For Nicole, 31, balancing wedding-planning with a grueling work schedule as a third-year internal medicine resident doesn't leave much time for her hair. With her engagement pictures just a few weeks away, she knows she needs a fresh cut (it's been almost a year!) and brighter color -- stat. So we introduced her to our dream team of beauty experts at the Marie Robinson salon in New York City. With a new cut, color, and makeup look, Nicole will have a refreshing updated look just in time for her big day. See her makeover now.

Nicole describes her current hairstyle in one word: boring. "It's long and heavy and blah," she says. "Ideally, I want a romantic, lighter hairstyle. Keeping the length is important to me, but I also want layers so that it's not so heavy." For her big day, Nicole plans to wear long, pretty waves befitting her California wedding. As for color, she's ready to go blonder. "Is my hair dark blonde or light brown? I don't even know," she says. When colorist Keith Shore tells her it's brown, Nicole looks disappointed. "Well, let's fix that," she says.

To "fix" Nicole's look, Shore gives his color assessment: "Nicole's color is one-tone and a little flat. I want to add some dimension and some highlights, which will help her hair reflect more light and look shinier." To do this, Shore adds sun-kissed highlights around her face and brightens up her ends -- but he doesn't go overboard. "It'll still look totally natural -- like the best version of her natural hair."

Hairstylist Abby Schlenger begins by assessing Nicole's hair: "She had layers, which were nice, but as they grew out they started to separate," explains Schlenger, pointing to one section of hair that's drastically shorter than the overall length. "Her hair really needs to be brought back together. So we're going to try to make it more cohesive, soft, easy, and sexy." To do this, Schlenger cuts an inch off her split-ends, then creates layers that naturally blend into her hair from top to bottom. "We don't want to give her something drastic that will dictate what she can and cannot do with her hair on her wedding day," says Schlenger.

Schlenger gives Nicole a loose blowout, highlighting the layers she just created. With a medium-sized round brush, Schlenger takes one-inch sections of Nicole's hair and blow dries them straight up and away from her face. And to add some body and volume, Schlenger holds the hair in the round brush for a few minutes to let it cool before releasing.