"Every woman has her own personal perfect '10' blonde," says Scarbrough. "Go blonde to add instant brightness to a lackluster complexion, and to give fine/limp hair volumizing texture." Taylor Swift's soft, strawberry blonde is a great fall transition from her lighter locks, and still manages to complement her fair complexion.
How to pull it off:
Champagne tones tend to work on most skin tones, lending a combination of warm and cool tones to complement nearly any complexion in either a brightening highlight or allover hue. Sienna Miller sports a great champagne-honey mix, or what I think is the perfect blonde -- not too in-your-face, but both pretty and sexy. And by the way, while blondes in theory have all the fun, they also get a lot of damage. Keep that in check with a regular hair mask (try FEKKAI Technician Color Care 3-Minute Mask, $32).
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Beautiful brown
The wonderful thing about brown is that it comes in so many different shades, from chocolate to auburn to golden brown. And while I've tried a fair share of ashy and neutral browns on the list, these warmer browns ultimately stood out. I love the subtle, blended golden undertones on Sofia Vergara's light brown.
How to pull it off:
Good news! According to Pelusi, neutral brown is the most complementary shade on the color wheel, so pretty much anyone can make it work. "Going for a believable brown is also a good idea for girls looking for a lower-maintenance look," says Scarbrough. If you want to avoid looking washed out, try a dark warm brown. (I like Clairol Natural Instincts in Roasted Chestnut, $8.99, but definitely get your stylist's opinion on which shade will work best for you.)
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Muted ombre
Olivia Wilde is officially my new ombr� champion. Each time I see her with this hair color, it looks different. She's a natural blonde who's transitioning from light brown at the roots to dark blonde at the tips, as if the sun had slowly and strategically lightened her ends.
How to pull it off:
This is one that's best left to an expert. For fall, the ombr� technique (also called "balayage") is subtle, giving the illusion of texture and fullness. So instead of transitioning from say, black to blonde, you're staying within the same hair color family, or within two shades.
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Sultry red
Now is the time to tone down wild reds for a softer look, says De Berardinis. (Sorry, Rihanna!) A deep, allover auburn shade similar to Drew Barrymore's should carry you well through winter, with a few touch-ups of course. (Red is mega high maintenance.) Using products specially formulated for colored hair is key to getting the most out of this hair color. (Try WELLA Brilliance Shampoo, and Conditioner, $11 each.)
How to pull it off:
When choosing a red, remember blue- or violet-based reds (think plum or burgundy) look best on cool skin tones, whether dark or ultra fair. Yellow- or orange-based reds (think deep copper or strawberry) look best on warm skin tones, whether olive/tan or fair/freckled. To tell which shade will work for you, head to your local beauty supply store or salon without wearing makeup, then hold up hair color swatches next to your skin to see which one flatters you most. (You can also head to the makeup counter and try on lipsticks if you just want to pinpoint your skin tone.)
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Basic black
I love the appearance of rich, shiny black hair, but so often, hair that's been dyed black looks inky and flat. Model Camila Alves has just the right amount of softness in her black to complement her skin tone and keep her hair natural looking.
How to pull it off:
To get a gorgeous "natural black" or "almost black" shade, choose neutral blacks or dark brown (level 2 in colorist speak) as your base color and consider adding warm caramel highlights for more dimension. Steer clear of blue-black, the darkest possible shade (and often the harshest), unless you have olive, blue, or pink undertones in your skin, says Pelusi. To get that great shine, Scarbrough suggests using a demi-permanent color gloss, or you can just add shine serum after styling (try Pantene Pro-V Heat Protection and Shine Spray, $5.99).
Confession: I'm a hair color addict who fell head first off the wagon last year. Having maintained a healthy dark brown shade for a long time, I think I just snapped one day and decided to try all the shades I'd wanted to over the years, changing my hair color at least every month. Of course, now my hair is screaming, "enough already," but with no shortage of new hair colors on the red carpet, I'm craving another change.
Unfortunately, whenever I get this urge, I get stuck in celebrity photo purgatory. ("Should I go brown like Sofia Vergara? Ombr� like Olivia Wilde? Has my hair already faded to ombr� by itself? Does that count? Should I tone it?!" And on, and on.)
Sound familiar?
Fortunately, rich, natural-looking color is "in" right now -- and that's one trend that will stick around long after fall gives way to winter and beyond. To help us all choose the right shade, here's an inspirational round-up of my favorite celebrity shades -- along with tips from celebrity hairstylists and color experts Marco Pelusi of Marco Pelusi Hair Studio in West Hollywood, Calif., Andi Scarbrough of Byu-Ti Hair Therapy salon in Santa Monica, Calif., and Adrian De Berardinis of De Berardinis Salon in Chelsea, New York City.
