Charla Krupp: Beauty Writer Extraordinaire

Charla Krupp has always known what she wanted to do since she was 11 years old. 

Good in English, she believed she would be an English teacher. But her mother thought her daughter would become a writer. Mothers just know.

You might remember Charla as the editor of the New Trier West News. Today, she's the author of two New York Times best-sellers, "How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1000 Ways to Dress Thinner Without Dieting," and "How Not to Look Old: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look Ten Years Younger, Ten Pounds Lighter, Ten Times Better."

Charla's Early Career

She also took summer jobs that included writing for a trade publication. Charla knew that she needed published clips in order to get that next job.

After attending University of Illinois, she was on to the next big thing before she could reflect on her future. “I didn’t even get to go to my graduation, I had to be in New York. I won an internship at Mademoiselle Magazine to be one of their college guest editors. I feel like I never really had to look for that first job.”

A series of jobs followed at some of the top magazines for young women including Seventeen.  Another step on the ladder was being named editor in chief for a new publication called Talk. Unfortunately, it folded after one issue.

Then along came the dream job at Glamour, where Charla became the first entertainment editor.

“I got to interview everybody I ever wanted to talk to from Madonna to Cher to Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell. I really got to shake that cage.” Charla stayed at Glamour in a variety of positions for 15 years.

But even the most outwardly glamorous job has its drawbacks. Celebrities are high maintenance. They surround themselves with their posse of publicists, public relations reps and assistants. Charla said they get used to having their smallest request honored.  

After the initial thrill wore off, Charla said it became boring.

A New Challenge

There was a new publication just starting up at that same time called In Style, which featured celebrities and their homes, something many celebrities refuse to show publicly. Security is a big issue for them, so Charla said it was only the “B” list that would agree to being featured.

The magazine understood the problem and changed the format to focusing on the celebrities and their personal style and beauty. Charla loved the transition from celebs to the world of beauty. Her enthusiasm was noticed and her former mentor at Glamour wanted her back to be their new beauty director.

Charla said she really was having fun at her job for In Style. But her mentor told her to name her price to return to Glamour. “So I came up with the most ridiculous figure and they said okay.”

How Eve Bought Her Hamptons House

The next stop on the Charla Krupp Train was a beauty internet site called Eve.com.  It did so well that the owners sold it and became young multi-millionaires.

Charla was offered cash or stock options but after being told by a friend to always take the cash, she did just that. “It was a great thing for me because then I bought my house in the Hamptons, the house that Eve bought.”

What's Next

Now, on the heels of two successful beauty books, Charla and her husband of 19 years are thinking about new adventures. He is deep into writing his own book. Charla is considering a new career in television or perhaps designing a line of clothing for women over 40.