I love trying out new styles and beauty tricks—I mean, why else would I brush my teeth with charcoal? But the thing is, I usually only try out stuff I’m pretty sure I’ll like. So while I’m never in a beauty rut, I also never step that far outside my comfort zone. (I just really like it in here!) Last week, though, I decided to shake things up. Instead of looking like my usual, adorable self, I spent five epic days accepting style and beauty challenges given to me by my coworkers and friends (and one I gave to myself). In the process, I got a lot of stares, and I wore a lot of pink. But breaking out of my routine also made me feel totally invincible. I don’t think I can give up the thrill, so next month, I’m going to ask for a reader-submitted challenge. In the meantime, here’s what went down this week: DAY 1 The challenger: My coworker, Mae Her challenge: Go full-on Wednesday-Mean-Girl and wear pink. Head to toe. Challenge highlight: My outfit. I looked like a traffic cone, but pink! Challenge lowlight: My co-worker Gina saying, “Why would you put on that outfit this morning? Did I conquer the challenge? 100%. A friend claimed my pants were more purple than pink, but even if they were, I made up for it by also wearing pink shoelaces and pink underwear. DAY 2 The challenger: Me! My challenge: High heels all day. Challenge highlight: I used Still Standing numbing foot spray, and it made my life way easier. (It made my feet feel sort of tingly, though.) Challenge lowlight: I forgot I have a standing desk. Standing desks and heels don’t really mix. Did I conquer the challenge? Sort of. I had to take them off on the train home, because I was wobbling all over the CTA and I didn’t want to stiletto-impale any other passengers. DAY 3 The challenger: My best friend, Leah Her challenge: Rock all your ‘90s makeup mistakes at once—drawn on eyebrows, black lip liner and clear gloss, and a fake beauty mark. Challenge highlight: I had a photo shoot in the morning where I had to look normal, so I couldn’t do this all day. Thank god. Challenge lowlight: This one was really embarrassing. I have never seen so many people do double takes in one day. Nobody spit out their drink when they saw me, though. So that was good, I guess? Did I conquer the challenge? No. I started at 12:30, and only lasted three hours. Look how miserable I am... DAY 4 The challenger: My co-worker, Amanda Her challenge: Don’t look in a mirror (or other reflective surface) all day. Challenge highlight: I was able to put my contacts in without looking, because I am a 100% certified genius. Challenge lowlight: By 9:37 a.m., I had already looked in a mirror twice out of habit, and gazed into my own eyes in the cab window without noticing what I was doing. Oops. Did I conquer the challenge? Pretty much! The few times I did look at myself—probably eight times total—it was totally by accident. DAY 5 The challenger: My boyfriend His challenge: No makeup for 24 hours. He thinks that I don’t need it, and that it’s bad for my skin. Challenge highlight: I got ready for work so fast! I could literally say “I woke up like this.” Challenge lowlight: I missed my tinted moisturizer. I use Olay CC Cream, and while it doesn’t have a super-extreme effect, I still feel naked without it. Did I conquer the challenge? Totally. No problemo.