A Brave New Look

So you all remember my latest hair experiment, when I decided to go ombre. It didn't quite go as planned, although I did manage to get it toned down a bit. 

For the most part, I was able to relax and have fun with it. But in certain lighting, especially as its grown out more, it just looks SO two toned. No real transition between the two colors, just brown on top and blond everywhere else. And I kept remembering what the stylist said when I went to get it fixed. I asked if there was anyway she could bring the brown down to my jawline, like we originally discussed, and she warned that if we did, it would look too two toned.

Anyway, all of that is to say that it's finally time to retire the ombre and go for a more natural look. After loads of internet research, I decided to try something called ecaille.

Here's my celebrity inspiration:

So... basically ecaille is quite a bit like ombre (as you can tell from this picture's subtle caption--hardy-har). It is dark on top and light on the bottom, but inside of being two tones blended together, you mix in lots of highlights in various tones to create a more natural look. Ecaille is French for tortoiseshell--the idea is to mix the sorts of colors that you'd see in a tortoiseshell comb.

Anyway, that's the idea. I am well aware this could go awry, like the last attempt. But this time I'm going in to see my favorite hairstylist, someone who's been doing all the McAllister women hair since... I don't even know. Five or six years, I think? I trust her.

So here's my before pics:

SOOO two toned! Ack!

And... here's after!

Sooo much more subtle! :) I am very pleased.