Vanessa Hudgens Traded In Her Dark Waves For Soft Highlighted Curls

Coachella Weekend Two kicked off mere hours ago, and already music festival icon Vanessa Hudgens is on the ground and decked out in a head-to-toe bohemian-chic ensemble complete with fun makeup and an ultra-trendy hair upgrade you’re about to see everywhere. Joining a pair of just-cut curly bangs are Vanessa Hudgens’ caramel curly hair highlights. Acting like a spotlight on her ultra-lush natural curl pattern, the highlights are an infusion of pure summertime warmth — perfect for Coachella’s long, hot days in the desert. Hudgens has always been up for hair experimentation — she’s done blonde, raven, red, long, short — but this bang-accented look, showing off her dark brown curly hair and highlights, might be her greatest move yet.

The best part of Hudgens’ new look is how subtle yet transformative of a change the highlights are, even from last weekend. At Coachella’s Weekend One, Hudgens was sporting her classic rich brunette curls, letting them flow wild and free. Her only accessories were a few different (admittedly very stylish) hats, including a few cowboy-adjacent styles and a funky ‘70s-looking bucket hat. But Hudgens is always looking to change it up, which makes it utterly unsurprising that she’d return to the festival a week later with an entirely new vibe.

The new bangs and highlights add plenty of retro appeal to Hudgens’ overall look, which is only heightened by the arc of glimmering, stick-on jewels and powder blue eyeliner across her lash line. Dark brown hair with highlights (especially for curls) actually happens to be trending across the board, too. Just a day ago, Kehlani’s hair colorist, Jess Gonzalez, shared a pic of the singer with her own curly caramel highlights. Though it’s not clear who is responsible for Hudgens’ new color, celebrity hair colorist Nikki Lee comments heart eyes on the post so it could be possible that Lee is to thank for the new sun-kissed look.

Either way, keep your eyes peeled on the ‘gram as lots more variations of highlights are sure to keep popping up on A-listers as summer nears.