As you know, I've been planning my upcoming wedding over the last few months, and on a rather strict budget. One way to reduce expenses is to do your own makeup, which is something many women fear doing. "But I don't know what to apply, or how," they say. I say, you do it all the time! This time is not very different than any other. Knowing a few tricks from what I've picked up along the way will make you rather good at it, and save you wads of fat cash.

If you've ever acted on stage, you might recall the ridiculous amounts of makeup you had to put on so you wouldn't appear ghostly under the lights. Wedding makeup follows a similar path - you need to wear much more than you usually do so you don't appear washed out under your photographers lamps. At the same time, you want to look perfectly normal to everyone else. Start with a basic routine - a good coverage foundation, concealer for the imperfections, and a finishing powder dusted on top. This time, use extra foundation, but don't forget to blend well! Cover the imperfections with a concealer of your choice, and finish with a heavier than usual powder. I recommend Bare Minerals powder, a Las F favorite, which is thick enough to stand on its own. A thorough dusting of this and you'll have a smooth, flawless palette upon which to put the rest of your makeup.

Your next step is color, and as far as blush goes, I'd caution against using anything too dark or contrasting. The wedding day is an interesting one, and you may blush, overheat or who knows what, so too much blush to start out with might make you end up looking like a clown. Go for a light dusting of a neutral shade, or something that just makes you glow, even bronzing powder. Also, beware of shimmery makeup! With the advent of digital cameras, shimmery makeup can end up looking much brighter than you intended in photos. Matte choices are a safe bet, like the Nars blush pictured above. It bills itself as translucent and natural, but beware, because it comes in shimmery varieties as well. Add some eye shadow - your call on this one. Find a color combination that will compliment your dress, and the color scheme of your wedding. I wouldn't recommend matching the color scheme, however; that's probably overkill.

Eyelash curling and extra mascara is a must! Eyes that stand out boldly will look well-defined in a photograph. If you choose a standout eyeshadow, go for a muted lip color, preferably the low-gloss kind. Matte might also be a better option here, since kissing the bride is pretty much a good luck tradition. If you go for neutral eye shades, a lovely lip hue is a good idea. Pick your best feature and play it up. Most importantly, tailor your makeup to the time of day of your wedding. If you have a morning reception, that superdark smudgy look that Kiera made famous might not be the best choice. For an evening wedding, something a little darker is certainly called for. Remember the tone of your event and you will totally look the part.

The best advice I could give you, however, is practice! Practice repeatedly, and take lots of pictures. If you're having both color and black and white prints, take both kinds of photos and see how you look with that makeup on. Do you appear the way you want to? Take pictures outside, inside, at night, during the day - whatever circumstances you will be in on that day, take some practice photos. If you use a particular color and brand of makeup, stick with that throughout, and make sure the product will not be discontinued when you intend to buy it for the big day. Remember, you will be center stage on that day. The last thing you want is to be surprised when all is said and done and you open your beautiful album of memories.

After a long hiatus, I've returned! Of course, in my absence the eye for fashion never closes, so I have months of thoughts and ideas swirling around in the maelstrom I like to call 'my brain'.

I have seen quite a lot of these hair pieces that are meant to make you look like you spent hours doing your hair, or perhaps that you have more of it than you do. In many cases this can be a fantastic thing. If you have short hair, for example, and suddenly feel like an updo, the right extensions and pieces can make a great look. However, like so many things, mistakes are often made and you end up looking ridiculous, but we won't let that happen.

Firstly, know what you are buying. Realize that a good hair piece is not going to be cheap. If you buy it from an accessory store in the mall or - I shudder to think of it - a kiosk, chances are your fake hair will not only be obvious, but also difficult to care for. If you're going to do it, spend the money and get a nice looking piece. When you do buy it, make sure it matches your actual hair color, at least reasonably closely. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be able to blend. This is probably not going to be easy if your buying your products off the internet, but if that's your choice, try to do a physical match on a piece you like in a store, then try to buy it online. You can also often buy samples of their hair colors to find the one that best matches your hair before you buy from an online retailer.

Once you have what you were looking for, try to make it seem as if it's actually part of your hair, and not just something you clipped on. My biggest pet peeve in this department is the headband that looks like a braid. You pop it on and, if this is your thing, you look like there's a braid woven into your hair around your head. That's fine, but it's not as simple as all that. I saw a woman wearing this the other day with the part still in her hair. It just looked like she was wearing a headband made out of hair, and that gave me the willies. Brush the part out of your hair and arrange the headband in your hair so it looks natural. If you opt for an updo or something of that nature, style the rest of your hair so that you can neither see the attaching apparatus nor the area where your hair ends and the piece takes over. This is a lesson learned from witnessing men with bad toupees. It doesn't have to happen.

This is great if you're going to have a night out and want stunning hair without having to spend hours at it. Pull your hair back into a bun and attach a piece around the bun, and suddenly you have a glamorous updo that required much less work (and product) on your part. Also, you can use this for an everyday situation, like work. You wake up in the morning and have neither the time nor tolerance for a lengthy hair process. Put on a piece and you look like a rockstar. People will wonder how you did it.

And if you're looking for a place to start, Wigs.com has a huge variety of things to choose from.

Pictures thanks to Alternative Hair

Sandra Bullock + red = a winning combination.
Sandra Bullock + peep-toe shoes = ah, cute!

Sandra Bullock + halter style gown = sexy, not-stick-thin arms

Sandra Bullock + Keanu Reeves = a match made in cinematic heaven

Sandra Bullock + bubble skirt = not so much

We have exciting news! In a couple of weeks, we will be joined by a new Fashionista!

Mean Girls character, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) on Halloween:

"In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. The hard-core girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears."

Photos courtesy of SFF.

No, she did not just finish swimming. Or running. Or camping. It's not even a Halloween costume. That is an outfit for shopping.




Can't we stage an intervention already, people?

Photo courtesy of Popsugar and CelebWarship.