Going...Grey?!

Ok, so I should be doing my dissertation, but researching new hair colours is way more interesting. For a while now I've been loving the white blonde/grey tint trend going on. My hair is pretty short now by my standards- above shoulder length and all the red dye has faded, leaving me with a light red/brown colour. While I quite like this, I still think it's time for a dye trip, and as it's shorter and in a healthier condition than it's been in years, bleaching it may not damage it too much. I think my natural colour is dark brown, to be honest I haven't seen it since I was 13, and I have been blonde before, so I know all about the bleaching/ root touch ups etc. Anyway, I've been looking on the web and here are some examples of the colour...

I think Ellie Goulding has the right balance between blonde and grey (below)- plus it's a look that's more achievable with the help of a toning shampoo, whereas the above image would require a lot more bleach and upkeep.

I have asked a few people how they got their hair to the colour I am after- everyone I asked dyed it themselves- either by bleaching extensively and then over-toning it, or using an ordinary blonde dye and then applying toning shampoo once or twice a week. I think the last method may be better as then if I didn't like the grey effect, it would fade pretty quickly once I omitted the toner.

Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Shampoo. Tones out yellow from blonde hair and can add a grey tint.

This is just an idea at the moment, as I have no money to go and get my hair professionally bleached- I don't trust myself to do it from scratch at the mo, but maybe after I know how to do it I will have a go... I need it done before Uni starts in October, so I'm going to have to beg for funds :S