Sometimes all it takes is a subtle hair change to make a big difference in your appearance. Sure, a total transformation is fun but not always realistic with real life (and budgets!). Take these Lea Michele blonde highlights I’m currently obsessing over. The star just got married on March 9 and she’s already making moves, chopping off her hair and adding face-framing highlights to her brunette mane. It’s the kind of change you don’t really notice at first but know something is different—and need to know more.
Michele’s longtime stylist Nikki Lee from 901 Salon in Los Angeles is responsible for her new look. She tells StyleCaster the pretty shade is called “Sunlight Brunette,” because it “features rays of sunshine sparkling throughout her hair.” She also adds, “We also took some length off for fun now that the wedding is over.”
Lee purposely gave Michele ultra-wearable natural-looking hair color so she would look back on her wedding photos decades from now and love her look. “The color was a classic brunette, with beautiful golden highlights,” Lee says. “For weddings, I always create a timeless color. I don’t want anything too trendy as I want the bride’s photos to remain timeless.” It helps that the shade brightens Michele’s face and gives her that lit-from-within glow we all covet.
Image: Courtesy of 901 Salon
Lee adds that Michele’s hue is “the perfect color for spring and summer” since it gives off a sunny vibe. In fact, she says Michele’s hair actually got lighter from the sun on her honeymoon so the finished product is “part from the salon and part natural from enjoying her honeymoon in paradise.”
I have to be honest that I’m a bit biased about Michele’s new highlights. After having platinum blonde hair for years, I recently went brunette to give my hair the break it was desperately craving. My stylist added golden blonde highlights to create dimension and brighten my complexion.
I’m surprised by how much I like the hue and thanks to Lea Michele, I now feel very on-trend. You can add golden highlights to basically any brown hair color to achieve the laid-back sunny vibe, which looks amazing on a variety of skin tones. But if you’re dyeing (see what I did there?) to try it yourself, it’s probably best to head to the salon so you don’t end up with brassy orange highlights that resemble the iconic singer Vitamin C.