Perhaps it’s the promise of sunnier climes or impending annual leave on the horizon, but it seems everyone is experimenting with 'golden hour' hair of late. From Zendaya's Challengers press tour to Julia Roberts' viral hair transformation, and not forgetting Rihanna's take on the honey hue, the colour dominating the haircare lexicon lately is all about golden blonde.

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Emilia Clarke is now the latest among a string of famous faces to declare sun-kissed blonde as the hottest hue this summer. This weekend, the actor stepped out at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix debuting an ultra-sleek and pin-straight mid-length crop, which she paired with a khaki dress and a bright red lip.

But the real difference was in her new hair colour; created by hairstylist Nicola Clarke and styled by Earl Simms, Clarke's new golden blonde epitomised the glossy, glow-y aesthetic that's likely been infiltrating your Instagram feed lately.

Eschewing her dark brunette lengths, Clarke's new colour refresh appeared to be created using a balayage technique with soft, golden highlights adding a brighter finish to the new 'do.

From 'dream blonde' to sunflower blonde, syrupy, golden tones have been more in demand than ever, according to hair expert and trend forecaster, Tom Smith. 'Gold tones can suit and lift a variety of skin tones, and work well to lift one's complexion and make the hair look extra healthy, ' he notes. 'It's a great trick if your bleached hair is looking dull or tired and is an excellent choice for summer.'

As for how to achieve golden hour hair à la Clarke? 'You can recreate this shade with highlights on naturally lighter hair or with a full colour plus highlights on naturally deeper bases. The tones are entirely golden with areal focus on shine and vibrancy,' he shares.

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Amelia Bell
Senior Site Beauty Editor

Amelia Bell is the Senior Site Beauty Editor at ELLE UK, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and overseeing all beauty content for the site. Amelia has a particular interest in sustainable beauty practices, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.