silk finish.

3. Use a hot tong to create the beach wave knowing the hair is protected up tp 450 degrees Celsius  with this serum, without weighing hair down! Run a final pass of the serum over the dry outer surface to lock in polish and shield against humidity.

The result is hair that moves the way bohemian hair should: a little undone, a little romantic.

Why it works: Wendy’s signature serum wraps every strand in protection against heat, UV, humidity, and colour fade — delivering glossy, weightless smoothness without a trace of residue.

The Voluminous Waves

When we saw Wendy’s second creation, our hearts melted. “Voluminous Waves” felt like the only fitting name. If you’ve been wondering how to recreate this kind of red carpet hair at home, this is the one to bookmark.

What you’ll need: a Dyson hairdryer (or your dryer of choice), Iles Formula Finishing Serum, long section clips, and a Babyliss-Pro hair tong.

1. Apply the Iles Finishing Serum to damp hair. This protects the strands from heated tools and humidity, and delivers the silky lusciousness that is the signature finish of the brand.

2. Using a round brush and your dryer, blow-dry for smoothness and built-in volume. This step is critical — it is the foundation the entire hairstyle is built on.

3. Take a medium-barrel curling tong and curl the hair in vertical sections, working from the face toward the centre back. Clip each section up in an invisible roller shape and let it sit until completely cool. The cooling is what locks in longevity and gives the style its bounce.

4. Once the hair has cooled, Wendy suggests breaking down the curl to give it that “easy” quality. The method is simple but works its magic while you finish your makeup or step into your dress — only ten minutes is needed. Section the hair into two sides, turn each side together toward the centre back, and twist into a long sausage shape.

5. Pin those sausage sections on top of the head and leave them for about ten minutes.

6. Drop the hair down and shake it into place. Wendy does not brush the hair; it simply fall into an abundance of waves with the exact volume she had asked for.  She fine tunes with the Iles Formula Comb another tool thats always in her back pocket.She loves the texture marks it delivers to nurtured hair.  For the final step, smear a little more Iles Formula Finishing Serum over the outer surface. This settles any fluffy hairs and shields the style from the evening’s humidity.

The result is voluminous red carpet waves with a modern “easiness” to them. Throughout the evening, all that’s needed is the occasional shake of the head and a little squashing of the volume by hand. When the base is right, Wendy says, this hairstyle is genuinely low maintenance — no brushing, no hairspray. Shake and go. It’s like a dream.

The Principle Behind Both Looks

Two looks, one method. Both began with cleansed, conditioned, serum-protected hair — and that, more than any tool, is why they held all evening. Wendy’s un-failable approach to red carpet hair is built on the step most people skip: a haute-performance ritual that leaves the hair nurtured enough to do the work for you. Get the foundation right, and a red carpet finish is well within reach at home.

There you have it — two red carpet looks, both within reach. If you try them, we’d love to see. Tag us at @ilesformula_hair and let your creation join the gallery.