Getting Glamorous

Grace Kelly--Timeless Glamour

                                                        Modern Glamour--Clare Danes

Around the holidays I received a lot of calls and emails from friends who wanted advice on how to look dazzling for their special events. I had several ideas for them and loaned a few friends fancy clothing and accessories, but I wish I had had this following list of suggestions from Glow Skin and Beauty handy. My comments are in italics.


1) Red Lipstick

Channel your inner screen siren with a coat of red lipstick. I find that 99% of the time a coat of red lipstick can make me feel instantly glamorous. Choose a true red rather than an orange-red hue to really achieve that old-school glamour. If the idea of wearing red lipstick scares you, try a more subtle red lip gloss instead.

2) Bold Accessories

Break away from the norm and choose an unpredictable accessory. Be it leopard print hoops, a loud and colourful clutch, or a soft silk scarf, dare to be different and expressive with your outfit. However, you should be careful to never try and put together an outfit that showcases all aspects of your personality as that’ll cause confusion. Instead, choose one aspect and learn to bring it out through fashion storytelling. I think an eye catching accessory is an easy way to glam up an outfit. Try shopping at stores aimed at a young crowd (such as Forever 21) for fun and inexpensive accessories. 

3) High Heels

One guaranteed way of making your outfit more glamorous is with the addition of a pair of pumps. Choose a pair with a patent finish to really take your outfit to new heights. Then again, if pumps make it hard for you to walk in a graceful way, opt for some great flats or wedges with elegant details. 

4) Eye Makeup

Another effective way to add glamour to your look is to embrace eye makeup. You can either go glam with a seductive winged eyeliner look, which, despite it being almost impossible to prefect, can add timeless glamour to your look. Or you can play with the eyeshadow effect to get strong eyes. Use dark shades and mascara to get the mysterious smokey-eye look. Please get help from someone knowledgeable at a makeup counter unless you are, unlike me, a masterful makeup artist. In the wrong hands, glam makeup can quickly devolve into a goth or prostitute look.

5) Diamond Earrings

Nothing says glamour quite like dripping in diamonds. Add a bit of bling to your ensemble with some dazzling diamond earnings. If you can’t afford the real deal, Swarovski crystals or cubic zirconia will do the trick just fine. For goodness sake, sparkly earrings in all colors can be found everywhere from Sears to Claire's. I love the earrings at Lewis and Clark in Santa Barbara. 

6) Hairstyles


Think of your hair as the finishing touch to any outfit. Experiment with styles like half-up-half-down styles, cascading curls or the pompadour look. If you have short hair, glam up your appearance with a sexy pixie cut or a flirty bob cut. I don't think you need a new haircut for a special event, but styling it in a different way can dress up your outfit. Ask your hairdresser if she can style your hair for a night.