Upon locking eyes with actress Nina Dobrevduring her brief pitstop in New York City, two things were immediately apparent. The first? She’s just as gorgeous in person as she is onscreen in The Vampire Diaries. The second? She’s…blonde!

“I went ombré,” she explained with a laugh, twirling the ends of her hair. “I actually did it for a role. I’m filming a project called Final Girls, and it’s the first time that I’m playing this sassy best friend.”

So her slightly meaner-than-normal character required a little bit of bleach, huh? (Does this mean blondes are just having more fun at the expense of others?) “Riawna Capri does my color, and she’s awesome,” Nina said. “But honestly, this is more of an extreme change than I would have done normally. I got to play with it for fun, but I probably wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

Accompanying her new ombré, though, was another something new. (And we’re not exactly talking lipstick or eyeshadow here.) “Today, I’ve worn four different shades of color contacts,” Nina said with a smile through her (artificial) hazel-green eyes. “What’s funny is it doesn’t seem like a big change. But I tried out some colors and I didn’t feel like I was cheating myself. I felt like I was just enhancing what I had.”

Nina likens switching up her contacts to dying her hair—why just stop at your strands? She insists the brand she’s touting—Air Optix—is way better than anything you can find over the counter. “I was hesitant at first, but you do have to meet with a doctor to get the prescription. So I tried them out and they were really subtle. People can’t tell for the most part!”

For the actress, the relatively small change gave her the confidence to be more adventurous with her fashion choices. “My stylist is always pushing me to make bolder statements,” she explained. “And you can wear different patterns or shades to enhance a certain eye color. So, it’s fun!”

And, since we’re transitioning towards summer, more changes are on the horizon. “With the warmer weather in L.A., I’ve completely switched to tinted moisturizers with SPF. I have this AmorePacific Cushion Compact and it’s incredible. I’ve also been wearing It Cosmetics CC Cream with SPF 50. I’m obsessed with it because it has a dewy finish.”

But, despite her clear love for it, makeup doesn’t fit into Nina’s everyday lifestyle in Los Angeles. Amidst regular yoga classes, she also goes for outdoor runs and the occasional game of volleyball.

“What can I say? I like the sunshine. I go to a lot of beaches. I don’t want to have to worry about mascara falling down my face! I like to just keep it simple.” She does so with a couple quick coats of Benefit waterproof mascara, her daily dose of SPF, and she’s out on the sand.