Mmmmmm balayage...my favourite color technique right now.
You may remember my article awhile ago concerning this "natural looking highlighting technique" and now we're going to talk about it more in depth.
Balayage can be subtle like my manniquin, or it can be more dramatic like Gisele:
The hair looks as though it has been naturally lightened by the sun. There is no noticeable line of demarcation as the roots grow out - what a bonus, less maintenance!
Balayage is a French word that means "to sweep" because that's exactly what you do...sweep on the highlights like a Parisian artist. You pick up a small section of hair, paint on bleach (heavier at the bottom and mid shaft of the hair, and ligher at the root.)
Repeat.
Listen, this may sound easy but I don't recommend you do this yourself at home. There are many factors involved throughout this whole process: mixing ratios, proper partings, placement of highlights, consistency of the bleach, lowlighting, timing, etc. There are educational DVDs and books regarding Balayage (you can get them online) if you're interested.