Gabrielle Union’s Innovative Highlights Placement Is The Next Big Thing

Some style icons are beloved for their ability to make timeless fashion and beauty looks feel fresh and immediate. Others are especially gifted at forging their own trends, whether that means interpreting a classic in a new way or just dreaming up something totally unique altogether. It’s only the rarest stars who can juggle both methods — and Gabrielle Union has been doing just that for decades now. Just when you think there’s no aesthetic stone left unturned, she hits the red carpet in something so unexpected that it ignites a full-fledged phenomenon. In fact, you can expect exactly that with Union’s new face-framing highlights, just debuted over the last weekend of September. Somehow, Union found a color technique that feels entirely innovative.

Union showed off her new look at the George and Amal Clooney Foundation for Justice’s charity initiative, The Albies, hosted at the New York Public Library on September 26. On the arm of husband Dwyane Wade, she and her seafoam green dress made a serious statement as the pair made their way up the library steps. When illuminated by photographers’ flashbulbs, though, onlookers could see a subtle yet significant shift in Union’s hair color. Her side-parted blowout was its usual shade of raven, sure, but the curved section framing her face with streaked with a low-key yet immediately noticeable wave of gold.

That one large swath of hair is the only bit that features the highlights, a surely intentional move. It’s the part that cups her cheek and frames her entire face — no matter how toned-down and unobtrusive the color is, it still brightens everything up like a tiny spotlight. The shade itself, a dazzling golden caramel, is also extremely on-trend for fall 2024.

Despite its placement, you can’t quite call Union’s highlights a money piece. Typically, that term is reserved for an intentionally attention-grabbing chunk of hair significantly lighter than the rest. Instead, Union’s look is best described as “peekaboo highlights.” They’re so carefully woven in that you don’t notice them until you truly take the time to examine why the star looks so especially luminous lately — talk about quiet glamour.

For those who love a softer look, peekaboo highlights could be just the thing to change up your vibe without committing to a massive hair overhaul. Really, don’t be surprised if this look is the next big thing altogether.