Celebs
Why Teyana Taylor’s Power Pixie Feels So Timely
Crafted by hairstylist Nikki Nelms, the ‘Bed Of Roses’ singer’s latest cut feels perfectly aligned with the moment she’s in.
To say Teyana Taylor is having a moment would be an understatement. In the past week alone, she won her first Golden Globe, shut it down on the red carpet premier for her new Netflix film The Rip, and graced the cover of Vanity Fair. Let’s not forget, her album Escape Room is also up for a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. The résumé is stacking quickly, and the momentum shows no signs of slowing.
[SEE ALSO: Teyana Taylor Inspires Black Girls To Dream Big With First Golden Globe Win]
And she’s been doing it all in super-glam mode anchored by a power pixie coiffed by Nikki Nelms. For those who somehow missed the memo, Nelms is arguably your favorite hairstylist’s favorite hairstylist. The self-proclaimed Hair MacGyver is the artist behind some of the most inventive mane moments, crafting looks for the likes of Janelle Monaé, Zoë Kravitz and Tessa Thompson by transforming just about anything into a hair accessory.
Think yarn, spools of thread, safety pins, googly eyes and even zippers. But Nelms is just as masterful with an old school marcel iron as she is with the latest thingamabob, including bobs, pixies and sculpted silhouettes.
On Taylor, that pixie has become more than a haircut. It is a declaration. At the Golden Globes, she served soft, airy Betty Boop energy with Nelms sharing that she alternated between a medium-sized curling iron and a flat iron to build dimension and lift without sacrificing movement. The result was delicate but powerful.
If this is reinvention, it’s a softer kind. After a very public relationship and an equally public separation, Taylor’s creative rise feels earned rather than reactive. The pixie isn’t asking permission or offering context. It simply exists, confident and complete, much like Taylor herself in this chapter.
If this were simply about products, we could all chase the look with the list of products she used, including SheaMoisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Smooth and Shine Oil, Define and Shine Styling Gel, DevaCurl’s Super Cream, and Initio Parfums Privés Atomic Rose Hair Perfume. But, let’s be real. Many of us have tried to “get the look” at home with all of her secrets. Those how-to tutorials often humble us. Quickly.
That’s because what Taylor is wearing goes beyond technique. The pixie works because she works it. It mirrors her current era. As her career continues its meteoric rise across music, film, culture, the cut feels intentional, like a crown that does not need excess to command attention.
As Taylor herself said, “I ain’t lettin’ up.”
