Alix Earle’s Hairstylist Shares Viral Face Snatch Hack

Red carpet one day, brand launch and Jimmy Fallon the next. Alix Earle keeps a tight schedule, and somehow, an even tighter visage. Her hack? The hair snatch.

Crafted by hairstylist Rikke Gajda, Earle’s facelift effect made waves online after the TikToker-turned-entrepreneur shared a behind-the-scenes look at her Vanity Fair Oscars Party prep, in which Gadja used small sections of her hair to pull her temples up.

Speaking with WWD, Gajda said the key to achieving this trick is to customize the direction of the lift to the individual’s face. “Some clients want more lift through the eye area, while others prefer it slightly lower to enhance the cheekbones, so that’s something I assess with the client first,” she explained.

“From there, I take very small, hidden sections just behind the hairline so the front still looks soft and natural, and I build internal structure within the hair,” Gajda continued, noting that for a “secure foundation,” strong hold products and subtle braids close to the scalp are necessary. “The key is that it’s completely invisible.”

Once the braids are set, Gajda will anchor the ends in the hair, securing the lift in place. “It’s less about pulling the hair tight, and more about controlled, directional tension. When it’s done right, you get that lifted effect without it looking obvious — and it holds all night,” Gajda said.

In Earle’s most recent TikTok “Get Ready With Me” for the launch of her new business, hairstylist Vincent Pelletier, whose A-list client roster also includes Ariana Madix and Dixie D’Amelio, gave her the same snatch, but at five in the morning. “Guess what we’re doing? Snatching, cause it’s my big day and I got a snatch. Eyebrow lift. After the last time I did them, I got like a sore on my head,” she laughed.

After two-plus years in development, Earle’s acne-safe skin care brand, Reale Actives, is finally going live on Tuesday, debuting with four products: a cleansing balm, an exfoliating gel cleanser, a mandelic acid serum and a barrier boosting moisturizer. WWD broke the news of Earle’s beauty venture on March 24 alongside an exclusive interview with her and chief executive officer Andrea Blieden.

“I actually started with thinking I wanted to do makeup,” Earle admitted. “I was just so invested in making something that would be good for acne-prone skin care. And as we were talking about different things, I only really cared about something that was going to be good for acne-prone skin.”