When you think timeless, classy makeup, a little bit of Old Hollywood glamour probably comes to mind. A clean, sophisticated look that doesn’t need any help transforming from day to night; stars like Marilyn Monroe and Gwen Stefani have made the look popular, no matter the reason, season or decade. Whether you’re sporting a little black dress for a business party, or just jeans and a tee shirt for a casual day out, the look of Hollywood glamour fits every occasion.

Yet, the bold, clean lines can leave even the most experienced makeup maven a bit intimidated. Want to shine this holiday season in this classic look? Here’s how anyone, from novice to know-it-all can steal the spotlight with this always trendy transformation.

Starting with clean skin, a good SPF 15 (or higher) moisturizer and a moisturizing lip balm (My Lip Stuff and Burt’s Bees are my top picks), apply your favorite foundation.

Make sure you cover your entire face, including blending your foundation into your jaw and hairline. Set your foundation using a finely milled, loose translucent powder.

TIP:  When applying foundation, make sure you’re using the right tool for the desired coverage. Fingertips will give you a more sheer look, cosmetic sponges offer medium coverage and brushes provide maximum coverage. Also, when applying liquid foundation, no matter what kind of coverage you’re after, always blend up (towards your hairline) and out (towards your ears) to create a seamless finish.

Recommended products: For foundation, DermaBlend Reflections can’t be beat. Build coverage from sheer to full with this lightweight, light-reflecting liquid. As for loose powder, take a tip from Grandma – Coty Airspun powder, available at most discount drug and chain stores, is still the best in my opinion.

Using a large, fluffy brush, sweep a soft pink blush over the apples of your cheeks.

Concentrate color on your apples (the part of your cheek directly below the eyes that “puffs up” when you smile) but blend completely into the hairline. Without dipping back into your loose powder, sweep your powder brush over your blush, gently, to help set the color for all day wear.

TIP: Despite what anyone says, a little blush goes a long way. The idea is to look slightly flushed – so start out light! You can always add more. And, blend, blend, blend!

Recommended products: Nars blush in Orgasm is the ultimate in universally flattering cheek color.

Sweep a color slightly lighter than your skin tone over brow bones, in the inner corners of your eyes and underneath to lighten and brighten dark areas.

Using a color slightly darker than your skin tone, cover your eye lid from lash line to crease, and with a color just a half a shade or so darker than that, define your crease and lower, outer corners, blending well to ensure a born-with-it-beautiful definition as opposed to a made up look.

TIP: While using the same brush for your highlight color and lid color is okay, invest in an angled contour brush to make shading and contour work a much easier task. With this look, blending is key – no one color should stand out and scream, “Look at me!” Having the right brushes will make this far easier. Also, always start with thin layers of color and build up. Just like blush, you can always add more, but get too much and you may have to scrap it and start over.

Line your upper lid with black liquid liner. This look depends on that strong, black contrast and the clean, sharp line only liquid can provide.

You want to start at the inner corner and in a single fluid motion, following the natural contour of your eye, draw outward to the outer corner, thickening the line and winging it slightly. The keyword here is slightly – extending too far past the lash line or curving it too far upward will either look too '70s mod or too gothic. For this look, I don’t recommend lining the lower lashes – but, if you must, line the water line on the lower lash as opposed to under the lash line. This helps to keep the look clean and simple, while still providing the necessary drama and definition.

TIP: If you’re unsure about using liquid liner, draw your line with a black pencil liner first. Then, simply trace with your liquid. Also, make sure you steady your elbow on something to avoid your hands shaking, and draw with a firm (not heavy) hand and a quick stroke for accuracy. If you do make a mistake, a damp cotton swab is a perfect way to clean up sloppy lines.

Recommended product: There are lots of high-end liquid liners on the market that I just absolutely love…but, when it comes down to brass tacks, Wet ‘n Wild (for about two bucks a pop at your local drug or discount store) rocks my socks! For the price and performance, you can’t go wrong.

After your liner has fully dried (you’ll know because the shine will disappear and leave a more matte finish) apply your mascara.

I know old school gurus still swear by the “two coats” rule, but for the longest, fullest lashes with the best separation and definition, apply seven or eight very thin coats, letting each coat dry before you apply the next. You can choose to skip the lower lashes if you wish, but I still think a single thin coat helps to make eyes really pop.

TIP: On your last couple coats, wiggle the mascara wand back and fourth horizontally from lash line to tip to help separate lashes as well as ensure that all those baby fine bits of fringe, as well as the very tips of your lashes, are completely coated. If mascara isn’t your thing, or you just want a little extra oomph, consider false lashes, which come in a billion flirty styles, perfect for batting away in starlet style.

Recommended product: For mascara, I just adore Maybelline’s Intense XXL mascara, which includes a primer to help lengthen lashes by bringing microfibers to the party.

Lips should be last on your agenda, simply to prolong the wear of your lip color. And for this look, they should be red.

A lot of women feel they can’t wear red lipstick, but that’s not true. Anyone can wear red lipstick – you just have to find the right shade. The biggest mistake I see is picking a red shade that’s too bright. Yes, you want your lips to stand out, but you’ve already done that just by choosing to wear red on them. It doesn’t have to be ‘hooker red’ in order to grab attention. Most women are far more flattered by wearing a slightly more muted red, along the lines of true brick as opposed to fire engine. You always want to start by lining your lips. This helps to prevent color bleeding later in the day, as well as gives you a nice line to color inside of. A good neutral shade of lip liner is a must have -- no matter what shade of lipstick you’re wearing, for a natural look, go with a natural colored lip liner.

If you have any lip balm left on your lips, wipe it off gently before applying a thin coat of foundation to your lips. The foundation will help your color last longer and bleed less by providing something for color to stick to.

TIP: Line lips from the inside/middle, out. Your hand naturally wants to move outward slightly, which gives lips a fuller, more rounded appearance. Yes, you’ll be lining just outside your natural lip line, which is good – this is where the full, pouty look comes from. It’s also why you want a neutral colored lip liner. It will blend more with your skin tone, which makes drawing just outside your natural lip line look natural instead of nasty.

Recommended Product: Personally, I love Palladio lip liner in Natural. Base your color choice off your skin tone and lip color.

After lining lips, use a small lip brush to apply your lipstick, starting with the outside (where your liner is) and working in toward the center.

Why apply from the outside in? When you apply lip color in this manner, your color will gradually get lighter as you reach the center of the lip, which makes lips appear fuller. Once you have your lip color on, blot gently with a tissue, making sure to blot between lips as well as on top of them to avoid the dreaded ‘red teeth’ mistake.

TIP: For longer wear with any shade of lipstick, after blotting, place the tissue against your lips and lightly dust over the top with loose powder. Remove the tissue, apply another thin layer of color and blot again. Just like loose powder sets your foundation and blush, it will also set your lip color.

Recommended product: While women’s skin tones vary every bit as much as their personalities, I’ve found two shades of red lipstick that seem to be pretty universally flattering. If you’re nervous about red, you might try L’Oreal Colour Riche in Candy Apple Red or Femme Couture in Shanghi Red.

Voila! Hollywood glamour at its finest, in just a few easy steps. Want to dress up this look even more? Try…

• Adding an illuminator or shimmer powder to brow bones, the inner corners of eyes, cheeks and/or temples.
• Using a black eyeliner with shimmer in it.
• Adding a “beauty mark” near the outer corner of one eye or just above the lip with a dab of liquid liner. Depending on how large you want it, use anything from a toothpick to a pencil eraser. If you want to go super glamorous, use a rhinestone (nail art rhinestones or small crafting jewels work well) applied with a bit of spirit gum or eyelash adhesive.
• A dab of shimmery gloss in the very center of lips to add to the illusion of a full, plump pucker. Also, a lip plumper, like DuWop’s Lip Venom, before applying liner and lipstick can work wonders for thin lips. Just make sure it either dries completely or you blot off the excess before applying color to ensure your color lasts as long as you do.
• Dusting illuminator or shimmer powder on the very tips of lashes before your final coat of mascara dries. Fine, loose glitter works too.
• Following through! Add finger curls or voluminous waves with a triple barrel iron and red nails (OPI ‘I’m Not Really a Waitress’ Finger Paints ‘Signed in Wine’ and Cover Girl ‘Cabernet’ are all nice choices), to complete the look.

Be a show-stopping, scene-stealing starlet this holiday season, and year ‘round, with this classic yet contemporary look. But don’t forget – looks aren’t everything! Try watching an old black and white flick or listening to some Sinatra while you primp to help get you in the mood to strut your stuff and rock your red carpet the right way.

*Photos from curly-hair-styles-magazine.com, sdvideo.wordpress.com, handbag.com, movies.about.com, brickfish.com, dailyblabber.ivillage.com