Which brunette are you? A guide to finding your best brown

Nicky Hilton is the perfect example of a brunette who lights up a room. Not that she was less sexy as a blonde, but she sparkled less — that much is certain. Nothing suits her lagoon-blue eyes and flawless skin better: character, naturalness, mystery. She has gained everything from the switch, and she chose a warm, luminous brown with chocolate tones and a mane so glossy it gleams. She gets top marks, Ms Hilton.

It's a fact: blonde is the stuff of dreams. We think, rightly or wrongly, that men prefer blondes; true blonde is rare, luminous, golden, summery, light. All qualities that make it sought-after, and one look down any high street proves it: highlights, colour, balayage. Brunettes willingly swap their edge for more softness. But there's no question of taking away what belongs to brown: dark, full of character, authentic, warm and available in countless shades, it flatters the eyes and features. In short, chosen well, it's simply sublime. Let's draw a line under the received ideas: brown is far from dull or run-of-the-mill. The key to success is choosing it well. So here's a small line-up of famous brunettes — the stars — to help you get your hands on the colour of your dreams.

Warm 'caliente' brown has everything going for it: a spiced complexion, warm eyes and natural brown hair — it's impossible to imagine another colour on skin tones that warm the heart. Sometimes enriched with a few mocha highlights, sometimes a glossy near-black with the merest brown cast, you can warm up your mane as the mood takes you, sparingly and with taste.

Impossible to forget delicate Rory from Gilmore Girls, her porcelain skin and her brunette attitude: tones bordering on auburn and fully nuanced, or an icy brown with a very natural look. It's a fact: Alexis Bledel, as she is in real life, is a brunette at heart. Auburn, in fact, warms the hair without ever tipping into red — a shade to ask for when you want to wake up tired brown, provided you stay within copper tones.

Over her career she has gone from brown to platinum blonde, but today top model Tyra Banks has found her colour. We love this glazed-chestnut brown lifted with caramel highlights, at once chic and warm: it fits her golden complexion like a glove.

The change is subtle, but it's there: lovely Ms Hudgens has lifted her jet-brown hair with a few caramel highlights through the mid-lengths and ends only, to give her colour depth and nuance. Don't want to be back in the salon every six weeks? Keep a base slightly lighter than true black and, to break up any block-colour effect without touching the roots, ask for a few caramel highlights through the mid-lengths and ends only.

The step that changes everything? Ask for highlights rather than an all-over colour. A few lighter strands through the mid-lengths and ends are enough to add movement — there's no need to lighten everything, and that's often where people end up with regrets.

It's hard to know which category to put this colour in, but the fact is that a true brown can look every bit as luminous as honey blonde. No matter: we choose the shade that, to our mind, flatters the complexion best — a beautiful brown with a few barely lightened highlights, for very discreet hazelnut tones. Natural and sparkling, it brings out the skin. Worth noting, too, is the trend for lightening a few mid-lengths while keeping a natural base: perfect for anyone who likes the idea of brown but also the softness that lightened ends can bring, in that 'it's not bleach, it's the sun' way.

She has been a brunette almost forever, lovely Angie, and her signature is natural chestnut. With little time for her children or for a hairdresser with magic hands, she relies on subtle highlights to keep things from looking dull and add warmth. Because yes, brown can sometimes look a bit flat: in that case, there's no need to change everything — a few barely-there highlights wake up the texture and prevent that flat effect. It's the kind of tweak you forget about quickly, yet it shows up immediately in photos.

And even though she went back to blonde before we had time to enjoy it, young Hayden Panettiere was well worth a detour as a brunette: femme fatale attitude and seriously chic, gorgeous. A mane that throws back the light, on golden skin or a spiced complexion, and the effect is immediate: the complexion looks fresher, the eyes warmer, and the hair gains depth without ever looking artificial. A real joy.

Then there's the question that always comes back: which shade for which complexion? Mocha skin calls for warm brown, caramel or cinnamon; rosy skin is better flattered by cool brown or glazed-chestnut with no red tones. If in doubt, ask for a strand test before a full colour: better that small test than a botched appointment, and your hairdresser will guide you towards the right shade.

Deep brown, meanwhile, brings presence, almost a femme fatale edge: it's the colour of hair you notice without quite knowing why, provided you dare to go for a bold base and a very glossy finish.

Budget

In the salon, expect roughly £40–£90 for a full colour and £55–£130 for balayage or more intricate highlights, depending on length, density and the salon you choose. At-home plant-based colour or a colour-depositing treatment is more like £10–£25 a box, though the result depends heavily on technique and your starting shade. The price rises with the number of highlights, the technique (freehand balayage) and how much upkeep is needed. Ask for a quote before you settle into the chair, and plan a hydrating treatment between appointments, because colour can dry out the hair depending on the formula and hair type.