How to go old-school

So who wouldn't want to look like Veronica Lake? With her peek-a-boo bangs covering one eye, she defined the kittenish sexy innocence of the 1940s and spawned a host of imitators.

While it looks simple -- a series of S-shaped waves of hair across the forehead and down one cheek -- it is a hard style to produce on your own. "That's a really done hairdo," said Sally Hershberger, a celebrity hairstylist who commands $800 for a cut. "It would be difficult to do on your own hair."

Difficult, though, doesn't mean impossible. And Hershberger suggests this: When hair is damp, apply gel and twirl strands of hair into small curls, using bobby pins to hold them in place. When dry, unwind the curls and brush out hair in a wave that falls across the forehead and eyes. Apply hair spray lightly.

For the face, makeup stylist Pati Dubroff said the brow and lips are most important. "But neither should compete with each other," she said. Brows should be sculpted, but not severe, with a high arch. Lips can be a variety of red shades. "Nothing dark," Dubroff said. "Not like a dark vamp, more like rose."