Everyone Is Talking About Kate Beckinsale’s Transformative New Hair Color

‘Tis the season for serious hair shakeups everywhere. It feels like every beauty-loving celebrity is scrambling to clock in one last transformation before the official dawn of the New Year, but one late entry is particularly excellent. On Dec. 6, at a special holiday dinner hosted by designer Roger Vivier in Los Angeles, fans watched as Kate Beckinsale’s blonde bob made its red carpet debut. In her sultry, scarlet-colored suit with matching lipstick, Beckinsale’s new cut-color combination feels like a total refresh on her increasingly-experimental look — and that goes for her hair, makeup, and fashion choices as well. She’s been playing around with fun updos and exciting outfits for a while now, though this stunning shade of warm blonde is the most major shift of them all.

It came as little surprise to learn that celebrity hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos is the creative mind behind Beckinsale’s radiant new look. He’s worked on some of the year’s most beloved hair moments, most recently Amal Clooney’s caramel-colored highlights and Megan Fox’s cherry-red bob. Sharing some behind-the-scenes shots on Instagram, he playfully dubbed this cut and color the “blob” — that is, blonde bob. Shaggy, layered, and gently parted on the side for some bang-simulating volume, the shoulder-length chop is so full of body and movement.

The color is an equally critical part of this equation, of course. To suit the actor’s skin tone, this shade of blonde is a luminous pale gold with plenty of complementary interwoven shades for added dimension. A soft brunette rooting effect makes it all look so natural, the perfect finishing touch. The transformation feels all the more significant when you take a look back at some of Beckinsale’s other recent appearances this year:

Beckinsale gave her fans another side of her new hair the next day on Dec. 7, when she attended the The Hollywood Reporter's Women In Entertainment Gala in Beverly Hills. That time around, she parted her fresh cut down the center and paired it with a light, more minimalist makeup look. On that red carpet, too, she looked just as incredible.

Who needs a new year to unveil a new you?