But the cost of glamour adds up, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line.

Nowra Anglican College students Nicola Panopoulos and Naomi Brown celebrated their school formal last week.

The girls were manicured, spray-tanned, glitzed, glammed, primed and prepped for their big night at the Coolangatta Estate.

Nicola, from Cambewarra spent $670 while Naomi, also from Cambewarra, spent $240 on what they both described as an amazing night.

“It was a chance to dress up,” Nicola said.

“I can wear my shoes and dress again. I made sure that I got a dress that was multi-purpose and that if I needed to cut it, I could.”

Nicola spent $200 on her dress, $200 on accessories, $30 for a spray tan, $30 for nails, $90 for her formal ticket and $120 on hair and makeup.

Meanwhile, Naomi spent $120 on her cobalt blue dress.

The rest of her money went towards her $90 ticket and $15 worth of accessories. 

Hair, makeup and nails were done by a friend and she was given a pair of shoes and a clutch.

The girls agreed their efforts and the money they spent were worth it and their outfits will be reused in the future. 

Although they understood what an important occasion the school formal was, they agreed that there was a point at which you could spend too much.

“There were quite a few girls who were spending $900 and over. We couldn’t believe it,” Naomi said.

Each year, the South Coast Register publishes a selection of photos from local school formals. 

This year, Shoalhaven and Bomaderry High school’s  Year 12 formal photos will appear in the edition of  Friday, September 26. Nowra Anglican College and Nowra Christian School formal photos will appear on Friday, October 3.