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The brunettes are officially winning this autumn, and the collective of specialists at March14 Beauty Residence, the high-performance beauty atelier founded by celebrity beauty expert Ruby Barreau, is ready for every client who wants in on the moment. When Hailey Bieber shared her new look on Instagram last week, a rich espresso brunette that marks her darkest shade in more than a decade, finished with long, piecey layers and soft face-framing strands, the internet was quick to declare dark hair back in a big way. So why espresso, and why now? It sits in that sweet spot between chocolate brown and black: deep enough to feel dramatic, soft enough to still look natural, and glossy enough to catch the light every time you move.
Led by a celebrity hairdresser known for delivering the most intricate techniques and exceptional colour work in Dubai, and backed by the kind of backstage-level expertise March14 was built on, the team are colour artists first, treating every shade as a bespoke formula rather than a number off a chart. They work with every starting point, from natural blondes and heavily highlighted lengths to greys, curls and fine, fragile hair, and tailor each colour to the client’s skin tone, lifestyle, and hair history. Nothing is rushed: every transformation begins with a one-to-one consultation, and the team will always choose the healthiest route to a shade over the quickest one. It is exactly why clients trust them with the big changes, and why going dark here feels less like a risk and more like a reveal. Thinking of making the switch? Here are their top tips before you book.
The Espresso Edit: Tips from the March14 Colour Team
Match it to your undertone. Espresso is not one-size-fits-all. Warm, golden or olive skin tones glow with an espresso that carries hints of cocoa or caramel, while cooler, rosier skin tones suit a slightly cooler espresso that keeps the shade looking crisp rather than flat. Not sure which you are? That is exactly what a proper consultation is for.
Start with a filler treatment. Before going darker, prepping the hair is essential. A filler treatment fills in the broken fibres of the hair, which would otherwise soak up colour unevenly and leave patchy, inconsistent results. It is the step that keeps an espresso even, rich and long-lasting from root to ends, and it can be done on the same day as your colour or up to a week before. It is also exactly what Ruby recommends to her VIP clients ahead of big shows when she is brought in as a consultant.
Ask for dimension, not a block colour. The secret to an expensive-looking brunette is that it is never one flat shade. The March14 team weave in fine highlights two tones lighter than the base, which gives espresso its style and a natural, high-end finish instead of a plain, flat brunette. A touch of softness around the face and subtle tonal shifts through the lengths stop dark hair from looking heavy, and keep it far from that box-dye effect.
Coming from blonde? Take it in stages. Going straight from light blonde to deep brown can leave hair looking murky or fading unevenly. A good colourist will prepare the hair first so the new shade sits richly and lasts, and may suggest getting there over a couple of appointments.
Let the cut do some of the work. Long, piecey layers and face-framing pieces, just like Hailey’s, give darker hair movement and bounce. A heavy, one-length cut in a deep shade can look severe, so always think about colour and cut together.
Don’t forget your brows. Keeping your brows within a shade or two of your new colour ties the whole look together, and it is an easy fix at the Residence’s Lashes & Brows studio.
Make gloss your new best friend. Book in for a gloss every six to eight weeks to refresh shine and tone. In between, stick to colour-safe, sulfate-free shampoo, rinse with cooler water, and always use heat and UV protection, because the Dubai sun is not kind to brunettes.
And because keeping a brunette rich matters just as much as creating it, every colour at March14 can be paired with Kérastase treatments, from the Fusio-Dose, a concentrate and booster custom-blended on the spot that restores shine and softness in under five minutes, to deep repair protocols that help previously lightened hair hold on to its new shade for longer. The result is a brunette that stays glossy, rich and expensive-looking all season long.
For bookings, further information, and to explore the full menu of services, visit www.march14-beauty.com or follow on Instagram at @march14.dubai.