The day after Thanksgiving (known in retail as Black Friday) and the following Cyber Monday made barely a dent in our closets this year. There were no fights over designer outfits at the outlets, and trendy clothes are still sitting on 40% markdown racks at local department stores and mall boutiques.

We’re all on a clothes diet, applying the same selective attitude to fashion that we did to feasting, with stuffing, gravy, and pecan pie sitting untouched while the veggies and lean turkey got gobbled up.

Come to think of it, most women I know made it through this year’s celebratory day with a calorie counter and post-meal workout. Which means sooner or later you (or rather, we) are going to binge — it’s inevitable during the holiday season.

When you do, whether it’s double chocolate chip cookies or a pair of Current/Elliot jeans, you’ll be asking yourself, “is it worth it?” Most women say they’re desperate for a new pair of jeans but have taken a sensible, unsentimental approach to almost everything else.

Here’s my pragmatic guide to a little denim indulgence. It’s practically guilt-free.

Tell yourself:

1. Winter is really the ideal time to wear skinny jeans. They’re easy to tuck into knee-high boots, big Hunter rain boots, or Uggs. Think of them as leggings with more substance and control. In a thicker stretch denim, they work like a body shaper. Choose a medium rise, so you’re not tugging them up all day, and a very dark even-toned wash or black for ultra-slimming power. This style is where you can get away with a really low-cost jean, because what really shows is the top of thighs to knees; the rest is covered.

I love the brutal truth of HDTV. On old broadcast TV, everyone looked perfect thanks to thick layers of pancake, powder, and contour for definition. The muted gauze on the lens visibility meant you never saw the vast amount of makeup anyone wore.

As a frequent contributor during beauty and fashion segments for "The Today Show" and "The Early Show", the intensity of makeup that translated as normal onscreen always amazed me. It was easy to blank out all flaws from undereye circles to brow stubble (like hiding a lover’s glasses during sex since!).

Now, under the wicked eye of extreme clarity and magnified details of HDTV, you know who needs a brow or moustache wax, if they’re wearing gloss and lip pencil or just lipstick, and when they’ve traded their blush for bronzing powder.

I’m just fascinated with the new beauty strategy of TV journalists and I’m not alone. My friends think Katie Couric has the best eye makeup these days and I especially love Rachel Maddows’s makeup on MSNBC. I have been accused on many occasions (and especially during the recent presidential campaign) of paying more attention to correspondents’ hair and blush selection than to what they are actually saying.

My chum superstar makeup artist Sandy Linter tells me all the anchors including Diane Sawyer still wear strip fake lashes all the time. “It’s how they get through long days in the public eye without looking beat or tired.”

Holiday season parties and get-togethers are already underway with save-the dates magnetized to the fridge. My married and single friends have been reading Skinny Bitch, the Secret, and The Power of Now in an effort to prime themselves for the season.

Lots of women I know are doing volunteer work at shelters, retirement homes, hospices and children’s hospitals during hours they used to spend shopping (so there is an upside to this bad economy!). Doing good for others encourages an optimistic attitude and confidence in your own future.

This is the time to network, socialize, and get back in the game. Whether you’re job hunting or seeking your soul mate, looking your best is essential.

Right now, the only splurging going on is at dermatologists’ offices, where new injectable fillers and fat treatments recently approved by the FDA are experiencing a pre-holiday surge. They do work, they are pricey (check with your dermatologist as prices vary around the country and from doctor to doctor), but I’ve included affordable alternatives too.

Here are the top three beauty peeves, with medical pro and at-home solutions for each.
 
Gripe 1: Expression Lines Make You Look Tired & Angry

I’ve been a Sixties girl all my life. I started out as an artsy teen- about-town at Parsons School of Design during the actual era, and quickly adopted the bangs and straight hair look I’ve had ever since. Nothing makes me happier than tights and flats, eyeliner and beige lipstick, and of course minis (the skirts and Coopers) and bangs.

As an adult woman, my long eye-grazing fringe has evolved from being my security blanket to my signature; but what I love most now are the camouflage benefits. So do a long list of my girlfriends aged 40+ who also vow never to let their bangs grow out. The group consensus is if we never do Botox again, no one will ever know.

Bangs accent your eyes and do make you look younger. They dress up your face when the rest of your hair is back in a ponytail and hide bad skimpy eyebrows too (so cross that off your worry list too!).

Bangs with a slightly layered bob are actually a very classic Coco Chanel kind of look. They happen to be the hottest hair trend at every age with fans ranging from Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to Katie Holmes. Bangs look equally great on mothers and daughters like Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson.

Some men (including all of my exes) do this ‘brushing-the-hair-out-of-your-eyes’ gesture that is so annoying to women with a fringe. My husband Robert, on the other hand, panics if I pull my bangs back with a hairband during humid frizzy weather.

“Where are your bangs? I love those bangs! I married you for those bangs!” is his opening line on those mornings.

In the early days of our relationship I found beach holidays and showering together a little inhibiting because of this, but now I just laugh.

A night out with the girls is heaven, especially when you’re divorced and your chums are too. A glass of Sancerre or Diet Coke Plus and the honest exchange of beauty advice and gossip make Sex and the City seem tame. It’s the best time to dish over frenemies’ affairs, the diet-of-the-month, and whether boyfriend jeans flatter anyone over forty.

It’s the moment too for confessing your beauty sins to those who understand: like my friend Cheryl’s new Restylane pout (credited to “an amazing plumping gloss”), or Suzie’s Fraxel-smoothed face (“I gave up caffeine and sugar”), or Nan’s Sculptra cheekbones
(“I finally found the best facialist”). Naturally the cone of silence over that evening’s conversation means we will never discuss these topics again, especially with other people.

It’s not just the admission of getting a little medical help anymore.

Right now, when we’re worried about school tuition, mortgage payments, and healthcare, indulging in pricey dermatological procedures can bring on a guilt attack if addressed in public. Buying luxury skincare or splurging on a spa vacation can inspire the same discomfort as selling your grandmother’s silver.

Beauty is comfort food for women. The so-called “lipstick effect” cited by economists once again highlights the trend for us to buy small feel-good items like lipstick during times of crisis.

Divorced women are facing fierce competition in the workplace to protect their jobs, and even tougher challenges to get new ones if they’ve been restructured out of a position. The bar has been raised when it comes to the term “beauty boost.”

Sometimes a lipstick isn’t enough, so it’s important to stay non-judgmental if you (or a friend) think an eye-job or Botox are going to add that kick of confidence. But sometimes a new lipstick is truly all you need.

Will we ever outgrow the 70s… or pimples, for that matter? A renewed love of platform shoes, wide-leg jeans, and vintage Pucci makes me yearn for a Corvette. Grown-up blemishes don’t provide the same cozy feeling of déjà vu.

I’ll blame it on hormones again because I can. The balance between my declining female estrogen and stay-put androgen is fluctuating like crazy. I’m holding them accountable for mood swings, a slowdown in cell turnover, and trapped oil and debris in my pores. Toss in lots of stress, too much experimentation with ultra-rich de-aging creams (I do a lot of this!), and what did I expect? Experts say stress alone won’t make you break out, but since cortisol secreted by the adrenals in response to stress also stimulates sebum production, it certainly isn’t helping.

Selective OTC skincare works well for occasional breakouts. But if your blemishes increase in frequency or intensity, see a dermatologist who can evaluate and prescribe treatment.

Adult acne has become so common that products designed for this demo are nudging their teenage counterparts off the shelves. Be careful. Our skin is thinner, more sensitive, and we’re dealing with moisture and collagen loss along with textural changes. Avoid piggybacking too many blemish-blasters at once — some skins can only tolerate one or two of the suggestions below.

Try my OTC detox picks and yes you can have your dark chocolate fix. Top dermatologists like Dr. Fredric Brandt say it does not cause acne (!) and some say the antioxidants even help:

• Switch to a mild face wash like Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser ($7.99), especially if your skin is sensitive. Or choose a glycolic or salicylic acid cleanser to slough dull flaky skin and remove dead cells. I currently like Aveeno Active Naturals Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser with salicylic acid, soy, and gentle microbeads ($7.99).

Dashing out of the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa & Salon on Fifth Avenue, I ran smack into an old boyfriend and his wife.

The last time he saw me was seven years ago. At that time I was very brunette, extremely angry, and in the midst of tossing him out of my life. My pop-up appearance as a sunny blonde glamazon (freshly highlighted and blown-out that morning) was worth every minute in foils and bleach.

Going blonde was the best beauty move I’ve ever made, thanks to my colorist and guru Brad Johns. Oh yeah, I was still confident, clever, and ballsy back in what I refer to as “The Dark Ages,” but Brad saw the beachy surfer girl beneath and was the catalyst I needed to take a leap out of my comfort zone.

Aside from never having to look at another picture of Christie Brinkley with hair envy, I discovered the cosmetic advantages of being blonde went far beyond my expectations. My skintone took on a peaches-and-cream warmth, dark undereye circles and lines were less obvious, and I began to need less foundation and concealer. My hair looks and feels ten times thicker (color does add texture and bulk to the hair shaft) and is healthier than ever, mainly because I treat it like a couture silk dress instead of a cotton tee.

If you’re thinking about making an extreme color change like I did, go to a pro! A drastic color transformation from dark to light requires much skill and knowledge of the tricky pigmentation process. Getting rid of the stubborn orange and red undertones and avoiding breakage are major concerns that a novice cannot address. At-home color is great if you want to stay within your natural shade and just bump it up a bit by going a notch brighter or lighter, while covering greys. But if you’re thinking blonde follow these tips:

Recently I attended a wedding where the bride was 30, the groom 55 and two days later, a celebratory divorce lunch for a girlfriend who is 54 and dating a guy who is 37. Neither hook-up is shocking anymore, but this is: You’d have sworn these women were the same age.

Both are smart glammy brunettes who resemble Eva Longoria Parker. The bride is a lovely first-timer with no baggage. My divorced friend (let’s call her “A”) is currently dealing with unexpected job loss, six pounds of menopausal weight gain, and the major downsizing and relocation of her entire life.

Six months ago “A” made a conscious decision to use all this adversity to fuel one of the best makeovers I’ve ever seen. Looking good is clearly the best revenge as divorcees Tory Burch, Christie Brinkley and Ellen Barkin demonstrate.

“A” looks better now than at twenty (and yes, a little dermatological intervention helped). She says starting over calls for “ruthless assessment of your appearance and no looking back.”

Remember this: you are not alone in the universe. As our economic crisis causes jittery shoppers to pull back on the plastic, women are pickier than ever about what they buy (when and if). My own mantra is “ You are not the CEO of a luxury conglomerate,” which I chant as I bypass insanely–priced designer clothes and wrinkle creams, must-have “IT” bags, and boots that cost the same as a good used car.

One of my best friends (divorced but dating the same guy for three years) wears the same size I do and we now trade back and forth big-ticket items from our past inventory. We ran into each other on the street last week — she was wearing “my” Prada dress (2001) and I was carting “her” vintage Gucci Jackie O bag. Both of us were wearing “old” shoes we’d had re-heeled and platformed for a chunkier, more current look.

Recently I had a group of mostly divorced girlfriends over for a clothes swap. Everyone brought items they’d bought but didn’t wear for one reason or another. No money changed hands and it was a huge success, so I suggest you borrow the idea and start your own style club ASAP. One woman’s cast-offs are another’s finds, and this is far better than random consignment shopping.

Just checking out the way stylists put clothes together in store displays, magazine layouts, or on designer runway show websites gets your creativity going. It feels liberating and sneaky in a fun way to shop your closet and those of your friends without spending a dime. Don’t be afraid to tweak proportions at your local tailor and cobbler either. I just had a totally retro pantsuit “shrunken” to leaner proportions, the pants slimmed and ankle cropped, the jacket refitted — and plan on wearing it with a 70’s Betsey Johnson Fair Isle knit vest.

Here are five practical, cheap, and chic ways to get your clothes off life-support and back on-trend overnight. And they’re all free:

When I was in my early thirties, newly divorced and dating, well-intentioned friends insisted on scheduling our girly get-togethers near Bloomingdales for a “bite of shopping.” When I was newly divorced (again!) in my mid-forties we’d meet for lunch in Barneys.

The obvious plan in both decades was to get me out of my beloved basic black, and into “something with a little more sex appeal — maybe red or pink, maybe a neckline lower than your collarbone” as my friend Julie put it.

Truth is, I loved the sophistication and attitude of wearing black — it has that whole French fashion thing going for it. Black turtlenecks, slim black trousers, and nearly black nail polish made me feel sophisticated and cool… the way colors never did.

Well here’s a news flash: Somewhere around 50 — right before I met my husband Robert — I began to prefer beige. Beige everything, from pencil skirts to tailored coats to shimmery beige pedicures. My girlfriends worried I was going through a peri-menopause stage of “the blahs.” After all, Lauren Hutton herself once told me in an interview that “wearing beige after 50 makes you invisible.”

I see it differently now and so do designers like Versace, Michael Kors, Valentino, Calvin Klein and Armani, who understand “nude” is the sexiest color alive. Beige, in all its variations from champagne to camel, is glamorous and classy, no matter what color your skintone. Worn head to toe, monochromatic, tone-on-tone, it says luxurious.

So if you’re bored with black, out there looking, or just want to stand out in the crowd — head straight for these beige-y beauties: