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The Beauty Insider: 5 Questions for Pro Colorist Marie Robinson

From must-have products to expert tips, the Clairol color director and owner of New York’s Marie Robinson Salon tells all.
Marie Robinson
Photo: Jason Lindberg
1. What is the one beauty product you can't live without?
Nars Semi-Matte Lipstick in Schiap. I've always been all about lipstick, and I've been wearing this cheerful bright pink for the past few years. I was traumatized when my previous favorite was discontinued. Now I buy three tubes of Schiap at a time and store them in the fridge so they'll last.

2. What is the most dramatic thing you've ever done to change your looks?
Five or six years ago, I bleached my hair white-blonde. I loved it so much, I've kept it up. The bleach gives my normally flat hair a slight wave and nice body.

3. What's in your makeup bag when you travel?
Not much. I can go away for ten days with one small carry-on. I always have my pink lipstick, a drugstore mascara (right now it's Maybelline New York Volum' Express The Falsies), RMS Beauty "Un" Cover Up concealer, Caudalie Beauty Elixir—a really refreshing face mist—and extra contact lenses. I'm very, very nearsighted.

4. How do you prolong the life of your haircolor?
I shampoo just once or twice a week, and I almost never blow-dry my hair or use hot tools. I usually apply Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, go to bed with damp hair, and wake up with waves. And I condition every time I shampoo. (My favorite is Wella Professionals Brilliance conditioner.) Avoiding too much sun helps, too.

5. When did you first color your hair?
My grandmother, who raised me, wouldn't let me dye my hair before I was 17. She came to the drugstore with me to choose the color. I picked a demipermanent dye; I think the product was called Pizazz. It made my naturally auburn hair look a little redder, and I immediately noticed that my skin looked brighter. I felt pretty, and I'd never really felt that way before.

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From the February 2013 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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