Kérastase Names Hairstylist Jennifer Yepez Its Newest Celebrity Stylist

Hairstylist Jennifer Yepez has always stood out in a crowd. Let me give you an example. I first met Jen seven years ago backstage at Paris Fashion Week. She was assisting hair legend Luigi Murenu, or was it that other hair legend, Orlando Pita — either way — in a sea of drawn, tired faces that hadn't seen sunlight or leafy greens in three weeks, Jen looked like she had just come off a beach in Ibiza: Her golden skin glowing, her long hair curled and shining, her all-black ensemble all the same shade of black. That was seven years ago, and every time I've seen her since, it's the same thing. It was no surprise then, that when Instagram took off, Yepez, who works with the most glamorous, va-va-voom girls in Hollywood (Emily Ratajkowski, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Gigi Hadid) became a star in her own right, amassing 143,000 followers and inspiring some serious FOMO as she jet sets around the world both for work and a little bit of fun.

It should also come as not much of a surprise that as of today, Yepez holds one of the most coveted jobs in the beauty industry: celebrity hairstylist for luxury haircare brand Kérstase. "It's literally been my dream to work with Kérastase," says Yepez. "Being backstage, when I used to work with Luigi [Murenu], and we had all the Kérastase products back there, I always thought, This is what hair is, so it's such an honor to be with a brand that I absolutely love and that I already use every day and I recommend to my girls."

And if you think of Yepez's clients — models and actors whose lush, shiny, enviable hair that has us wondering what the heck we've been doing wrong with our blowdryers all this time — and Yepez herself, the pairing makes total sense. "When I think about luxury hair, I always think Kérastase — all of the ads, from both back in the day and now, when you look at that hair, it's what so many people want," says Yepez, who did Ratajkowski's hair in the image above. "Everyone wants shiny, beautiful, thick hair and these products help get you there. Every person knows when they purchase Kérastase that they're going to have healthy hair."

That's not the first time I've heard that. Hairstylist Odile Gilbert has told me tons of times backstage that she loves the Kérastase masks both for herself, and for the models whose hair gets tortured from the constant styling, bleaching, and washing for each show. And Yepez — who admits she keeps her shower stocked with the Kérstase Crème Chronologiste and Resistance Masque Thérapiste — agrees. "If you're my client and you're attending fashion week you have to have Resistance Masque Thérapiste with you," she says "I'll send them the masks before fashion month and beg them not to use the shampoo and conditioner in the hotel bathrooms. And that's the thing, yes, Kérastase is at a high price point than many hair products out there, but the formulas are also not full of silicone and additives that are going to dry out your hair."

Over the years, Yepez has generated a laundry list of Kérstase styling products that she uses regularly. "For styling, I love the Ciment Thermique and the Nectar Thermique," she says. "I always prep with one of them because they protect the hair from heat and I feel that when I use them, the hair fiber actually feels thicker." She's also a fan of the VIP Spray, the brand's texturizing and volumizing spray that you use on dry hair, as well as the hairsprays. "A good hair spray is so hard to find, you want one that you can brush out when you're creating a hairdo and the Kérastase hairsprays are amazing — the Dentelle and the Couture — you can brush them out, even the Couture one, which is a strong hold formula, but it's flexible and you can do anything with it."

"And I think everyone's favorite, including mine, is the Elixir Ultime — it adds shine, it cuts frizz, and it nourishes hair," says Yepez. "And anyone can use it whether you have thick hair or thin hair, you just use different amounts. Whenever I go to a client's house they always have it in their cabinet."

With her intimate knowledge of the line and now her official role with the company, Yepez is excited to share everything she knows with many more people than her thousands and thousands of followers. "I'm excited to show people what amazing looks you can create with these products and show them what to use and how to use them," she explains. "Because when it comes to styling, products are key. People think they can just use any thickening spray or any hair spray and then they don't get the results they want or see on the red carpet. So I want people to feel like they can recreate it at home."

See some more of Yepez's work in the links below:

The Secret to Gigi Hadid's Perfect Beachy Waves in the "How Deep Is Your Love" VideoSalma Hayek Debuts a Silver Lob on Instagram for The Hummingbird ProjectA Superpretty Braided-Bun Idea, Courtesy of Gigi Hadid

Watch the face of Kérastase, Emily Ratajkowski, transform into screen icon Sophia Loren: