Expensive Blended Brunette
Luxury brunettes continue to dominate salon requests, but today’s clients aren’t asking for heavy contrast or bold money pieces. Instead, they’re seeking soft dimension, expensive-looking shine and a seamless grow-out that keeps them feeling brunette between appointments.
According to TRUSS Professional Ambassador and #ONESHOT Winner Marina Sellecchia (@colorbymarina), who explained her full technique in her class “Modern Brunette,” the key is creating strategic brightness while preserving depth.
“In my opinion, brunette trends are really focusing on that lived-in, soft dimensional growout,” Marina explains. “People still want lightness around the face, but not as bold as it used to be. It’s more natural and seamless.”
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To achieve this luxury brunette result, Marina focuses on thoughtful placement, lifting beyond her target level and toning back down to create rich, long-lasting dimension.
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Products Used
Blanc Blond Lightening Powder
Air Libre Bleaching Powder
TRUSS Color
Deluxe Prime
Illuminatte Oil
Fluid Shine
K Recovery
Formulas
Steps
Before:
1. Section the hair into a five-part sectioning based on the partline, using the round of the head as a guide.
“I always start at the back of the head because it’s easier to pull those foils if they finish processing,” Marina shares.
2. Use Formula A for the highlights in the back. For every highlight, Marina makes sure to:
- Medium weave and soft tease from the middle of the section to create a transition area that's intentionally not fully saturated
- Paint the lightener on a diagonal, making sure the peak is toward the front of the head
- Leave lots of natural depth out to ensure that her client leaves the salon still feeling like a brunette
Pro Tip for Shine: Marina builds treatments into every step of her service to achieve that signature shiny finish she is so known for. To do this, Marina applies TRUSS Deluxe Prime to prep the hair. Known to her as "liquid gold," she uses it throughout the highlight service and again as a leave-in before styling.
"If the hair is not healthy, it's never going to be shiny," she says. "Keeping that hair healthy throughout the whole process is my number one tip."
3. As you reach the front of the head, swap to Formula B. Process to your desired lift. For this look, Marina lifts one level past her goal and tones down.
"If we want them to be a caramel Level 7, I'm going to lift to a Level 8 and tone down," Marina says. This helps prevent unwanted warmth as the color fades.
4. Rinse and begin the color melt. Apply Formula C as a root melt.
Root Melt Placement Pro Tips:
- Near the nape, drag the root down further past the line of demarcation of your highlights
- In the face frame, apply at the same angle as your highlight pattern
5. Apply Formula D to the mids and ends and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
6. Rinse and style as desired.
Save Marina’s Luxury Blow-Dry Product Lineup:
- Wet Prep: Deluxe Prime, TRUSS Fluid Shine Spray and TRUSS K Recovery
- Dry Prep (before curling): TRUSS Sculpt Fix Hairspray
- Dry Finish: Sculpt Fix Hairspray, TRUSS Illuminate Oil and Fluid Shine Spray
