After decades of creating wonky waves and acquiring burns in the process of trying to curl my hair, I’ve found peace in a fool-proof, self-rotating iron — worthy of Jennifer Garner, I might add. While I’m capable of creating curls, however, they’re hardly perfect — particularly at the end of the day, once they’ve deflated and dulled. 

It hadn’t occurred to me that a hair mousse might solve my woes — until I learned Olivia Wilde owed her bouncy, shiny waves on the recent 2023 Academy Museum Gala red carpet to the Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Mousse. 

Celebrity stylist Barb Thompson created the actor’s lustrous waves using the mousse, plus other products from the brand, employing its blow dry primer, strong-hold hairspray, and hair oil. You can shop each of the Wilde-worthy products, including the volumizing mousse, at Amazon, where most are under $30. 

The Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Mousse is a root-lifting, strand amplifying volumizing styling product that holds shape, adds shine, and protects strands from hot tool temperatures of up to 450 degrees fahrenheit. The whipped formula is easy to work through hair; furthermore, it feels equally touchable, soft, and lightweight once dry. Its silicone-, paraben-, and mineral oil-free formula prevents the weighty, greasy, filmy finish inherent to many hair products of its kind. Instead, the mousse delivers soft volume and natural-looking shine — sans crunchiness or flaking. 

Thompson aimed to create “effortless volume” for Wilde’s red carpet look, per a press release. “To prep the hair,” she said, “I started with Amplify Mousse through the roots to mid shafts for fullness.” Next, Thompson wielded two curling tools from her kit: Mesh rollers “to help create modern volume,” she shared, followed by a 1.5-inch curling iron. 

Notably, the medium-hold mousse prevents deflation, and prolongs voluminous waves with a red carpet-worthy hold. Substantial enough to prolong a blowout, it’s also light enough to keep styles looking fresh for hours — without stiffness. 

Finally, if you’re partial to the salon-fresh hair smell, you’ll swoon over this formula’s fragrance: A notably refined floral blend of peony and rose, plus a touch of powdery musk.  

One shopper, who says the mousse makes hair “smell so good” adds that it also “gives so much volume.” According to another fan, it “thickens” hair and “gives it a nice bounce.” 

For glossy bombshell blowouts à la Wilde, shop the Authentic Beauty Concept Amplify Mousse at Amazon for $28.