The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Skylar recently wrote in asking, “Danielle, this year I’m going into the fifth grade and I want to have the kinda preppy punk style. I’m getting read highlights. I wanted to know if you have any clothing advice for me.”

First, I think it’s sooo cool a ten year old has a sense of style already! When I was ten—well, you don’t even want to know…lol.

Skylar, I think for a preppy punk style, you’ll need:

*Tailored button-down shirts and pair them with funky, printed pants
*Mix prints and go for bold color combos (check out this post on mixing colors in your wardrobe)
*Boyfriend fit jeans and flat, funky boots and shoes

You won’t need to buy a ton of new clothes (besides, you’re still growing so it doesn’t make sense to have a ton of clothes that won’t fit you next year). Mixing and matching is a key element of the preppy, punky style so learn how to put together pieces that you normally wouldn’t.

Check out these two quick looks I put together and then keep scrolling for some more wardrobe pieces.

Outfit 1:

More Avon…

Outfit 2:

More J.Crew…

More ideas:

More Children’s Place…

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If you have a style of beauty question, contact me!

The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Mortina recently asked in our Talk Amongst Yourselves or Ask Me a Question post, “Danielle, I absolutely adore your Fashionista Finance posts!!! I’m going back to college this Fall & I’ll need as much of your advice as possible as I cut back (I don’t know about completely giving it up LOL) on shopping to pay for school. I am an adult student that works full time in a business casual office and I’ll be leaving work & heading straight to class.”

Since I racked up so much debt on buying clothes when I was in college (apparently since I was in uniforms from kindergarten up until my senior year in high school, I went buckwild when I could wear my own clothes to class), I like to think I’m an expert on what NOT to do…lol.

There’s a lot of excitement when September comes around. Your back aches from carrying those telephone book-like fashion September issues filled with hundreds of thousands of drowl-worthy duds, you want to start the school year off in style, and it’s like your closet gets a fresh start. But getting too carried away can be detrimental to your financial health. So follow these steps:

1. Clean out your closet. I find that the less stuff I have, the less I buy. Back in the day I had a closet overflowing with clothes. When I finally decided to edit it down, there were things in there I totally forgot I had (when you don’t know what you have, you don’t know what you need and tend to buy more) and even had things in there with tags on it. Now I have a much smaller closet and only have items that I can wear a million different times and a million different ways.

2. Know the season’s trends. You can find all fall 2010 fashion trend info here. Thankfully many of the trends this season (leather, fur, etc) are items that are already in your closet or can be inexpensive finds at your local thrift store. Plus they’re also items that are classic and can be worn year after year.

3. Make sure you have some wardrobe basics in your closet. No matter what your style is, wardrobe basics are needed in your closet. You can add accessories to make your outfit pop. Basics for a work to school wardrobe include a cardigan (go beyond black or grey), boot-cut dark denim jeans (universally flattering on all body types), a flat boot (black for cool tones, brown for warm), a statement book bag, a statement coat, flattering black pants, and a white blouse

4. Buy nothing on a credit card. If you have to whip out Amex, Visa, or Mastercard, it’s not worth being in your closet unless you can pay the bill in full at the end of the month. And even then second guess a credit card purchase—even if you do pay it in full, that’s still extra cash being spent.

5. Make sure you fully understand your bank’s debit card policy. By now many banks have changed their rules on how you use your debit card. Be sure you get their policy in writing and study it like it were a mid-term. Not knowing the rules can cost you $35 or more in overdraft fees.

6. Shop online to find great deals. Sometimes you have to be in the club to learn about your favorite retailer’s sales. But set your settings to sales only to avoid being tempted by daily emails filled with new merchandise. Also get in the habit of googling for coupon codes. You can usually find some discounts that aren’t published.

Talk Amongst Yourselves–leave a comment about anything you want! It could be about some hot new clothes or makeup you just bought, your favorite mascara, a topic you’d like to see me cover here, a celeb outfit or makeup look you saw that you absolutely love, or you can ask me a question.

The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Zanah wrote in asking how to get the hair and makeup seen on the models at the Christian Dior Spring 2010 runway show.

So you all know, I always answer your email questions right away, but sometimes they go into my spam folder and since I usually just check my email from my Blackberry, I forget to check my spam. So this one is a bit overdue. Sorry!

I found this video on You Tube that breaks down the hair better than I could with words. Check it out:

As for the makeup:

Makeup artist Pat McGrath masterfully paired lavender eyes with matte red lips. I’m not sure of what she used exactly, but wouldn’t be surprised if the purple shade in the Dior Lace Collection Spring 2010 Pearl Glow Eyeshadow Palette was used on the lid with the frosty silver shade in the inner corners of the eye. On the lips try a matte red like MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo.

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If you have a style or beauty question, contact me!

The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Christina wrote in asking, “I cut my hair short 2 years ago, around when the Rihanna-esque short hairstyle craze began. I am now in the process of growing my hair out to the length it was when I first cut it (in a bob.) Do you have any ideas on hairstyles for transitioning from long hair to short? I am definitely in the “awkward stage” and I need some help! Any suggestions would be helpful (my hair is relaxed). Thanks!”

Growing out a short hair cut can be a pain! I’ve done it twice in life—once after cutting my hair super short in junior high and just a few years ago after cutting my hair back in 2005. It can be painful, but the hardest part is probably being patient. Can’t even tell you how long I spent in front of the mirror “watching” my hair grow *smh*.

But here’s some tips to help you along:

1. Remember that trimming/cutting the hair does not stimulate hair growth. There’s a silly rumor that’s been going around for ages about that. All a trim does is make your ends look neater. Also split ends won’t run up the hair shaft and cause the rest of your hair to split. They can make the hair appear less tidy so if they pop up during a transition stage when you have so much going on, already give them a light trim. Also steer clear of scissor happy stylists. Many women trim their own hair or enlist a friend with a steady hand or be sure you left your stylist show you where they intended to cut before they cut.

2. The one thing that made me super unhappy when I was growing out my hair is that at one point my hair grew and fell where my face was its widest. When horizontal lines (created by the ends of the hair) hit a place that’s full, it makes that area look even wider. So my hair at that point made my face look sooooo huge…lol. When your hair gets to that stage, try to keep it off the face.

3. Grab some cute headbands and hair accessories. They will be life savers for when a section of your hair grows faster than others. This is perfect for days when you just want to get up and go. You can comb your hair back away from your face and plop on a headband.

More Ulta…

4. Lay off the heat. Hair will always grow, but retaining that length is key. Try to avoid heat styling so you’re not sabotaging your hair growth efforts. Try a wet wrap (use a silk or satin scarf to secure the hair) and let the hair air dry. This is ideally done a few hours before you go to bed so you wake up with your hair dry. Put some Moroccanoil Oil Treatment (www.moroccanoil.com for locations) on your wet hair to help speed up the air drying process.

5. If you crave long hair in an instant get wiggy with it and try out a cute wig or hair extensions.

Some hair ideas/inspiration (click to enlarge):

Good luck to you! Keep me posted on your progress.

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If you have a style or beauty question, contact me.