Want to Copy Shakira’s Looks from the 2000s? Her Stylist Shows You How

Celebrity stylist Marco Pe?a worked with Shakira at the start of her career and shares tips to recreate her most unforgettable looks.

Pies descalzos (1995) is considered Shakira’s first official album. It was followed in 1998 by ?Dónde están los ladrones? Her third one would catapult her to international fame: 2001’s Laundry Service. At the time, the singer, born in Barranquilla, was a fashion chameleon who experimented with her looks and was discovering her own style of beauty.

Marco Pe?a, a celebrity stylist and TRESemmé ambassador —with a successful career in the beauty industry— worked with the Colombian superstar during those early days. He shares his personal experience with Shaki, as well as some valuable tips for recreating her unique hairstyles. Have fun, the 2000s are back!

What do you remember about Shakira’s beauty looks from the late 90s?

At the time we were on the road with a full calendar of promotional events. She did her makeup herself, very simple. Her eyebrows were the most important thing for her, and we started changing her hair from straight and black to more of a mane full of small braids, and then went red, adding a lot of character to her rockstar period. Then she decided she wanted to go very light blond with her hair and she kept it that way until this last season. Now we see her with long hair that’s not so blond. She’s always the one who decides how she’s going to wear her hair!

What do we need to keep in mind if we’re going to make drastic changes to our hair color, the way Shakira did?

When you start playing around with colors to change your look, it’s very important to remember that your hair will need a special beauty routine, including lots of masks and moisturizers.

As you said, when we saw her at the start of the 2000s, she was very blond, with very noticeable waves. How do you achieve that look?

Her intensely blond, long and curly look was a big challenge, because at the time we didn’t have many products to highlight the naturally wavy texture. Fortunately, her hair is curly, and that helped us get a wavy pattern when drying her hair that was very similar to her natural wave. I used a hair dryer diffuser while drying it, and made a mixture of a little gel with a conditioning cream that I applied to her wet hair and then dried it with the diffuser.

These days we’re fortunate to have companies like TRESemmé that offer us key products to highlight whatever texture we’re going for. For example, for a wavy natural mane with wet hair, I would apply a lotion like TRESemmé Flawless Curls Refresher, from roots to tips, and then a little Total Volume mousse and use the diffuser on medium.

It was also her 'ethnic' moment. What’s the key to achieving that wild look?

The wild looks were the result of creating different textures in her hair, a period of threads, colored wool around the locks, braids... In the video of Inevitable, her rock song, her hair is full of different textures, giving her that iconic wild look.

In 2004 she showed up at the MTV Awards with a look that has come to represent the Y2K trend. How can we update that look?

For the MTV look, she went for a wig with bangs and long hair, past the shoulders, which is a trend that has remained current until today, because it’s a very flattering look that works well with almost any type of face and hair.

What were big beauty trends from that time and why do you think they're making a comeback?

It was an important transitional period because we changed her hair several times, from black to red, and from red to blond, which she kept until very recently. Having been part of those changes fills my heart with joy because of the importance of each look at the time. We’re seeing the red from that time trend again over the last few years in a big way. Ombré or the graduating look with dark roots that’s big today is also something she’s wearing.

What do you treasure most about your work with Shakira?

She gave me the chance to be a part of the life of a very special artist. In addition to being the hairdresser responsible for her hair, I also served as her personal assistant.