Hair to dye for...

I'm currently growing out a longish bob to long luscious locks (I wish) so I'm stuck in that middle phase, where I hate what's hanging on the top of my head. The frustration of 'neither nowt nor summat' hair has led me to consider some cheeky colour.

Throughout my teens I died my hair many different shades of red, then jet black in my last years of uni, but haven't touched it for a few years, so it's back to my natural shade, dark brown.

I love the ombre looks above, and think it would be a perfect beachy look for summer... but do I dare? Help, people of the blogosphere, i need guidance!

Top pic courtesy of fashiontoast, Alexa courtesy of justjared (obv) and erin... can't remember!