Keke Palmer's Sunset Ombré Hair Color Is a Total Dream
In 2016, Keke Palmer played Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies, in the TV special Grease Live! While it's been over a decade since she crooned “Freddy My Love,” Palmer proved that it's always a good time to think pink—both with an update to her hair color and the prettiest rosy eye shadow.
Palmer did double duty as host and performer at the 2026 Billboard Women in Music Awards and absolutely lit up the red carpet pre-show with a gorgeous twist on her go-to copper hair color, styled by hairstylist Ashanti Lation. She's changed up her pixie's hue a few times in the recent past, including a darker auburn and a highlighted brunette, but for the Billboard event, she added a subtle hint of the prettiest warm deep pink and strawberry tones to her hair, reminiscent of one of those take-your-breath-away sunsets. The colors mingled together in an ombré pattern and shifted depending on the light.
Palmer and makeup artist Kenya Alexis carried the pink theme through to her makeup, with bright rose-pink eye shadow brushed across her entire lid and outward, defined with bold strokes of winged liner and long, wispy eyelashes. A similar shade of soft, petal-pink blush was applied high up on her cheekbones for a monochromatic feel. Later in the show, Alexis added more sparkle to Palmer's eye makeup, including diamond stones to frame her brows and lots of sparkle across her lids.
Palmer has been “having a ball” with her short hair. “The pixie lets me keep the flavor, style, funk, but at the same time, I can keep up with it day to day,” she told Allure, nothing that she gets the sides and back cut every two weeks and gets a refresher on her relaxer every four weeks. “I know a lot of people feel like the pixie is difficult, but if you have a good foam, some good edge control to add up in there and give it texture, and you're not afraid of letting some of your texture shine through, then you can enjoy your pixie cut and not be afraid to touch it.”
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5 of May 2026
