Balayage / Ombré / Foilyage
Balayage
Think colour, but softer and more artistically applied. This is balayage, and it’s perfect for those in pursuit of a hypernatural, gently enhanced appearance.
This technique originated in France – the birthplace of all things chic. It embodies the effortless elegance that Parisian beauty invokes.
What is balayage?
The word balayage translates to express your stylist’s brush and its sweeping motion as they paint your hair freehand. Working in harmony with your cut and features, they emulate the nuanced ways that light and shade play with the hues of your hair. This creates a flattering, multi-dimensional effect.
Balayage complements your authentic colour, rather than covering it. By simulating the effect of sunshine, balayage enriches your hair’s visual aspect, ensuring that it beautifully frames your face.
Balayage vs Ombre
An ombre style refers to hair that gradually evolves from one tone to another as you move from root to tip. The difference between balayage and ombre can be found in their application: balayage is a technique that favours a vertical application, whereas ombre is strictly horizontal.
If you’d like your hair to graduate from a darker root to a lighter end, opt for ombre. The benefit of both approaches is that they’re relatively low maintenance.
Balayage vs Foilyage
Foilyage shares one key quality with balayage: it necessitates the same sweeping, hand-painted application. Where they differ is that air-drying follows balayage application, whereas foilyage uses foil and heat to enhance the colour development process.
Foilyage is preferrable if you’re adding very light blonde tones to your hair or if your hair is naturally dark. Your stylist will advise you on the most appropriate approach according to your own colour and the effect you desire.
The benefits of balayage
This elite technique is totally tailored to you: your cut, your features, and the natural tones of your hair.
Although its bespoke and blended application is sophisticated in impact, balayage is also surprisingly low maintenance, with an inherent subtlety that ensures regrowth goes undetected for longer.
For a look that lasts and appears to have been gently kissed by colour, indulge with balayage.
Different looks for blonde balayage
Enriching brunette hair with sunshine
If you have brown hair, you can add a sense of summer by opting for honey blonde balayage.
Blonde balayage to create dimension
For flat hair, warm blonde balayage helps create the illusion of thickness and volume.
Enhancing texture using blonde balayage
Light tones on a choppy hairstyle highlights texture, accentuating the effects of the cut.Ashy blonde to complement cool tones
The frostiness of ash blonde looks striking on darker but similarly cool-toned hair.Bringing light to bouncy curls
Blonde balayage on curly or wavy hair exaggerates the impact of natural light, for a shiny, glossy impact.
