Picture this: you’re at a beauty counter. There are 36 shades of eye shadow angled toward you ever so sweetly, each like a velvety soft puppy, begging to be taken home. People with pink undertones should choose blue-reds, right? And olive skin tones should steer clear of pastels...or something? There are ‘rules’ to color-matching of course, but maybe whoever first wrote them up had it all wrong in asserting that a person’s hair and makeup shades should be based skin tone. What about starting with hair color? After all, Drew Barrymore once told us, “We could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and we’re going to have played it safe and conservative? Forget it. I want to try every hair color, I want to paint my face crazy colors. I don’t care what people think or say, I want to live. I want to have fun!”
In an attempt to demystify hair shades (let’s be honest—how many times have you been asked to “bring a reference” to your colorist?) while having Barrymore-level fun, take a look at the work of hairstylist Thanos Samaras, who essentially created six entirely new identities for us with a change of hair color and a little makeup experimentation. It’s all in celebration of John Frieda’s new Colour Refreshing Glosses. Because what’s that warning that comes at the end of every lotto commercial? Play responsibly. If you’re going to go for a new color, keep it looking good between salon visits (or enrich what you’ve already got going on) and your colorist won’t kill you for Manic Panic-ing your hair in a moment of...panic. And now, the fun part:
The hair you want: Ashy blonde. The first lift took you to Cara Delevingne, but you’ll probably go back for more, citing a tear-out of that Louis Vuitton ad with Michelle Williams. Your colorist will remind you that the ash will turn to brass without proper at-home maintenance.
Your Colour Refreshing Gloss: Cool Blonde. The purple, deliciously scented goop will gently tone out the brassiness.
Makeup experiments:
-Did you see Lady Gaga's Versace campaign? Ash blonde paired with any soft sherbet shade, like orange and pink or lavender, is a killer combination. We used Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Melondrama, and added an angular eye to give a Debbie Harry vibe to the Marilyn hair.
-Be the woman who actually pulls off an unexpected lip color by trying a steel metallic lip (check out MAC Lipglass in Steel Kiss) worn with bronzer, a frosty highlighter, and loose platinum hair.
-Use an olive eye shadow, either as a subtle liner at the edges, or a matte version all over the lids, with an otherwise bare face.
-Rich purple lips (a neon berry or deep grape) with cool highlights create an updated cyber-goth vibe.
Part 1 of a 6 part collaboration with John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss. Annie Kreighbaum photographed by Emily Weiss in New York on January 19, 2014. Hair by Thanos Samaras; makeup by Junko Kioka.
