We’ve sung the praises of balayage many times. Now we’re going to do it again with our colorist Jasen James and his Bali Lift.

Does this mean refreshing your color can leave you looking like you have just come back from a long vacation? Yes it can, says James. “Balayage is a sweeping motion to start with – the action is lifting. When I put stronger pieces of light in the hair surrounding the areas of expression on the face (i.e. eyes and mouth), balayage lifts and brightens the areas.”

James know lines cast shadows and need light to de-emphasize them. The idea is to create light in the hair which moves the eye towards it instead of toward those shadowy, facial expression lines. Balayage can also be used to brighten areas near the forehead, temples and cheek-lines. “Try this before you go to Botox. It’s cheaper and less painful,” he says.

The balayage application stays soft; balayage highlights are painted skinny at the roots and thicker toward the ends.

• Are the eyes looking a bit tired? James creates areas of interest at the temple area.
• Drab complexion? He sweeps brightness up and away from the face.

“The color doesn’t necessarily have to be a subtle color,” says James. “Though the action is subtle – a sweeping movement, using a skinny application instead of a thick one – you can always make the end results stronger when appropriate.”