Alicia Keys always has that “New York City casual cool” vibe about her, but she can do glamour just as well, as shown by this recent photo. Alicia turned up on the red carpet looking stunning in a glossy, oversized braided updo. Keys fans everywhere will want to copy this look for their next formal night out—here’s how to get it.

Alicia Keys hairstylesThis is a style that requires a lot of pinning, braiding and twisting, so it’s best to get a friend or (even better) your hairstylist to do it for you. It’s not an easy style to do on yourself.

The first step is to pull the hair back into a super-sleek, tight ponytail. If you have medium length or very thin hair, you may need to add a hairpiece in at this point to get the thick, long braid that is needed for this style.

Once your hair is braided, pin it to the head in a “loop” like Alicia has done, going forwards then looping back behind the ear to the nape of the neck, then back to the top again. After it has been pinned and sprayed into place, finish it all off with a gloss spray for extra glam factor!

To see how you'd look with the great hairstyle pictured in this blog, click on the above image to try the virtual hairstyle with your own photo!