Is Your Hair Color Working for You—or Against You?

It's an interesting alchemy that's often overlooked: the effect of your hair color on your complexion. But believe it or not, the right color can brighten your face, even out skin tone, make it look as if you're bathed in candlelight (rather than harsh fluorescents). To prove it, we rounded up four gorgeous women whose hair color wasn't doing their skin any favors. We brought our recruits to Frederic Fekkai's Fifth Avenue New York City salon and introduced them to Frederic and his creative director, Tammy Sherman. The two quickly pinpointed where each woman hd gone wrong with her hair color and set about to make things right. Find out how the process worked—and how to make it work for you.

Donna Bunte, 48: Coppery Brown

The Challenge: Donna characterizes her natural hair color as "mousy brown"; she dyes it to get a deeper brunette, sometimes gilding it with golden highlights. Her current color may once have been a lovely hazelnut, Frédéric mused, but it's taken on an unflattering copper tinge. "Over time, especially if you're in the sun, hair color turns red," he explained. "This can make warm, olive skin like Donna's look sallow."