In Makeover Diaries, women tell the stories of their real-life beauty transformations. This week, Deborah Castellano, an executive assistant from Bridgewater, N.J., realized she didn't have to be skinny to feel attractive.

Photos: Courtesy of Deborah Castellano

After a painful divorce two years ago, I lost confidence in my appearance. I used to love fashion, but as I got older I gained weight, which I thought would be temporary but - despite regular trips to the gym and eating healthily - it wasn't. I felt really self-conscious, especially because I was thin for most of my life. I started avoiding mirrors and relegated myself to a life of tied-back hair, t-shirts and yoga pants.

But although I'd stopped trying to look good, the rest of my life was really getting a lot better. I was in a much better relationship, I now owned my own house, my job was going great, I got published as a writer and I was much happier in general. About a month ago, a friend pointed out to me that I had all these wonderful things happening in my life but I still had this tumultuous relationship with my body. Why couldn't I love myself just the way I am, zaftig and all? I needed to take control of my appearance and feel good about myself again.

I wanted my new look to be comfortable and feminine. I figured the best place to start would be with my bra. Since I'm very full-busted, I definitely wanted a bra that would give me support but still look sexy. I went with a basic black Back Smoothing bra from Cacique at Lane Bryant that did all of that, and eliminated back rolls, the bane of every zaftig fashionista.

Shopping at stores can sometimes feel dispiriting - too much time spent under bad lighting in front of a huge mirror - so I tried ordering some clothes, but nothing fit right. I bit the bullet and schlepped through a bunch of stores, terrible lighting and all. I'm glad I did because I was able to get some super flattering clothes that way. At New York and Company I bought a black knit sexy stretch pencil skirt and two pairs of their elastic waist pants, which are comfortable but flattering at the same time (no Mom jeans!) I love ballet flats, so I bought a super cute pair of Mojo and Moxy flats that have a couture ruffle in the back with corset lacing from Overstock.com. At Kohl's I bought a chic gray and black cowl necked striped sweater that was figure flattering and made me feel French, and a multi-strand necklace with a fabric flower detail that I loved.

Moving onto makeup and hair, I got some brow grooming items from my drugstore - a brow shaper, brow powder and clear Bonne Bell mascara to tame them along with L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Metallic Duos Electrified for a metallic smoky-eyed look. My hair has been a bit of a mess lately, so I bought some pin-curl sized foam curlers to go for a retro look and decided to brighten my hair color with Clairol Natural Instincts in Raspberry Creme.

Finally, I took another friend's advice and bought an HP Premium Autofocus Webcam so I could take pictures of myself and practice what good angles were for me. Generally when someone takes a picture of me I look like a deer trapped in a headlight, so it was really helpful to take some self portraits and pick some pictures I felt good about. After all, we live in a Facebook era.

At my sister's engagement party, I took the new hair, necklace, skirt and sweater out for a test drive. Everyone kept telling me how fantastic I look! I feel so much better about myself now that I'm not part of the Sweat Brigade. I got my confidence back and my boyfriend loves my new look! It feels so good to be comfortable but still look polished and fun.