So, I went to a very famous salon and asked for rich chocolate brown hair - something to cover up the dip-dye bits that I'd grown bored of. I said, 'golden tones', warm, rich and expensive-looking, please NOT BLACK, and please, no RED lowlights. I have no opinion whatsoever of Olivia Palermo (pictured above), but I do like the colour of the girl's hair. She was the inspiration (if only I'd taken a bloomin' pic along with me!).
What I got was almost black, BUT with a plum overtone. Gag! (And being asked by two different people whether I'd dyed it myself just adds insult to injury).
My disappointment bordering on disgust (and that unshakeable stomach-sinking feeling every time you look in the mirror), I've done my best to get on with the new shade. Embrace my dark side, a la Margot in the Tenenbaums, but with Wednesday Addams' locks. After four washes in one day the hair is ever-so-slightly less plummy... but the darkness remains, forcing me to adopt a new make-up approach too. I'm not the sort of gal who wants to go back to salon, get colour stripped and re-dyed. That is is currently very shiny and healthy-looking is, I feel, preferable to hair that feels more straw than silky strand.
So, what to do?
1) My skin must be warmed up. Thank gawd for Institut Esthederm Sun Sheen Intense for Face. The very best 'natural' self-tan on the market, and Guerlain Terracotta for Blondes (despite being black of hair now - I find this more flattering, as the pink tones within it are prettier than the slightly dulling bronze/coral combo of the Brunette version). I brush this just over cheekbones, bridge of nose, and forehead.
2) My dark circles must be lightened up (black hair is like a magnet for shadows around the eyes). Alison Raffaele Incandescence Luminizer (exclusive to Cult Beauty), is a new godsend. I've been using Dior Skinflash for years (and loving it), but recently trialled Liz Earle and The Body Shop's brightening-style pens. Neither lifted enough, and both being pink-toned, they did very little to tone down the predominantly green-tinge of my under-eyes. This, however, is just beautiful. Very creamy and brightening, but with decent pigment too.
3) A life-long lover of a bright lip, I am secretly pleased by how different a flash of neon/fuchsia/red looks when set against olive skin and very black hair. Reds look cheaper than before - whereas blue-toned pinks look cooler. My new fave new combo is a thick and rich tri-layer of By Terry Aqualip Jelly Tint, with Daniel Sandler Watercolour Creme Rouge Blusher in Hot Pink patted over the top. It really sings, in a not unwholly retro way, which I like.
As for the rest, I'm still learning. Anyone who is naturally black of hair and olive of skin, who'd like to share their make-up tips, please do get in touch.
From out of the shadows, Miss Malcontent, over & out.
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