I used the colour experte kit in praline & twice it came out nothing like the color on the box. The web site is clear on colours. perhaps it's because i've colored my hair pretty regularly, 5 to 8 weeks apart for years & it turned red on me. otherwise, it did work. generally i use feria colours from sally's beauty supply, usually 3, sometimes 4, in varying degrees of red/auburn/mahogany/copper blonde. 20% to deposit color, 30% to lift. Use protein filler prior to color to fill in the porous areas for an even color deposit. do the perimeter first with developer, wait 2 minutes, then repeat the perimeter with color at the roots. then in different plastic bottles, with different toothbrushes & highlighter brushes, I alternate lines of each color using a different brush for each color on the roots for regrowth. I wait 25 - 30 minutes, then bring the color to the ends for another 10 minutes. Rinse out with cool water, condition for 3-4 minutes (I use biolage balm) & re-rinse with cool to cold water, then infusium 23 spray for color-treated hair. if i'm going for low lights, i use auburn brown & a toothbrush from roots to ends a week or week & 1/2 later, if high lighting, I use lightest coppery blonde in the front where the sun would hit. I do use the toothbrush on my eyebrows being careful it doesn't drip. I always wear gloves to keep my solar nails from staining. i have very fine, wavy hair & it's pixie short in back, slightly longer in a bob shape on the sides, with razored bangs. I spent a small fortune one time to have someone do it very well & it lasted, though it wasn't as blonde as i expected it to be. i really enjoy doing color & have success with other people as well. using this 'recipe' i learned from many questions asked of colorists & stylists over the years. i go lighter in the summer & have more color in my skin & darker in the winter, adjusting my mineral foundation slightly as well. the hard water does lighten it up faster than i'd like though every other shampoo i use the colored protein filler as my conditioner instead of the balm. a hair pick has been a staple for faster drying & volume. sally's has a good array of root lift & color hair maintenance products, i use the ion products & the speed dry spray that doesn't weigh my hair down. when i have the time & do highlights, i use a cap & hook, the lightest blonde color & developer, wait 25 minutes & with what color is left in the bottle, add a little curl and lock shampoo & mix it up as a color cocktail that i leave in for another 15 minutes, then cool rinse out, protein filler plus conditioner & air dry. works for me.