EXCESS - ORISED

Celebrities who go over the top, or

don’t go at all

EXCESS - ORISED

Celebrities who go over the top, or

don’t go at all

W e love all celebs and their clothing, but sometimes it can drag a huge price tag along with it. That doesn’t mean you have to as well, for your formal. Celebri-ties can look amazing using that money, but sometimes they don’t. Don’t have a super extravagant formal, you don’t need to. Have a You style for-mal.

Excess - orised

Lots of celebrities, and girls, have overindulged, spent way out of pro-portions, and not looked good. And lots of celebrities didn’t go to their formal, because they didn’t want to, or they didn’t have the money. Leighton Meester said, “...back then I didn’t have the money to get a dress or limo, or anything like that.” She didn’t have a date and she might not have gone, but we’re sure she still looked pretty then. At Kesha’s prom, she “...had way more fun than anyone else at a prom with their boyfriends. Everyone else was, like, crying and drama and breaking up, and me and my gay best friend just danced until 8 a.m.” Kesha proved that you don’t need a date. If you go with just friends,

that’s fine. Don’t miss out on your formal just because you’re not go-ing with anyone. If Vanessa Hudg-ens had gone to prom “.... it proba-bly would have been with me and my girlfriends, dancing and being silly. I probably would have worn a fun, short, flirty dress. But nothing to short, because I would have been dancing.” You shouldn’t hold back from doing things like danc-ing, because you’re self conscious, or you don’t think you’re good at it. Be confident and have fun. Get great memories from prom! When celebrities went to their prom, they were just like all of us. Most of them didn’t have dates; and theirs probably wouldn’t have been perfect.

On the other hand Ashley Tisdale got a bit carried away. “My junior prom dress was really big – it could actu-ally stand on its own. It was this big pink dress, and I could not dance in it.” Don’t overdo it, so you can’t dance in your dress. You won’t have as good memories as you otherwise would have had, if you had chosen a dress that you could dance and have fun in.

Your formal may be at a not so good venue, or you go to a small school, but you can still get great memories, and have the time of your life. Taylor Lautner’s prom “...was in Los Angeles at an art museum. It was a long night, finishing around one in the morning. I took a friend of mine from school.” If you don’t get a date, or don’t get to go with the per-son you want to, it doesn’t mat-ter.

It can still be a really good experience, and they might even be a better date. This is what happened to Ne-Yo, and he was quoted as saying, “...but my second choice turned out to be the one I was supposed to be there with, so it turned out good.”

Taylor Lautner at his prom

Whatever happens,

you’ll have a great time at your formal,

and you should defi-

nitely go. Take the

lead from these celebs,

when they didn’t have

all that fame and money. Just go with

the flow.

Top left: Leighton Meester, Top right: Ashley Tisdale, Bottom left: Vanessa Hudgens, Bottom right: Ke$ha

You’ll melt for this season latest looks

Doing hair for celebrities

Doing hair for you

You’ll melt for this season latest looks

Doing hair for celebrities

Doing hair for you

Everything on

what to look

like, and how

SSSS o, your formal is coming up soon, and you have absolutely

zilch idea of what to wear; or you’ve actually found a gorgeous dress (or outfit!), but you don’t know if it’s too expensive, or if you should keep it in the closet for another occasion. You could even be sitting on a chair, waiting for the fashion fairy to breathe over you.

A lot of girls wonder what type of dress to wear. You want to be individual, but not quite as individual as Lady Gaga. There are some basic rules, but rules are made to be broken. So listen, then decide if you will use them or say goodbye. If you’re going to a sit-down dinner event, or a function that you will sit down to eat at, it might be ap-propriate to wear a longer (not necessarily full length), elegant dress. At a social, you will usually find bright colours. At an occa-sion that will generally not involve sitting down, it could be suitable to wear a dress fit for a party. Although, you can ignore these rules; what you dress in is usually just the type of girl you are. If you like, you can forget about the ‘long dress’ rule, be-cause a lot of people like to show off their legs and that’s fine, for whatever event you’re at. And remember that these rules do not always apply; it will depend on the occasion, so use your common sense!

Social vs. Formal

Dress

it Up

If you’re not sure what occasion to wear your dress to, think about those rules, and think about this. What to wear it to will depend on the event, and the importance of the occasion, in general, and the importance it holds to you. If you attend lots of events like this, and you regard it as ‘just another one of those’, then you will not need the most ex-travagant dress in the world. You could go for a cheaper, simpler option, but make sure it’s never ‘cheap and nasty’. If this is a ‘ ‘Wow’ once in a life-time’ opportunity for you, dress it up and make it extraordinary. Make it the dress everyone wants to wear. Let everyone envy you. Be the brightest star in the night sky. If you’re in the middle, e.g. if you’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while, but you don’t think it will be the most im-portant thing you will ever experience, go for something you feel is just right. Choose a dress that is a bit jazzed up, and wear it with style. But again, don’t be too extravagant. If you’re still not sure, go shopping and ask the assistants what dress they think will be suitable for your occasion.

For what occasion?

What’s my budget?

$$$$ Whoa! Don’t go crazy with that money. To have the perfect look you don’t have to spend a million bucks. If you’re wondering, and if you’re not, the absolute maximum is $1000. That should include limos, and other unnecessary necessities. Most girls will spend around $200 to $50. And you can you can still look amazing and get your hair done for that much. If you shop around, you can even get away with $50 to $100. On the $50 budget, for your hair, use equipment you already have, e.g. your own curler or straightener, or other cheaper things you’ll need to do your hair, like rollers. For makeup, also use your own, or get some good quality, cheaper products. Only buy a dress and shoes. You’ll have to hunt hard, but you can do it quite easily. You’ve just got to look in the right places. If you’re going to spend over $50, get your hair done professionally; professionals know the secrets of beautiful hair. Bring in a picture of how you want your hair done to your hairdresser, a couple of days before, and ask how much they would charge for it, so you don’t have to sort it out on the night. When you go shopping for a dress, set yourself a budget, and stick to it. If you find the perfect dress, and it’s over your limit, compromise with your parents, and offer to do some jobs, or to help out with something. If you really have to, use your own savings/money. But try to stay off those paths! Just remember, give yourself a budget, and stick to it!

What else can I wear?

If you have a dream dress in mind and you can’t find it anywhere, you could get it tailor made. They will measure you up, so it will fit perfectly! But you have to make sure it’s value for money, in your budget - and an acceptable price. You could borrow somebody else’s, and a lot of people do that. Make it yourself! These dresses can look great, as long as you do it right. Find the material you’ll need, get a pattern, measure yourself up; then all you have to do is cut and sew! But be careful, because it’s not as easy as it sounds. It can be very hard, and time con-suming, depending on how difficult and intricate your dress to be is. If you can’t pull off any of those or you can’t afford much; you could use a dress you already have, if it’s appropriate!

The Perfect Fit

Who do I go shopping with?

When you go shopping for your dress, go with your mum and/or your friends. It might sound strange to go

with your mum, but she knows really well what suits you, as she is your mother and she’s spent every year of

your life with you. If your go with your mum, even if you’re not with her every second, you can buy a more

expensive dress, which doesn’t mean it’s better, but gives you more freedom. If you go with your friends, you can have a lot of fun, and they know what’s ‘in’.

Friends know how to bring out the best features of your personality. If you go with your friends, you’re guaran-

teed not to get the same dress if you don’t want to, which could be a disaster if you did! We suggest going

on a combined shopping trip with your friends and their mother’s.

Simple or statement? When it comes to makeup, you need to get it right. It’s the thing that will make it or break it. It’s a good idea to go to a place like Myer or David Jones, and asking them to give you a makeover, free, that will suit your dress, and your occasion. If you don’t thing you could get that style with the products you already have, you can buy them. Most stores do this on a regular basis, so you’ll get a professional look; if you have the same products, you can get that look at home. You can ask for something natural, to suit your skin colour, like soft brown, a light coffee colour, beige tones, and light pink or your natural colour for lips and cheeks; a bold look is in, you could get eye shadow the colour of your dress, or a lighter or darker shade of it, for a better effect. If your shoes aren’t the same colour as your dress, you could use eye shadow the colour of them, to accentuate them, or make them more noticeable. You don’t even have to have your eye shadow colour the same as your dress or shoes, it can be a different colour, but it has to compliment all the colours you’ll wear. You can choose to give your eyes or lips emphasis. To do this, apply strong colours to whatever area you’re focusing on, e.g. cherry red on your lips. You could always just choose tones, shades and colours that evenly flatter each other, if you don’t want to be to bold, or accentuate a certain part of your face. It can be a good idea to get your nails done professionally, but they can work just as well at home, you just have to have a steady hand. If you’re getting your nails done professionally, you can get more detailed, intricate designs.

Make up

Shoes

Shoes, shoes, shoes. The thing we go crazy over; but don’t go crazy here! You need some sense, so keep your head! Your shoes, importantly, need to compliment your dress. Compliment doesn’t necessarily mean match, they can be a different colour, texture, or style to your dress, but still go with it. A lot of girls will wear heels at these events; so you can go with the flow, or break the chain. Some dresses will have matching shoes, come with them, or recommend them. Don’t be scared to go out of the box, but don’t get too far away from it. You can wear a light, lemon col-oured dress, with light-ish blue, crocodile skin shoes, and it will look great; but don’t wear a puffy, green dress, with high, brown platform shoes, and stockings – you’ll look like a tree. So use your common sense, and you can be a stunner; if you don’t, you can be a walking catastrophe.

On The Night

When it comes to the night, if you’re not going to put your dress on before you get your hair done, because you don’t want anything to get on it, or anything to happen to it, you have to be careful when putting your dress on. You have to keep in mind your hair, and be careful that it doesn’t get flattened or fluffed up while you’re putting your dress on. Take it slow, and don’t rush; but then again, don’t take an hour. Leave plenty of time to do your makeup, if you’re not getting it done professionally. If you’re getting it done professionally, leave ear-lier than you have to, to account for things like traffic, and possible change of appointments. If you don’t get a limo, or don’t get the best limo, it’s not the end of the world! You can still have heaps of fun in another form of transport. It’s not too bad, not getting the best, because some other time in your life, you’ll get something better, and say wow. Just keep in mind your formal isn’t all about the trip there. When you are there, don’t overeat, don’t be shy, and don’t not dance! Be confi-dent, and tell yourself its okay to laugh if something goes wrong. If you don’t have a date, it doesn’t matter. Going with just your friends is fine. Good Luck! Whatever happens, it’ll be great!

Bling, bling; ka-ching, ka-ching! What do you match that amazing dress to? When you’re putting on the bling, don’t go over the top! Choose a little that looks and means a lot. Choose items that that compliment your dress, and look as if they came with it, they match so well. You definitely need a clutch, if your dress didn’t have a matching one, or didn’t come with one. In there put some make up, (small things) like lip gloss, mascara etc. a purse, and other important and emergency equipment. Ensure that you have a bracelet, a necklace and earrings (if you have your ears pierced) at the least. Remind yourself to have at least on piece with a gem in it. It will feature, and bring every-thing together. It is important not to over load; if you do, it will look messy, and ruin the effect. Your pieces have to be noticeable, a feature, but not huge and over the top. Accessorise yourself, but not in excess.

Accessories

Jacqués Republic

Are you

gorgeous enough?

Brianna Norman

Brigita Vladica talks exclusively to

Brianna Norman about her formal,

and herself

Brianna

Norman

I am a 17 year old year 11 student attending Kilvington Grammar, which is a small school. I am cur-rently studying Psychology, Health and Human Development, Maths, English, Geography and History. I aspire to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Uni-versity. In my spare time I enjoy babysitting, yoga, hanging out with my friends, reading, walking my dog, and listening to music. One of the traits my friends ad-mire in me is my sense of humour.

Tell us a bit about yourself...

B rigita Vladica interviews Brianna Norman about

her Year 11 formal.

Top: Brianna with her dog Sadie, Bottom left: Brianna, her brother Liam, and Sadie on holiday, Bottom right: Brianna looking at the photos she had taken

iI

just fell in love with it

What were your shoes like?

What dress did you wear?

I wore a vintage style, 1940s, Quick Brown Fox dress. It was a glimmering maroon, with black undertones. It had a sash below my bust tied in a bow at the back. The dress was knee length and fitted with a gathered, flow-ing skirt. The neck line is high but scooped, and it also has a high back. The straps are wide, but they thin toward my shoul-ders. I chose this dress because it fitted perfectly and it was the only one like it in the shop. Ma-roon suits my pale skin, alt-hough I don’t wear it often. The style suits my figure, was com-fortable to wear and easy to move around in. It was light and didn’t make me too warm. The dress was $80 on sale. I just fell in love with it.

My shoes were black patent leath-er, highly polished, with 4 inch heels. They have a thin strap buckled across the upper foot, and a closed toe. They looked ele-gant with my black sheer stock-ings. I had to put gel pads in the front of the shoe, but after four hours of wearing them, and one and a half hours of dancing, I could barely walk – I don’t often wear heels. I got them from ZU in Highpoint for $130. They were a good buy – I’ve worn them again since.

What make-up did you wear?

I had a lot of my make-up before-hand, but the rest I purchased from my local AVON representative. I used liquid foundation which matched my skin tone, bronze eye shadow, a neu-tral blush, brown mascara, and ruby red glossy lipstick. I went for a natu-ral look with an element that accentu-ated my lips. The lipstick rubbed off slightly, but not noticeably, and the rest of it wore well throughout the night. I wore Imari Seduction per-fume, from AVON, which had a floral scent. My hair was done at home. It was partially clipped back and then curled.

What accessories did you choose?

I wore gold, cubic, white zirconia studs, which reflected light well. As well as a gold, diamond, heart shaped pendant that had been given to me 4 years before by my gran. I matched a black lace shawl from Sportsgirl, which I wore on the way there and back, with a lace rectangular clutch that came with my perfume. My hair was fastened with a gold pin. All of these matched the shoes or compli-mented the dress. They were subtle, but all of them added to the effect.

Brianna, with her brother Liam om formal night

Top left: Brianna Taking photographs, Top right: Brianna at her formal, Bottom left: Brianna with her brother Liam, before her formal, Bottom right: Brianna with her dog Sadie

It was Winter Wonderland themed, although it was only March. It was held at Caul-field Racecourse in a room that overlooked the track. There was a three course din-ner, photographs, and danc-ing. We had a mushroom ri-sotto for entree, roast beef and vegetables for main, and for dessert we had a fruit me-ringue. Although it was not the best food I have ever had, it did not ruin the night. We had professional photo-graphs taken in groups of friends, and in our school houses.

Having our photos taken was lots of fun, and a good souvenir of the night. Dancing was slow to start, but by the end everyone had joined in and we didn’t want the night to end. I go to a girl’s school, so only about half of us had dates. Only one of my close friends had a partner, but I didn’t and it wasn’t that important to me to have one. Instead of dates, some people brought friends.

We didn’t have a limo, my friends and I figured that we’d leave them until year 12. We all went back to my place later to sleep over. On the night there were a few mishaps – when we mis-communicated where we needed to get picked up from after the formal, and as a result had to wait 15 minutes in the rain, with sore feet. Besides this the night was a success, and I’m looking forward to next year’s formal.

What was your formal like?

What was the best/most memorable part of it?

The best part of the night was the dancing, but get-ting ready and shopping for it was also a large part of the fun. Most of the pleasure was in the preparation for the event, but it was still a fabulous night. It was all we could talk about for weeks before and weeks after. Shopping and picking out dresses and shoes with friends is a girl’s dream. Seeing eve-ryone dressed up, excit-ed and happy was what made it so special.

My advice for anyone going to a formal is to relax, have fun, and enjoy the night; and don’t be afraid to dance!

Look just like a model with DESIGNËR makeup

DESIGNËR FRANCE

These results

might not of

measured every-

one, but what

they say is

pretty clear.

You can use

them to create

a flawless outfit,

or you can just be

yourself.

W e went to the public, and asked them , ‘What type of

dress would you most like to see or wear at a graduation?’ We got some results that should definitely help you choose what to wear.

%

%

%

%

Casual

Formal

Party

Other

What you said

8.333% amount of

people said that

they would most like

to see or wear a

formal dress or out-

fit at a graduation.

12.5% of the people

surveyed responded

that they preferred a

casual outfit, but

that’s still not a lot.

A huge 62.5% of the peo-

ple we graphed said that

they would like to see or

wear a party dress or party

wear.

Only 16.666% said that they would prefer to

see a different type of dress or get-up.

Use these results to

fashion your outfit.

You’ll find people say

WOW when you look

your best in the latest

trend. Find what people

really think about what

to wear and what’s most

popular at a graduation.

To look your best,

you need the best

Elizabeth Pearls Signature Piece

A delicate compliment to your beautiful self