!!! Yes, I have gone back to black! Reunited & it feels so good! Ahhhh!

After about 8 years of peroxide, toner & insane upkeep, I’ve finally given in to nature! Getting my dark, dark brown hair to white or even pink is a brutal process, normally requiring 2 bleach sessions & a toner, & my hair has suffered enough! Truly! It is so damaged & sad, & it won’t grow because, well, quite frankly, it just breaks off.

The final straw came when my mother — also a devotee of the dreaded peroxide — went to the hairdresser a couple of weeks ago, & all her hair broke off! Thankfully, her hair is super-short to begin with, & she actually looks great with her new ‘do! It definitely gave me The Fear, though, & I figured my hair’s inevitable end couldn’t be far off either… So I dyed it black.

I’m not going to lie: as I watched my raspberry-coloured locks disappear beneath a sea of Black No. 1 (!!!), I felt like I was having a slight panic attack. Yes, there was a wriggling undercurrent of anxiety. My ego was screaming. But… I AM SO HAPPY. I love it so much! It feels so good to be able to wear ANY colour! & weirdly, even though I have identified as “the girl with pink hair” for such a long time, I feel even more like myself with these tresses.

“I’ve been forty years discovering that the queen of all colours is black.” (Auguste Renoir)

I also have to say a huge thank you to my superstar hairdresser Kristin Jackson, who — clearly! — does the best job ever. You are a mega-babe!

This is the outfit I wore when I spoke at the Gershwin Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. I was there as part of the Blogads Social Media Spectacular on a panel about creating community around your blog. You can read a summary of the event right here! The event was totally sold out & the audience was quite lively, asking lots of questions & tweeting up a storm! It was really fun, & I have to say thank you to Blogads for having me! !

Afterwards, I met up with Lydia Hudgens, & we trotted down to University Place to snap some photos…

I wore…

Jolie Bow Picnic dress with immense thanks to Wheels & Dollbaby — my favourite Australian designers, bar none! Is this the most beautiful dress ever? Um, yes, definitely! This is not the kind of thing I would usually wear, but MAN it feels good to switch it up! God, I love a change! I really feel like a new woman!

Knee-high black socks & my Sam Edelman Zoe booties — totally beaten up, but well-loved!

Vintage black suede & faux fur coat

Hello Kitty patent bag (!!!)

Attic Safari sunglasses with thanks to Lumete (& gosh, I just looked at their new collection — aren’t the Templanza & Vedrina styles ABSOLUTELY gorgeous?!)

Wedding ring, engagement ring, & Peacock Dandy ring by Plukka!

It’s amazing how great a new hairdo can make you feel. I have been ruminating online for years now about the transformative power of personal style, & changing my hair so drastically has really reminded me of that.

When was the last time you changed your hair?

By the way, just in case you were wondering… It was freezing cold! Everyone was walking past in full coats & giving us the side-eye. Hahah! The things we do for the quest of good photos!

Anyway… It’s Friday afternoon, & I’m listening to this album I have of the Top 100 New Zealand Songs Of All Time, which is so great! A singalong classic, I tell you. I hope you have an absolutely fantastic weekend!

With love from your new raven-haired friend,