Dita Von Teese's Advice on How to Land on Your One-of-a-Kind Look

POPSUGAR: How do you sum up the idea of "eccentric glamour"?

Dita Von Teese: Well, the book is really about the antidote to conventional glamour guides. There are a lot of glamour guides that preach natural looks, or the "rules" of beauty, and this book is all about breaking the rules of beauty. My aim was not to preach to people that they should be like me, but it was really to empower them to read it and understand in their own way how my message can get through to them about how glamour enhanced my life. Why I believe in it. Why I'm a glamour evangelist. I feel like it's a little bit over the top at times. Somebody asked me about that,"'Don't you think it's a little dramatic? The book, the way you wrote it?" I said "Yeah, but I'm a glamour evangelist. I'm just trying to get people to get a little bit from it, and go a little over the top."

PS: Is there a vintage beauty tip or something that women used to do in the '40s or '50s that you think more modern women should do today?

DVT: In general, it was sort of considered a form of etiquette that you didn't leave the house without your hair done and your face on; I like that part of it. But there're so many easier ways to get glamorous now. I think it's the general overall philosophy behind beauty. You put your best face forward because it's the right thing to do when you leave the house.

PS: You write in the book about your own breast augmentation and how shocked you are that some women are so cavalier about going under the knife . . .

DVT: That chapter is a very layered chapter. I wanted people to understand the varying points of view. [It's] hard for people who are in the spotlight to actually disclose their beauty secrets because they could get vilified in the press. What a shame it is we can't really share. Natural beauty is held in such high regard, whereas what you decide for yourself, or what you create, is put down. Whether it's wearing red lipstick or having some kind of procedure, we should all be able to respect each other's choices. I really love what Carmen Dell'Orefice wrote in that section of the book, because she really lays it out. She's this iconic beauty who's been at the top of her game, a supermodel, since the '50s and she's like, "Oh you think it's all natural, but the trick is to do it well." And then my friend Ali Mahdavi, who actually had surgery to have his nose made bigger. That's eccentric. If you're trying to look like everyone else, that's where I get concerned.

PS: One thing I think has been great over the past five years is there's been this greater acceptance of beauty and burlesque in modern feminism. Is that a change that you've also sensed?

DVT: When I first started creating burlesque shows and posing for pinups in the early '90s, I had a very distinctive audience. It was a lot of older men who remembered sneaking into burlesque theaters when they were little boys, and knew who Gypsy Rose was, or knew who Betty Page was — before she became popular. I watched my fan base go from men, and then fetish fans, to being this whole shift to a very unique, modern feminist movement. Other girls were getting inspired by the idea of creating your own myth, cultivating your own glamour. And being fascinating doesn't depend on what you're born with — it's what you make. Glamour is not about how young you are, or how rich you are, how pretty you are, what size you are, what ethnicity you are. Everyone can become glamorous if they choose to, put the time into it, and devote part of their selves to it.

PS: Do you have any beauty nevers? Are there things that you never try?

DVT: There are things that I've tried, but are just not for me. I already know what it's like living a life in beige and it's not for me.

PS: So it's a beauty never again.

DVT: For me. I can admire certain looks on other people. But for me it's like, I've had my face stripped of what I perceive as glamour and had a beige lip put on and some bold makeup — I disappeared.

PS: How should people experiment to find their signature look?

DVT: There's a lot to be inspired by out there — right now, especially. You can take cues from one interesting thing you see. Maybe it's not a black cat eye; maybe it's a blue one or a green one. I love when I meet people that have a signature that is unique. It doesn't have to be the full, total look, but a simple thing.

PS: Is there anything new or just a small change that you've made or incorporated into your own routine lately?

DVT: Lately? No I've had the same beauty routine for 20 years almost. I change products once in a while. My skin care shifts as I start discovering new things. I switched over to a lot of more natural skin care recently. I use a lot of Eminence products. [But] I've had an obsession with a certain look that I discovered as a teenager and I never looked back.

PS: Is there a red lip — you have a million, I'm sure — tip or secret that more women should know?

DVT: Matte lipstick is really the key to being able to wear it in real life, and eat with it, and speak without getting lipstick on your teeth. MAC makes great matte formulas that stay on really well. That's one tip. If you wear lipstick through the day, I always say you have to wipe it all off and start over. Otherwise you get the crusty look and it's not pretty. Every day, at some point in the day, I'll wipe it all off. Scrub it off, get all the dead skin off with a washcloth, and start fresh. Brush your teeth while you're at it. After your lunch you wipe it all off, you brush your teeth, and you're fresh. It's like a mouth shower!