FADE INTO YOU

A few weeks ago, we told you about our personal hair icons: The celebrities, models, or random girls on the street whose hairstyles we wished we had.

Mine was Jessica Biel, whose ombre locks have taken her from pretty actress to full-fledged beauty icon.

Instead of just admiring the look from afar, I decided to go for it myself.

At Williamsburg's Woodley & Bunny, I definitely wasn't the only one in on the trend. Not only did my stylist Lauren McCowan have awesomely faded hair, but so did at least 3 other girls in the salon. But although they had similar styles, each person's hair looked unique.

What's with the sudden popularity? McCowan believes it was filtered down from the models' hair at Fashion Week. Girls like Erin Wasson (in her own show) and Ruby Aldridge (in Marc Jacobs) all rocked dark roots and paler tips for a look that was both surfer and high-fashion at the same time

According to McCowan, it's because ombre hair looks good on everyone, regardless of your hair type or skin tone. Plus, you can keep it low-maintenance by only touching up every few months.

In order to get subtly faded shades (McCowan called it "the watercolor effect"), the stylist has to literally hand-paint the hair. This effect adds dimension, so you can customize your look to make it as stark or as subtle as you want.

It's the easiest way to get in on the trend-of-the-moment, without looking like a fashion victim once it's over.