Beauty dares are a tricky thing. They can end in disaster, or they can end in head-turning success.

So, when the lovely ladies at Schick invited us to be part of their "Beauty Dare" spotlight program, we jumped at the chance to share one of our favorite "daring" stories.

Find our confession below and check out Schick's Facebook page to read other bloggers' stories.

Our dare:

As a beauty editor, I have a tried a lot of trends over the past six years. I’ve gotten eyebrow extensions when Brooke Shields-esque arches were in vogue (again). I tinted my lashes when mega-length fringes were reborn on the runways. I even tried laser treatments to tone down my perpetually-flushed cheeks (yes, like many, I have rosacea). But none of these cosmetic changes had the impact on my looks—or my personal life—like when I dyed my pale, baby blonde hair a mahogany brown.

I was 23 years old at the time, and fresh out of college with a cool job as assistant to the editor-in-chief of a big fashion magazine (so The Devil Wears Prada). As much as I loved my gig and the crazy experiences it afforded me, I was ready to take the next step in my career. The only problem was that I didn’t know what I wanted that move to be.

There were only so many possible paths for budding editors, like myself, who wanted to stay in women’s interest journalism. I could focus on health, features (a catch-all for topics ranging from career advice to culture), fashion, or beauty. In my haste to learn as much about these fields as soon as possible (oh, to be young!), I agreed to every story assignment that came my way, sometimes without knowing what I’d be doing. And that’s how I ended up shade-switching from my lifelong blonde hue to an inky brunette.

The whole thing happened so quickly, that I really didn’t have time to prepare myself for how it would feel to alter my appearance so significantly. I hardly even recognized my reflection for the first few weeks, post-dye job. Aside from small struggles, like having no idea what makeup shades to use, my whole world turned on its axis slightly. I noticed that friends stood up a bit straighter when talking to me, people didn’t ask me for directions as often, and (I’m not bragging—this is NYC) cat calls became few and far between. My own dad was jokingly peeved that I no longer looked like him, and, instead, mirrored my raven-haired mom.

Even though I eventually went back to blonde, my color swap gave me all the ammo I needed to make my decision. Being able change your look, whether as a tiny tweak or a huge transformation, is a powerful and empowering thing. I was lucky to go on and spend many years at that magazine in the beauty department. One of my monthly stories sent me to more than 35 cities around the world, where I spoke to real women about how they defined real beauty. Inspired by them, I ultimately decided that being an online editor was the best way for me to connect with readers. But I would have never had these experiences, or found my journalistic voice, if I hadn’t serendipitously accepted that one beauty dare.

More beauty stories:

Jen's Super Expensive Skin-Care Secret

30 Second Beauty Date with Kelly Rowland

Kim's Bridal Beauty Routine

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