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Key Takeaways
- Olandria Carthen showed off a brand-new platinum hair color at the Golden Eve event on Tuesday, January 6.
- Since we met her on Love Island, she’s typically stuck to shades of deep auburn and dark brown or black.
Happy Awards Season! Today, the award for best pre-awards show look that gets us excited for the rest of the season goes to Olandria Carthen. (I’m thankful to Love Island USA 2025 for introducing the masses to Miss Bama Barbie, because I’m sure she’s always had that one in the bag.)
On Tuesday, January 7, Carthen arrived for Golden Eve—a Golden Globes event honoring Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker—with her signature bright pink blush, a beaded gown that was altered to show off her collarbone tattoo, and a head of platinum hair. Talk about Barbie! And talk about golden.
Olandria Carthen’s Blonde Hair
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Worn styled in a deep side part and soft, romantic waves, Carthen’s new hair color is a bright, cool platinum blonde with slightly darker root. It’s a big change up from the deep auburns and obsidian brunettes we’ve seen her in since she appeared on our TV screens, but a welcome one. She’d look good in anything.
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The model’s new color was the work of Houston-based celebrity stylist Micah (@officialmicah). He shared a peek of the wig’s install a few days ago via Instagram, and its wearer looked just as good modeling the cool shade in her athleisure as she did on the red carpet.
Her Beaded Gown
While the other guests seemed to have discussed a black-and-white (or just black, or just white) theme before getting dressed, the Islander added some necessary color to the evening in a beaded floral Sevon Dejana dress (the style, from their fall/winter 2025 collection, is dubbed “Reincarnation”) with a heavy green satin train.
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The designer originally showed the gown with a sculptural, rounded chestplate that rose up high enough to cover the model’s mouth. However, Carthen opted for a straight-across neckline that landed right at collarbone length—the perfect location for her tattoo to peek out.
She finished things up with a milky manicure, Barbie-pink blush (obviously), shimmery shadow, and glossy lips. Ken (aka Nic Vansteenberghe) wasn’t around, but that’s okay. Bama Barbie, like Barbie Barbie, is a star on her own.
