Halle Berry Was Set on Her Oscars 2023 Hairstyle Before She Even Chose Her Dress

Nobody lights up a red carpet like Halle Berry lights up a red carpet.

For Berry's return to the Oscars, during which the 2002 Best Actress winner for Monster's Ball would present the same award to Michelle Yeoh, she shone in a romantic Tamara Ralph Couture rose gold flower adorned gown with equally pretty hair and makeup.

"Causing a little commotion, but only for a split second," Berry captioned a video on Instagram while showing off her look — the work of stylist Lindsay Flores, makeup artist Jorge Monroy and hairstylist Sara Seward.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, the trio broke down the making of Berry's rose-gold glam for the star-studded event, from how they picked the dress to the Virtue products used to create her hairdo.

Sara Seward

The dress, which took 500 hours to create, was "the very first look that I requested the day I found out she was presenting," explains Flores.

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They tried multiple other options, Flores says, yet the Tamara Ralph creation remained a frontrunner. "[It] kept winning with how fresh, modern yet effortless it was."

Sara Seward

While the dress was up in the air, the finger waves hairstyle was set from the start.

"[Halle] wanted to do something that she hasn't really done before on the carpet [but also] something very Oscars, very elegant," Seward says of the 1940s-inspired look. "Halle said, 'this is the hair we're doing regardless of what I'm wearing,'" adding, "she wanted it to be a statement by itself."

To put a modern spin on the S-waves, they decided the top half would be a more traditional nod to the hairdo, and it would flow into the bottom half, which showcased Berry's natural curls.

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It took Seward "a few hours" to "really nail" the look. She started by prepping Berry's damp hair with Virtue Curl-Defining Mousse, then she used a mixture of Virtue Curl-Defining Gel with Virtue Healing Oil to sculpt the waves.

Sara Seward

After letting the style set under a dryer, she broke up the bottom portion of the curls and touched up the ends with Virtue The Perfect Ending Split End Serum. She finished it off with a drop of the oil and an all-over mist of Virtue 6-in-1 Style Guard Hairspray to keep everything in place.

Everything except for one curl that Berry wanted to cover one eye. "I always finish [the style] and then I know that she's going to tweak it and put it in the place that she feels best about it."

Sara Seward

Berry's love of the look and excitement for the night ahead showed from the moment she stepped on Oscars the carpet.

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Of the obvious fun she was having, the star told ABC. "I've got nothing to win, nothing to lose. I'm just here to honor the others."

"This is my industry, these are my friends, many of them. It's really important to be here. This is the best party in town, so I'm lucky I get to come," she added. "It was a beautiful year. I have a lot of friends up in the running. I've got friends here tonight."