Being Sexy Without Breaking the Bank

May 25, 2008— -- During college, Sunday nights were sacred.

Dozens of co-eds would cram into the one room on campus that legally broadcasted premium channels and indulge in an episode of "Sex and the City," a truly transformative half-hour of television. Trailing wistfully out of the room, these young ladies sported faraway gazes that masked fantasies spun from swanky meals, stunning clothes and sassy dialogue.

At least, that's what I imagined lingered behind those dreamy facades, because, um, that's what I was thinking about.

"I think that the thing we have to remember about "Sex and the City" is that it is a fairy tale of New York. That's probably why it captured everyone's imaginations," says Joyce Corrigan, senior editor at large at Marie Claire. "There seemed to be endless resources for million-dollar wardrobes, and nobody seemed to work."

So when I moved to New York as a doe-eyed young professional, I naively expected my life's sexiness quotient to climb. But somehow, my eclectic wardrobe was regrettably far from Manolo-and-Birkin chic, my romantic life turned somewhat tepid and, compounding those setbacks, my income failed to finance nights at Bungalow 8 or brunches at Balthazar on any regular basis.

With the "Sex and the City" movie on the horizon and years of big-city living ahead of me, I needed to find some answers. How could I--a somewhat awkward but well-intentioned and outgoing young woman--be sexy without breaking the bank, let alone losing my identity?

I did what any reporter would do. I asked some experts.

Spend just minutes a day washing your face, putting on jewelry or applying makeup, says Lisa Clinkscale Porter, the author of "Every Woman's Guide To Looking And Feeling Sexy From Head To Toe." Those small steps can pay off because they bolster an attitude of self-assurance that lasts throughout the day. (Note to self: Remember to brush hair in the mornings.)