Denise, I always thought "dirty blonde" was an unfortunate term anyway. It's whatever the opposite of a euphemism is--making something sound inaccurately negative.

Rachylou, BJ, yes, now that you mention it, "looking expensive" is like a whole sub-culture of communication where the standards would vary depending where you live. I think Manhattan is still my reference point.

Interestingly I have a friend who has had a lot of grays since a young age. The last time I saw her I complimented her hair color, and she said that her hairdresser was impressed by it as well, but her secret was that she did it herself and could never remember which dye she had used the last time, so that the result was a rich mix of shades.