Lipstick Lifestyle

For hardcore Festival movers and shakers, the search is on for the perfect TIFF wardrobe. The question is: how to look a million bucks without spending it?

Lipstick Lifestyle met up with eBay celebrity stylist Sandra Graham to learn how to achieve A-list style for less. Graham has been responsible for placing some of the world’s most stunning jewelry and dresses on actresses such as Jennifer Lopez, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Beyonce Knowles.

Dresses are a must-have for your TIFF wardrobe. Our pick is a sassy one-shoulder dress. You’ll look sexy showing off that glowing summer skin. Celebs and movie-goers alike know that basic black will never go out of style but the colour red always stands out and will certainly make you a paparazzi darling. Whether you pick red, black or another hue, you can add a little sparkle to your outfit with a metallic clutch or strappy sandal.

Search the web and find out what your favourite celebs have donned at their star-studded events. After you’ve collected some preferred looks, visit eBay and search for those designers/brands. You never know what you might find on eBay: Graham purchased what might be the actual Marc Jacobs dress Anne Hathaway wore to the Golden Globe Awards. And she paid a fraction of the cost.

Here Graham put together two Keira Knightly-inspired looks:

Both outfits start with a classic “little black dress.” From there, Graham adds a red coat (perfect for unexpected rain showers), chunky necklace and hip felt fedora hat. This outfit says “daytime screening.” Dress it up for evening with a vintage scarf, gold cuff bracelet and gold metallic shoes (not shown).

Graham shares one of her little secrets - she always looks at the eBay auctions that are ending first. This is the way she has scored some amazing items at bargain prices. Sometimes one can even find items with no bids on them.

We decided to do a little searching ourselves and were thrilled at what was available. If you love to shop and we’re sure you do, this is definitely a “kid in a candy store” experience. Prada shoes, Dior dresses, Chanel sunglasses – you name it, it’s probably on eBay. And for much less than retail.

But before we let you loose online, we felt it would be a good idea to provide you with eight tips to help make your experience a satisfying and safe one.

1. Learn about the product and seller. The Internet is a great place for buyers to research products and companies they’re interested in. Shoppers can also learn about a retailer through its reputation, from previous purchases, from referrals through friends or from reviews, comments and feedback left by other shoppers. Sandra recommends that you only look at sellers with feedback not lower than 98.6%.

2. Before you buy, always read the item description carefully. It’s a good idea to look at the details of a specific item, as well as the shipping costs, payment methods accepted, and whether the seller offers a return policy.

3. Ask, then buy. If you have questions about the product, contact the store or seller before purchasing - either via e-mail or customer service phone number. All listings on eBay include a link in the Seller Information Box to the “Ask Seller a Question” feature. Using this feature is an easy way to make sure that all of your questions are answered before you buy.

4. Understand the retailer’s refund and return policies. Questions to ask include: What’s the required time frame in which a buyer must contact the retailer and return the item? Will a full refund or a merchandise credit be offered? Can an item that has been opened be returned?

5. Pay safely online. Never use instant cash transfer services to pay for your online purchase. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Paying through PayPal is the safest method.

6. Protect your purchase. Programs like PayPal Buyer Protection provide free coverage of up to $200 USD/$315 CAD on all PayPal transactions and up to $2,000 USD/CAD when you buy from qualified sellers.

7. If an offer sounds highly suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is. While Internet retailers frequently offer lower prices than conventional stores, shoppers should be guarded about unreasonably low bargain prices or unusually attractive promises.

8. Use strong and unique passwords. Good, strong passwords include a combination of letters and numbers, and are unique to the account. Just as you wouldn’t use the same key for your car, your office and your house, unique passwords are an important preventative step in the event someone obtains one of your passwords.

eBay
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