How to Look Expensive on a Budget

Firstly, a neutral colour palette is not only vital for elevating your look, but it also saves you money because all of your clothes will go together and you won’t have to constantly buy new things to style everything with. Neutrals like black, camel, oatmeal, white, cream and blush pink work on so many different skintones and there is nothing more flattering than an all-neutral look. Neutral tones are timeless and never go out of fashion meaning you can wear them year after year and still look stylish.

In particular, dressing head-to-toe in the same neutral colour is one of the easiest ways to look like you have cash to splash. A quick Pinterest search will bring up thousands of all-black, all-camel and all-white looks, all of which look exceedingly expensive and are easy to recreate at home. Choose a colour that flatters your skintone and this will fast become your favourite way to put an outfit together.

Something to bear in mind when shopping for clothes is to keep an eye on the materials you’re picking up. Fabrics like wool, cashmere and silk go a long way in making your outfit look expensive, but they can be pricy. One way you can save on these items is to scout out the shops which offer a mix of synthetic and natural materials at a lower price - my personal favourite is H&M. A percentage of wool content in your rollback will keep you warm as well as looking and feeling better quality than the average knit on the high street.

Another way to save on high-quality materials like cashmere is to shop the end-of-season sales for classic pieces you can wear next winter. This does mean that you will likely have to wait a while before you can wear the item, but you’ll save a fortune and when winter does roll around, you’ll have a whole new wardrobe that you already paid for months ago!

So there are some tips on what to buy to look more expensive, but here’s a tip that won’t cost you much money at all, apart from the price of an iron and your usual water bill! Of course the most important trick to looking more expensive is to iron your clothes. You could be wearing a £1000 pair of trousers but if they’re not crisply ironed they won’t look polished or expensive. Set up your ironing board in front of the TV and make sure all your clothes are crease-free ready for the next time you wear them!

How about what NOT to wear? Each to their own personal tastes of course but well-dressed, wealthy women, for example Kate Middleton, never show very much skin. Flashing a lot of flesh is completely up to the individual but if your goal is to look more expensive, consider drawing attention to just one part of your body, such as your legs, to keep your look modern and sultry but still elegant. What they can’t see is often just as sexy as what they can!

So you’ve followed these style tips but you still don’t feel like you look expensive. Time to check the rest of your look! Your hair, makeup and nails should be natural and polished to ensure the outfit looks its best. A natural hair colour with a few carefully placed highlights is an eternally stylish look and of course neutral nails will go with everything. When doing your makeup, focus on working with what you have, rather than trying to look like someone else - makeup should accentuate, not hide your features, and your face is the one you were born with so that should be good enough for everyone else!