At the posh Frédéric Fekkai salon in Henri Bendel, color treatments start at $135 and skyrocket from there. That's the price you pay for gorgeous, multitonal color. But for those of us who aren't within walking distance to Fifth Avenue, there's Fekkai Salon Color ($30). Created by the legendary stylist, the at-home color is more deluxe than your average drugstore product, but less expensive than heading to a salon.

But how well does it work? A friend of mine offered to try it out and share her findings, roping her fiancé into serving as her assistant. To see the before-and-after hair color, read more.

My friend used shade 6N, a light brown color. Here's her before-and-after shot. Having seen the color up close, I can attest to its richness. The color is shiny and natural, and as you can see, it put a smile on my friend's face.

She liked . . .

  • "The color was great and covered my gray! (Yes, I have gray hairs.)"

  • "The smell was not as bad as normal box hair dye, and the formula did not seem as harsh."
  • "The weekly conditioner is superb. It left my hair very soft and shiny."

She wasn't crazy about . . .

  • "I have thick hair and there was barely enough to dye my whole head. I was scraping the sides to cover the ends!"
  • "This product would be very difficult to do on your own as you apply the dye with a brush. Luckily, my boyfriend played hairdresser and it worked fine — but it is definitely a two-person job."

Overall, she gives this color a great review — so great, in fact, that I'm tempted to pick up a box myself.