If you read my article about entering your first pageant, you know that I strongly suggest making a "trial run" or two before making the financial commitment to being a serious competitor in pageants. If your litte girl isn't "into" pageants, or is really shy or afraid on stage, don't waste your money - pageant supplies aren't cheap. If that's the case, you might want to stick to natural pageants, where you don't have to purchase so many expensive items.

If you want to be serious about winning glitz pageants, you have to make an investment - not only of money, but also of time. Below are the things you'll need:

Coach: Get a pageant or modeling coach. Your little girl will need to learn how to model and walk on stage. Even the very young girls will need to learn "cutesy" things to do on stage. Your coach can also help with advice on hair styles and dress and be an all-around great source for advice. Lessons typically cost around $100 per hour from a top coach.

Pageant hair: You'll need to purchase a wig, a wiglet, a fall, or a mini-fall. Get one made of real human hair. Your coach can offer suggestions on how best to "do" your child's hair. Find a color chart so that you can find out which hair shade your child will need. There are several internet sources that sell these. Sometimes you can find a used one on Ebay. Don't worry - your hair and makeup person will wash and set the wig or fall before your daughter wears it.

Dress: You'll need a gorgeous dress in a color that will enhance your child' natural beauty and coloring. If your DD (pageant lingo for darling daughter) is under the age of ten, she'll need a short dress with a full cupcake skirt and a lot of Swarovski stones. If she's over ten, she'll need a ball gown with a full skirt and Swarovski stones. The teen division starts at thirteen, and these girls usually wear a mermaid-style dress or either a ball gown with a skirt that's not so full. Your pageant coach can help you with selecting a dress. A good place to find a used dress is Ebay or on one of the voy pageant boards. If you want a new dress made especially for your DD, your coach can point you to a winning dress maker. These dresses aren't cheap. A used competitive dress for a child will cost from about $500 to over $1,000. A new custom-made dress, of course, is usually significantly more. If you're not ready to purchase a dress, you can rent a good one for around $75 to $150 per pageant. Note: You might also purchase a cheaper dress online or from a shop and do the stoning yourself. Read my article about stoning.

Dress tips: Very few little girls can pull off wearing red or any dark color, for that matter. Some pageants don't like to see 10-12 girls in strapless dresses. Even if you purchase a dress without straps, a pageant seamstress can add halter straps to match the dress. Your pageant coach can help you with color and style selection.

Flipper: Your DD will need a flipper - a mouthpiece that fits over her top teeth to give her the appeanance of perfectly straight, dazzling white teeth. You can find them online, or you can ask your pageant coach about where to find one from a reputable source. A flipper costs about $250-$300.

Shoes: Little girls in short dresses need plain white Mary Janes with a matte finish. These should be worn with white lacy ankle socks - but don't get the ones with too many rows of lace. Girls in the 10-12 division need a pair of clear, open-toed shoes to wear with their ball gown. Most girls like a shoe with a 3 or 4-inch chunky heel. The height raises the gown and the chunky heel gives the girl more stability when walking.

Hair and makeup: Have this done by a professional at the pageant. Price varies widely from pageant to pageant. At a small local pageant, you can get a good artist for around $65. At a big national pageant, this same person will charge more because of demand.

Tanning: If your DD is caucasian, she'll need to be tanned before going on stage. Many hair and makeup people also do tanning. Don't attempt to do this yourself to save a few bucks unless you have a lot of experience. Your DD could turn out streaked, spotted, or orange. The average price for tanning is around $25.

Jewelry: Little girls will need a pair of simple simulated-diamond studs. The older girls will need a pair of cluster earrings or a pair of dainty dangling earrings. These should be done in AB Swarovski stones or in colored stones that match the dress. Most of the little girls wear a choker that matches their dress. Girls in 10-12 with a halter neckline won't need a necklace, either. Otherwise, 10-12 girls can wear a necklace made of Swarovski beads in crystal, AB, stones to match the dress, or with a combination of stones. You can easily make your own necklace like this or buy one form a pageant person.

Number pin: When you enter the pageant, you'll receive your DD's number on a piece of paper that has to be pinned to her dress. The pageant staff will provide a straight pin for this purpose. This is okay, but a crown pin will look a lot better. You can find crown pins online and in pageant shops. Also, these are often sold at larger pageants by vendors set up in the lobby. The cost for such a pin is nominal, usually from $2 up to over $10.

Hair adorments: Most little girls wear a hair bow that matches their dress.The bow should have a few Swarovski stones on it to make it sparkle. Girls in the 10-12 division need a barrette that's adorned with Swarski stones in AB, in the dress color, or in a mixture of both. Some girls wear silk flowers the color of the dress that have been embellished with stones and glued to a hair clip.

Pageant photos: The judges see and judge the photos before they ever see the girls. This is the judge's first impression of your DD, so make it a good one. It's a good isea to enter more than one photo. Include glitz and natural photos, and place each in a photo-protector sleeve. On the back of the photo, place a sheet that has the girl's name and age division.

To read more about pageants, click on the article links below. Check back later, too - more articles will be coming!