kristi.d.bennett

The techniques I use for Sandy vary depending on what she wants at each appointment. Sometimes we go brighter around the face and then we switch it up by adding a lowlight at the next appointment.

Each appointment should begin with a discussion of what worked for you about the previous color job and what you wish to have changed at this time. By talking to my clients and asking them how they want to change things up, it prevents us both from getting stuck in a repetitive rut and feeling stale. I would SO much rather have my client ask me to change something from last time than to say nothing, have me on automatic repeat, and leave disappointed!

First session balayage with this babe. We chose to go with teased sections for maximum brightness with lower maintenance to better fit her newlywed, entrepreneur lifestyle.

Life. Changing. Moment. You guys nothing makes me happier than when a women turns around in her chair and puts her hands over her mouth and tears fill her eyes and she says that she never felt that beautiful in her life.

This woman deserves that feeling ya’ll!! We did a consult before the appointment, talking about my vision for her- as soon as she walked in I thought “brighter and A-lined”. She trusted me and that’s what we did. Took her to the next level!!

I am so bummed I didn’t get a before picture for you guys! But, just take my word for it. We took this gorgeous mama from burned out to bright blonde! She was stuck in neutral and we kicked it into high gear with a lot of foils for maximum impact. Stunning!

This is our third balayage session with this babe. She likes to keep it natural looking- not too bright but just enough to add a little umph to her color! Scroll down to see the comparison of her first color service.

This amazing woman moved to the area and looked around for a new stylist. She typically goes 8 weeks between appointments but with the hustle of moving and enjoying her summer, she didn’t contact me until week 12. Already feeling beyond repair, I explained that I was booking 3 weeks out. And guess what…SHE WAITED!!!!! And I am SO glad she did! She has the most amazing soul and being a part of her revitalization experience was touching. We changed her from and all over color blonde to a highlighted blonde including a slight lowlight of a dark blonde and an icier toner than her more golden all-over color. We will continue to add slight lowlights to give her more dimension as time goes on. Scroll all the way down for her before! Cannot wait to see her again.

We have done it all with this doll! She is actually further on the website as well for a brighter highlight but I wanted to keep this photo here to showcase what can happen with two back to back sessions of a highlight/lowlight mix. Beautiful dimension!

We went back to our roots! After trying a balayage look a year ago, she wanted to transition back to the highlighted bright root look. The beautiful thing about color is that we can change it up as much as you want! Scroll past these to see our two previous sessions: the balayage look and the original highlight.

This application was pretty straightforward- a full head of babylights to create a natural blonde look with maximum brightness.

This babe was looking for a change but not totally sure how she wanted to achieve it so we started with color. She felt like an all over color instead of having dimension and she was feeling very yellow. Taking the time to add in a lot of highlights and drop a lowlight close to her natural color in between her foils, doing a mix of babylights and a lowlight/highlight ratio that changed throughout her head- applying all of those techniques allowed me to create a custom color for her that achieved her bright blonde with no more yellow!

We have changed this lady over from a full foil to a balayage for an easier color to maintain. But scroll through the photos to see where a full highlight got her and where she started!

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If you scroll down to the last photo you can see where she was coming from originally. She was understanding when I took a photo of the underneath of her hair and explained what we would be doing to correct the current situation. This was not anyone’s fault! It just happens easily to be overhighlighted on top and left over on the bottom.  Her regrowth, previous highlights, and then leftover medium color needed to be blended by lowlights and highlights. An amazing amount of transformation in just one session!

This amazing lady hadn’t had her blonde done in over a decade! It was so much fun taking her back to a bright blonde after she had been rocking her natural locks for so long. Scroll down to see the comparison shots. What is crazy is that she used to actually register as a blonde to you mentally before she got her balayage and it’s crazy when you compare how dark her hair looked in the side-by-side photo! A once or twice a year refresh will keep her nice and bright, no need for high maintenance color on a naturally light canvas. If she wants even more dimension, next time we can drop a lowlight similar to her natural tone. Endless options!

This was super fun for a little change! Nicole is a naturally dark beauty but has been highlighted to a bright blonde for years. She wanted to try a color melt where her roots would be darker so I explained that a better option for her would be a root drop.

A root drop is where a color is chosen to match the dark level of your hair and it is dragged down strategically to create a more natural looking blend of light and dark.

While she didn’t want to keep this look forever, it was a great option for her to try out how she felt about a more natural look to see if she wanted to go that route. Now she knows she prefers a true highlighted blonde up to her roots and we switched her back without too much trouble!

This lady has more hare than any three women (so amazing) and she goes for a traditional foil to brighten her up her look. She pulls a beautiful bright blonde and we toned it to make sure all the blonde was nice and reflective instead of dingy or yellow.

This lady is a breath of fresh air! Everyone needs her in their life I promise.

We toyed with the idea of darkening her completely and making her a rich brunette (still an incredible option for her coloring) BUT what I didnt want to do was take away from her identity.

So many of us identify ourselves with our hair color - even our artificial hair color- and that is okay! We don’t ever need to change that about ourselves! So, what I did instead was a combination of highlights and lowlights to give her a dimensional blonde that would grow out easily with her light roots. Can you believe she actually felt darker with these goldilocks?!

If you have a big personality, your hair should reflect it. Hands down. This girl here is all years of wisdom and spunk and hiding under over-processed blonde. By adding a color underneath closer to her natural hue and dropping that same color throughout her foils, I was able to break up an overwhelming bleach canvas and bring her hair back to life. The magic of this cut that she is trying to grow out, is all in the product you use to style it.

After about 7 months of grow out, we have a lot of natural color to break through to get this babe back to the blonde goddess she wants to be. But one session makes us one step closer!

This gal wanted to get some personality back into her hair- so we chopped off a few inches and gave her a disconnected face frame in the front at the perfect length to draw attention to her jawline. She became a brightened blonde ready to feel her best and show up in a way she wasn’t able to before. Look at that gorgeous smile you guys- all worth it!

The photos with the sweater are from our second session together- a little brighter since we added a toner this time to break up that gold undertone! The photos with the white jacket are from our first session!

This was my second session painting Julia’s hair. Her previous session is also on the site here. This session required lifting through some previous color so the underlying pigments were still present. When you are working with a natural brunette and you are going lighter you will ALWAYS have to lift through “warm” tones in order to get past them. Doing this slowly and methodically allows you to maintain the structure and integrity of the hair with minimal damage. And look how gorgeous!!! I can’t get enough of a warm brunette.

We have done it all with this gorgeous gal! She is already on the website for a highlight/lowlight blend we did earlier this year. We have done teased highlights, added lowlights and taken them out again. I try to make sure every time my guests come see me that I adjust my pattern or foil or formula to create the look they want each time rather than fall into a habit of repetition.

When this girl shows up, you can’t help but smile. We talk dreams and business and family all while creating a bright look for her that she can keep up with at home with the right products. If you have ever used a purple shampoo this is why- the naturally occurring undertone at your high levels of blonde is a yellow or pale yellow color. If you want to mask that for a more ash or even grey toned highlight, you apply the basic principles of a color wheel. The opposite of yellow is purple, so a purple tinted shampoo allows you to keep up at home with that effect you get from a toner in a salon!

For summer we brightened up this brunette! Scroll all the way down to check out where we came from! She looks stunning with these bright pieces around her face. Her blue eyes pop and by doing a full balayage instead of just a teased foil we can make her brighter while keeping that warmth in her color.

This was just about the most liberating transformation I have ever been a part of! This gorgeous woman just had her third baby- and as anyone who has ever had a baby knows, when that happens you just need some help getting that pep back in your step. She had flirted with the idea of a short cut for years but was worried about looking too young. By keeping the lines of her cut long enough we were able to elevate her look and keep it chic with a blunt cut and added natural dimension and brightness with a full head balayage. No more baby blues!

The pictures here are actually after our second session together. The first session was a complete overhaul where nearly every hair on her head was foiled to create an even canvas for us to build off of. She had a lot of stripes and “calico” colors going on internally that I did not get photos of that we needed to address. The initial appointment was a variation of highlights and lowlights to achieve that look. This time, we were able to just add highlights while still keep dimension from the previous corrective appointment.

Thanks to this amazing lady, I now have hair goals- THIS! I absolutely love how natural this turned out and how low maintenance. She is a natural brunette and she didn’t want to fight her warmth- ladies, warmth is not your enemy! It can be so beautiful! I took diagonal sections that were VERY thin and teased it to blur the line of demarcation and look as natural as possible.

Second and third sessions shown here with this gorgeous lady. I asked her what she wanted to change about the last time and she asked if she could go a little brighter? Your wish is granted! I did a partial highlight without lowlights this time to see how she likes it! The verdict was a yes.

Ladies. Don’t be afraid of a lowlight! I cannot stress this enough. A lowlight thrown in at regular intervals is the key to have bright pieces pop! This mama has a naturally light base that allows her to easily blend her regrowth into her highlights but the lowlight is still needed to ensure maximum impact.

It was time to get this babe ready for the beach! She wanted to be brighter and blonder for the summer, ready to get rid of those pandemic roots but keep it natural at the same time. I showed her how to do some fun straightener curls and it was a gorgeous!

You know how we all feel after we first have a baby- super glorious and self-assured? Yea. This amazing new mama was feeling about as good as you can feel about yourself after having your first baby and she wanted a pick-me-up. Enter a fresh new color! It is amazing what a natural balayage can do for your self-esteem. And her showing up in her family as self assured and beautiful as she really is will make every moment of work totally worth it.

This was such a fun overhaul! Her previous color was a dark brown with highlights that were a level lighter than these caramel panels. By transitioning her to painted panels that were a warm tone but a level darker, we were able to create a more maintainable color since her grays need to be 100% covered at regular intervals. Now she just has to have her roots colored as her hair grows instead of a full color overhaul at every appointment. Also, with her skin tone and undertones, the warmth in her color had to be kept. Turning her an ash or more neutral color would have washed her out. Warmth is not bad girls! Look how beautiful it is!!

This was a beautiful transformation with Allison. She had not had her hair colored in over a decade and was looking to return to the blonde she had growing up. She used to be very light but as we age and our hormones change, a lot can change about our hair color. Her hair was much darker than she felt was her true self sooooo we lightened it! A full head balayage where the surface of the hair is painted for a very natural grow out and low maintenance was just what she needed. Upkeep at home is a purple shampoo to fight yellow tones as they naturally occur!

This was my second time working with this doll and it was so much fun! The first time was obviously epic (scroll for her first balayage pictures with long hair) but the second time we headed into that big transformation that was beyond life changing! Shorter and blonder. Always a killer combo.

She wanted a few things with this first appointment- brightness brought to the bottom of her hair and a lower-maintenance color that would grow out softly. By doing a full-head balayage we were able to give her exactly what she was looking for! The softer blend into her natural color diffuses the lines that would typically come from foils but maintains her ability to be blonde. Covering her full head keeps her feeling bright and beautiful when she is wearing her hair up!

I LOVE it when a guest comes in and wants a natural, honey-colored balayage! Yes please!! Working WITH the natural underlying pigment in your hair you will have a more natural grow out for easier maintenance.

Third session with this babe and she wanted it blonder and shorter. Two hours of foiling alone (I didn’t even COUNT the number of foils we used!) and this babe is one step closer to feeling like a superstar. Go further down to see the progression from her first visit!

Nicole has a gorgeous blonde all by herself but every year or so she gets a full highlight to brighten her natural look. So welcome back to being a toe-head girlfriend. You’re gorgeous.

She wanted to be brighter but with more dimension as well. Brightness comes with multiple sessions with balayage but it is the best option for someone who is willing to take it slow to build that brightness while maintaining that natural color blend.

I love my blondes but I absolutely love that with brunettes, less is more!!

Girl I love me a bright bright blonde! And let’s not forget the little nape of the neck. Even if you don’t want a full head foil, we can add a few bright pieces around the hairline to make sure your ponytail stays nice and bright.

Melissa was looking for a brightened version of her natural color with low maintenance schedule. Balayage was the perfect technique for this glow-up!

We took this hair that had never been colored before and took it to the next level!! Doing a balayage replicated the way her hair used to lighten as a teenager playing tennis. So much fun to work with this babe.

Adri wants to eventually go pink with her hair. She is so much cooler than I am! In order to get her to pink, we had to start with getting her blonder first. I did a combination of balyage and foils to create this look that ended up making her dramatically lighter in just one session. This is more of a color corrective process to achieve this much at once but completely worth it in the end!

Had so much fun helping this girl even out her hair! She had areas of darkness and areas of brightness and she wanted a more even coloring while making sure that we paid attention to her nape and hairline since she wears her hair up a lot. Sometimes it’s not a difficult formulation, it just means taking the time to do a proper consult prior to every color so that you don’t over lighten one area and forget others.

The first three photos are from our second session working together where a full head foil was necessary to even out her canvas. By adding light underneath and depth on top, we were able to give her a more comprehensive color that would naturally blend better with her hair as it grows in.

Scroll down to the last three photos to see what her results were after the first session and how they compare to now!

First time balayage with a new client wanting to brighten up but remain low maintenance. My kind of girl. She was an absolute dream to chat with and I swear every day I have the best clients. She proved me right!

Ya’ll I sure love this girl but her hair holds yellow like I have never seen! So, to fight this problem, I deepened her base color and took extra small sections on our balayage to make sure I could get it fully saturated. I am IN LOVE!

I have never loved anything more than helping a teenage girl feel beautiful. It is absolutely life changing. This gorgeous doll wanted to do a chop and go blonde. It took a few hours but the way she looked at herself in the mirror afterwards was incredibly worth it.

Sharon came to me wanting a few things but basically it boiled down to wanting to love her hair again. She was feeling too brassy, dark on bottom, light on top and just wanted a blended and cooler toned color for her blending gray. It took a lot of tiny foil work but with patience we were able to get her one step closer to that perfect color.

We changed it up for Miss Kirsten this last appointment and it was so fun to spin her around to see herself in the mirror!

We normally do a combination of highlights and lowlights to help blend her gray but we decided to go a little farther and add a root smudge at the end. This semi-permanent addition on her roots allowed for 100% gray coverage and will fade over time in between appointments, softening her grow-out.

A full head of highlights to bring this beauty back to life in our first session together! We also added a curtain bang for a little personality