How to Go Dark A La Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Marie Claire)

published 3 December 2013

Cue the screams: Kate Middleton dyed her hair and we're into it. Changing your hair color is the easiest way to switch up your look without committing to a big chop (though a short hairstyle (opens in new tab) is on our bucket list). Our favorite princess darkened her 'do and now, because we're obsessed with her, we're following suit. Just make sure to follow these four tricks of the trade so your color is more elegant princess than angsty emo.

1. If you don't want to go all out, add a few lowlights around the base of your head and keep the strands around your face light. Lowlights are a warmer version of your natural hair color, so you'll still look like you when you step out of the chair.

2. Dark hair colors brighten pale skin and make light eyes pop. So if you're a green or blue-eyed beauty, this look is for you. However, as Kate Middleton has so graciously demonstrated, brown-eyed girls can rock it too. Make sure to talk to your stylist about mixing a color that will complement your coloring.

3. Dark hair is all about shine. Opt for a vegetable dye to pick up the variations in your hair color or semi-permanent gloss with tons of emollients and proteins.

4. The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a rich shade of chocolate. This is the most universally flattering hue, especially for those covering leftover lights from the summer sun. Stay away from flat, one-dimensional color.

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Hallie has worked in beauty editorial for ten years and has been editorial director at Byrdie since 2021. Previously, she was a senior editor at Byrdie since 2016. During her time at Byrdie, she's written hundreds of high-performing stories on skincare, wellness (including fitness, diet, mental health, body image, et al) makeup, and hair. She's a regular on set, helping to source inspiration for makeup and hair looks, as well as interviewing celebrities, models, and other notable women and men in the beauty space.

Before that, Hallie ran Marie Claire's social media and wrote beauty and culture stories for the site, and helped launch Time Inc.'s digital-only beauty brand, MIMI. After college, she contributed to Time Out New York’s Shopping & Style section before landing her first beauty editor gig at Hearst's Real Beauty. Hallie's writing has also appeared in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and InStyle. Hallie graduated with a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.