Cap highlight help

I'm a college student so spending $100 or more every few months on highlights for my hair. I'm planning on growing my hair another 5 inches so it's at the middle of my shoulder bones (it's already quite a few inches past my shoulders already).

In the past I highlighted my hair w/ a cap and the results usually turned out good. I just have a few questions about highlighting my hair now...

1. With longer hair can I still use a cap? I tried one of the ones I have and pulled hair thru... It didn't seem to tangle too much when I pulled it off.

2. I used to use straight bleach to highlight but I was considering using a blonde hair dye instead. (My hair is dyed back to my natural mediumish/lightish brown color. some people might call it dark blonde?) Which is better?

3. How do you retouch cap highlights?? Would I keep highlighting the same way and then put lowlights in w/ the cap when it gets too blonde? I've always wondered about that when it came to highlights...

4. I really like this girl's hair. It's kinda hard to see but here's another place. My hair is about her brown color. I really like her highlights. How would I get them?? Cap, Foils? Using bleach or color?