The Gorgeous Chocolate Cake Hair Color Trend Is As Irresistible As The Dessert It's Inspired By

Uh oh — it seems Bella Hadid chose to take her brunette locks dirty blonde just as the brown hair color trend she was already rocking was deemed the newest cool-girl color. ICYMI, the chocolate cake hair color trend is a brunette's most delicious, decadent dream, and the easy shade is shaping up to be one of the most popular for spring and summer 2019. Just as I find actual chocolate cake to be irresistible, I'm having a hard time fighting the urge to give this color a go. I have a hair color appointment on Saturday to go blonder, but I might just surprise my colorist when I stroll in and demand a rich brunette hue instead.

Before I fell in love with blonde-enhancing, brightening balayage, I was never satisfied with my natural brunette hair. To me, it looked dull and one-dimensional, but I constantly heard from others that my hair's healthy sheen and natural, sun-lightened highlights were fantastic. "Some people pay a lot of money to have your hair color," sweet elderly women would always say to me from across the salon during haircut appointments, and I would always smile graciously while disagreeing in my head. Fast forward to 2019 and the beauty experts at Allure have pronounced my natural brunette color as the "It" shade of the season, with colorist Liz Cook defining the look as chocolate cake hair.

The key to achieving the look? A tone that's luxurious and rich:

Ashy, cool-toned strands won't cut it when you're talking chocolate cake hair, as the hue consists of a decadent brunette base and warm-toned highlights for further definition. ""I named it chocolate cake because the highlights almost remind you of the gooey frosting in-between the dark chocolate layers," Cook told Allure, and suddenly I'm in the mood for a snack and a dye job.

Natch, my first instinct was to see if my own colorist, Michelle Gonzalez of Mimi's Salon in Belmar, NJ, had tried this look, and of course, she's nailed it time and time again:

Chocolate cake hair done justright is mouthwateringly good, don't you think?

Cook and Allure coined the dessert-inspired title, but naturally-highlighted, warm-toned brunettes have been sporting the look for ages, including my entire immediate family as well as some of my fave celebs.

Bella Hadid went blonde earlier this week, but chocolate cake hair has been her thing for, like, ever:

And you know Zendaya serves us chocolate cake realness any chance she can. So, so good:

But before these starlettes, my sister and I were spotted sporting chocolate cake hair to dance class in 1998. Just saying:

If you aren't a naturally chocolate cake-haired queen, you can definitely achieve the look via a dye job by a colorist with skills like Cook or Gonzalez. Ask for a rich brunette base with blended, warm-toned caramel highlights, and show them the above photos for inspo. Post-appointment, treating your strands with the right color-enhancing products can ensure they stay looking luxe and toned. The Bumble and Bumble Color Gloss in Brunette ($34, bumbleandbumble.com) is basically a filter for your hair that gives it a color boost and tons of shine, and the Joico Color Infuse Brown Shampoo ($17, ulta.com) is a color-depositing product that gives you some fresh dye every time you shower, so your color stays as vibrant as the day you left the salon.

With color this delectable, who needs dessert?

Looks like Bella Hadid and I will both be booking appointments to go back to brunette ASAP, because chocolate cake hair isn't going anywhere for spring and summer, and I hate to miss out on a dessert-themed color trend.