mall of America

Last week Charla Krupp stopped by Mall of America to sign her new book, How Never to Look Fat Again. (You might recall her first best-selling tome, How Not to Look Old.) She’s a regular on Oprah, the View, a contributor to People’s Style Watch—and a total dynamo. Until I met Krupp, I hadn’t given much thought to what hair and makeup can do to make you look thinner. Here are a few of her ingenious tricks:

A solid hair color can make you look fat. Break it up with highlights or lowlights.

Side-swept bangs flatter the face; full, blunt bangs shorten and widen it.

Ditch the middle part; it emphasizes the roundness of your face.

Skinny brows won’t make you look skinny. A thicker brow with a soft, full arch is much more flattering.

Red lipstick or anything darker than your natural lip color is too much. Pink gloss is universally flattering.

Line the root of the last line under the lid to make lashes look fuller.

Apply pink or peach cream blush to the tops of the apples of your cheeks for an instant face-lift!

Plastic surgery can actually be aging—and it’s permanent. Do little tweaks at the dermatologist’s office instead.