We Love Lucie
In the more than 25 years that I’ve been a beauty editor, I’ve probably done photo shoots with some of the world’s most iconic hairdressers, but for some reason, I’d never worked with Paul Mitchell Editorial Director Lucie Doughty before now. I’d published work that she sent to me but never had the privilege of watching her in action on set. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any beauty professional more prepared. When we had our first conference call to toss around ideas for a cover story, Lucie was very excited about putting her spin on some of the hair color trends that have gone viral on social media, from pixelated color to pastels. When she mentioned the 50-50 trend—one side of the head is, say, black, and the other side white—I asked her to put on the brakes. I mean, who’s going to walk into your salon and ask for that? As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. Lucie’s version of the 50-50 trend is not only wearable but it is also absolutely beautiful. Here’s the thing about some of the things we see on Instagram: Eventually these trends, even some of the more outlandish ones, go mainstream. “Pixelated color has really taken off, people have embraced pastel shades, and everyone has accepted the gray trend,” Lucie says. “It just takes a bit of time.” For our cover, Lucie wanted to work with a combination of caramel colors on very textured hair, but look closely and you’ll see touches of blue. It’s that hint of the unexpected that gives hair color a modern twist today.—M.D.