I've come up with a few things that will help you add a bit of edge to your style. I'd advice having a look through these ideas, picking just one or two and then adding more if you still feel a bit lacking.

Firstly, a haircut and possibly a color as well is a great starting point. Find a half-decent salon - it doesn't have to be one of those salons that cost you an arm or leg, but the more up market places tend to have stylists skilled in helping people find their best style. Consider a color change - if you're blond, go for highlights or lowlights depending on your preference. If you're a brunette, try red tones. This will make you feel like a new woman, and can really change the way you look.

Make-up is the other obvious starting point. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet that will give you basic make-up advice. If you do a search for 'makeup' and you'll find dozens of communities where makeup aficionadas compare styles. Go for something a little more radical than usual. Here's one of my favorites: a nice bright green across the lid, with a bright blue accent at the outer corners of your eyes and some bright blue eyeliner. Draw attention to a particular feature with something bolder than you might usually consider.

Take inspiration from other styles. Okay, you don't describe yourself as an outsider, but maybe add some punk style to jeans with a studded belt and invest in a detachable belt buckle. I'm a big fan of these as I can wear a boring one if I have to go somewhere 'normal', and then go all out with a band buckle or my favorite cat-face one.

DIY, customize, invent. Try grabbing a handful of cheap, brightly colored beaded necklaces and wearing two or three at once. Fill up your arms with ethnic-inspired jeweler (try a local market!). If you have a couple of pairs of Converse (as I do) wear a pink one on one foot and a black one on the other - or simply buy some rainbow colored shoelaces.

Do your hair differently one day: pull it into a high ponytail and tie it with a scarf. Buy some new glasses - or, if you don't need specs, buy some with no glass or plain glass in and wear them anyway. Paint your nails a random color. Buy pink eyeliner and draw a little heart on your cheek.

A great tip to start with - and something I say to absolutely everyone looking to change their style - is this: think about what direction you want to go in (so in your case a little more edgy, a touch chic, a bit different), and buy some basics, then accessories. Got jeans and plain skinny fit t-shirts? Okay! Wear a lightweight scarf through your belt loops, wear stripy socks, get some fabric pens and draw a personal design on your shirt, and add some necklaces.

It is not really up to what people think about you, but what you think about yourself and how your new look makes you feel. If someone doesn't like what you are wearing then it is just too bad for them. It is not up to them what you wear, but up to you what you wear.