Reigning Miss America dishes on style and beauty

If you want to win big, you have to bet big. It's a motto Las Vegas visitors and Caressa Cameron know well. When she and her mom chose her evening gown for the Miss America competition last year, the risk of wearing canary yellow wasn't lost on them.

"We knew people would either really love it or really hate it," Cameron says. In a sea of sequined, white and red dresses, the canary yellow sang to the judges. Representing the state of Virginia, Cameron won the coveted crown and sash that night at Planet Hollywood Resort.

The bright dress wasn't the only feature that made Cameron stand out, either. She only stands 5 foot 3 but boasts curves that, until now, were atypical of a pageant queen. Well aware of the role-model position she finds herself in, the 23-year-old makes a point of embracing her shape and maintaining a healthy outlook. "It's especially important when young women are struggling with their body image," she says. "When you're healthy, it's about feeling good and embracing being 'curvier.' "

It's not about deprivation. During the week of the Miss America competition, most of her fellow contestants ordered salads at every meal. Cameron, on the other hand, ate whatever she wanted to eat -- in moderation. That's the system that works best for her.

As far as dressing her body type, Cameron has learned to stay away from miniskirts or any garment that creates a box shape. Both make her look shorter and "stubbier." Instead, empire waists and high-waist skirts, like her canary yellow gown, flatter her best. Once she discovered that, shopping became a cinch. It wasn't always easy, though. "I would see things in magazines that looked great, but on me it was a failure," she recalls.

That only translated to a real appreciation for the silhouettes that do agree with her curves. It isn't unusual to find one garment in nine different colors in Cameron's closet. Her favorite fashion brands include BCBG and Armani Exchange and she loves picking up new outfits at American Apparel and Target.

Cameron says achieving your best look is as much about your undergarments as the clothes everyone sees. Control top hose, the right bras and shapewear can make all the difference in polishing and smoothing out your fit.

While she knows what works for her, she's just as susceptible to jumping on hot trends as the next girl. When blunt bangs were all the rage, Cameron couldn't help herself. She did the straight across, heavy look and regretted it as soon as she heard the last snip. "I have big cheeks," she says. "It took forever to grow out."

It wasn't the kind of hair mistake that a ponytail holder or even a hat could disguise, which made Cameron eager to get back to the extensions she's come to rely on. She's done everything from clip-ins to an actual weave and keeps going back to them for the versatility they offer. When the pageant queen is in a hurry, she calls on a chignon bun for her saving grace. When she has all the time in the world, she plugs in her Conair You Curl. It's the curling iron without the clamp so users wrap hair around the rod and hold it in place manually. It takes Cameron a good two hours to You Curl her entire head.

As for makeup, she's a fan of MAC, but considers it an investment. Cameron's more of a drugstore girl, consistently counting on products such as Cover Girl's TRUBlend.

When she's done with hair and makeup, she uses a trick she picked up from the pageant circuit (she won Miss Virginia on her fourth try). Cameron takes a satin scarf and places it over her head and face before putting on a shirt or dress. It makes for a smooth slide-on and keeps makeup off her clothes.

"Some things aren't just for the stage," she says.

The Miss America pageant airs at 8 p.m. Saturday on KTNV-TV, Channel 13.