How to look like Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries

“Before there was sex, before there was the city, there was just me – Carrie, Carrie Bradshaw”- Carrie Bradshaw, in the introduction of The Carrie Diaries

Carrie Bradshaw – she's renowned for having an impeccable fashion style, a love for New York and a passion for writing. The Carrie Diaries is not only a new obsession of mine, it is a prequel to the books/films/TV series. Starring Anna Sophia Robb as Carrie, it shows Carrie starting high school in 1984. It also shows the origins of her life in New York and how she forms into who she is now, in the present day.

'The Carrie Diaries': 'A First Time For Everything' recap - The Carrie... (clipped to polyvore.com)

A main feature of Carrie's look is her amazing trademark curls. In the pilot episode, Anna Sophia had her hair curled but, because it took two hours to do so, a wig was made for her for the rest of season 1. In season 2, Carrie had a sleeker and shorter style however she still has curls in her hair. To have Carrie's curly hair, you could either use a curling wand or a curling tong. I would recommend using the Enrapture Encode Totem Styler hair tong as it has three sections that you can heat to different temperatures; this creates a range of curls, waves and ringlets and you can experiment to find Carrie's style! Another method is, with freshly washed damp hair, section your hair into two parts. Then make one plait with each section and wait to dry. Voila! Instant curls. 

The Carrie Diaries Episode 3 “Read Before Use” (clipped to polyvore.com)

Carrie's makeup is quite subtle and youthful and enhances her facial features perfectly. First, cover up any spots with concealer. I use Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer in shade 1. Then, you could make your face look even more flawless by wearing foundation - if your skin is clear and flawless already, skip this step. Wearing a light peachy pink blusher is optional but I think it enhances Carrie's smile. AnnaSophia has quite defined cheekbones so a little bronzer would help you copy Carrie's look. Carrie has beautiful doll-like eyes so try adding a pale neutral toned eye shadow to the lids (it could be nice if this had a little shimmer to it) and add a light-mid brown to the crease. Blend this out with an eye shadow brush. Urban Decay do great palettes with these toned colours in. For the eyeliner, you could use brown or black and create a small line on the top lash line, making it thicker towards the edges. Then take that previous brown eye shadow colour used for the crease and lightly line your bottom lash line. To achieve Carrie's wide-eyed look, curl your lashes and then add a volumising, lengthening mascara. I would be interested in trying Lancome's Hypnose Doll mascara for Carrie's look as it claims to make eyes look doll-like (like Carrie's). Not only does Lancome do doll mascara, they also do other doll products so check them out. To finish off the look, get a fairly sheer light pink lip product and swipe it across your lips! I recommend the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters - perhaps in the shade Strawberry Shortcake or any other colour similar. In season 2 Carrie's make-up becomes a little more dramatic and signifies her grown-up life in the city. 

The Carrie Diaries (clipped to polyvore.com)

I'm in love with Carrie's style and her 80s influenced outfits! Of course the key part of  Carrie's season 1 wardrobe is her mum's satchel that she did some DIY on. You could design your own Carrie satchel by getting your hands on a plain black satchel to your suited size and some nail varnish. Carrie uses the colours white, light green, a little red and a pink - her name is written in the pink colour. Main elements of Carrie's style in season 1 are cute knitted jumpers, flared skirts and dresses (midi length) and a killer coat. In season 2, not only does Carrie's hair get shorter, so do the skirts and dresses. She overall has a more grown-up look. They key thing when recreating Carrie's style is to go for colourful prints that are flared and flattering, with the odd long beaded necklace thrown in. Check out wornontv.net for clothing from a specific episode.

And the transformation is complete! You now look like Carrie Bradshaw - all you need now is an internship in the city and Sebastian Kydd to fall in love with you!

- A x