Nicola Peltz Beckham is one of those people who can slip between brunette and blonde so seamlessly, that you almost forget she used to be the other shade. Her return to the dark side last year – following a very blonde bridal look – was so smooth, due to the fact she picked an effortlessly glossy, 'liquid brunette' hue.
A trend pinned down in 2022 by Zoë Irwin and Nicola Clarke at John Frieda, it was all about saying goodbye to balayage and bronde, and returning to a more true brunette; giving depth with carefully placed micro-slices of shades one up or down, and a high gloss finish (hence the name).
Now, just in time for spring, Nicola's dark brown tresses are looking lighter and warmer, veering away from the 'Mocha-Noir' dark chocolate of Zoë's original liquid brunette, to another popular hair palette that's carried into 2023: brownie batter hair.
Nicola's warm yet subtle highlights — on display in this half-up style for the Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week — stay close to the liquid brunette mantra of remaining within a close shade range, but bend the rules just enough to give it that lift for spring. And without compromising on the gloss that completes that uber-luxe final effect.
Swiping through the carousel to slide five, the close up with Nicola's hair falling over her shoulder, you can see the colour without flash. Showing just how understated the tones are, and exactly why it's called 'liquid brunette'.
That gloss😍. It literally looks fluid.
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Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
