The first thing to know about any major color transformation is that it's going to be an investment of both time and money. 'This can be a good way to have some fun with your color and still feel a version of natural.' Another plus? It's a color that can typically be achieved in one trip to the salon and has more longevity than other 'fantasy' colors, like pink or purple.

'A gunmetal silver highlight is a great option for brunettes, mostly because this is in the same tonal family,' Marcy explains. We both settled on a smoky, darker shade of silver that wouldn't feel out of place among my naturally dark strands, and most importantly, allowed me to still live my brunette truth. 'Bring reference pictures that look like your natural color and cut,' she told me during my appointment, adding that it's the best way for colorists to get the most realistic sense of what you're hoping to achieve. I made sure to look for models whose hair was similar to my dark brunette, semi-wavy lob - an essential step that clients can easily overlook. Just like researching apartment decor or tattoo inspo, my hair-color dreams took me to Pinterest, where I put a board of reference pictures together for my colorist, Marcy, at Bumble and Bumble's Meatpacking salon. Not to mention it's a hell of a lot gentler than a full head of double process. Only this time, I felt like I had a better understanding of how to make it work for my natural color: piecey highlights that were a subtle, more wearable way to test-drive the hue. However, years after my initial color mishap grew out, I still couldn't get the shade out of my head.

Darkbrown hair into silver blue hair