As Blair, we usually see Meester with her gorgeously rich, brunette hair color. It adds to her drama queen vibe on the show, right? But equally beautiful is Meester’s lighter look. Unfortunately, DIY’ers, it’s too extreme to do at home, LeCompte says. (Translation: it’s easy to mess up, as in, orange strands.) “Her base color was lifted three to four shades and her honey-colored highlights are most prominent from the cheekbones down, which is done with a special technique that includes backcombing before color is applied,” he says.

Lesson here: play it safe. If you want a big change that looks this natural — put your head into the hands of a professional colorist.