LOS ANGELES -- "I feel like this is the new me," Eve said while slipping into the Roberto Cavalli dress she hoped would help her reintroduce herself at the 47th annual Grammy Awards Sunday.

"This is kind of a segue into what my style is going to be for my next album," she said just a few hours before rolling out her new look on the red carpet outside the Staples Center. Shooting for "rock star sexy," the rapper chose a low-cut red dress made of silk chiffon, glass beads and feathers (see "Instant Fashion Profile: Eve And John Legend Go From Common To Couture").

To get red-carpet-ready, Eve sought help from a team consisting of her hairstylist, makeup artist, assistant and stylist. "I have my people around me, and they are all good and give me positive energy," she said.

While getting ready in Eve's hotel room, the group caught up on episodes of "The Real World" and snacked on oatmeal and fruit. And while Eve's hair and makeup may have taken two hours to complete, that was nothing compared to the weeks of work that went into finding just the right dress.

Eve, along with stylist Erin Hersh, checked out more than 30 dresses before they found her Cavalli design. "This was actually the second dress I chose," explained Eve. "I was dead set on wearing a different dress, but as soon as I put this on I loved it."

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"The dress just came to life on Eve's body," Hersh said. "She looked about 10 feet tall in it." Later, for her performance with Gwen Stefani, Eve made a quick costume change and put on a short gold dress created by Hersh and designer Gary Garrison. "Our intention was to make it look like she came out of a treasure chest," Garrison said.

Since Eve wanted most of the attention focused on her dress, she chose to keep her makeup simple. "I wanted my makeup clean but still bold," she said. On her lips, the rapper blended MAC Myth lipstick with MAC Whirl lip pencil and then added a touch of NARS Baby Doll lip gloss. "I have never done pale lips," Eve said. "I am doing a lot of things I have never done before."

Click here to see Eve and John Legend go from common to couture in the Instant Fashion Profile.

This included her hair -- a long fishtail braid with a swept-up pompadour. "On my show I wear my hair to the front a lot, but I thought since this is music and I am performing I wanted to do something different and dramatic."

The last decision to be made was the jewelry. Eve wanted to keep it simple, but at the same time wanted some bling. She finally chose a pair of drop earrings and a ring by Alan Friedman.

"I don't know how many carats I am wearing," she said. "But I know it's a lot." When all was said and done, Eve headed to the Staples Center with one thing on her mind: "I just want to make the best-dressed list. That's my goal."

As this year's Grammys approach, you can get all the latest news on the show, the scene and the nominees in our Grammy news archive. On the big night, February 8, be sure to tune in to MTV at 7 p.m. for our "All up in the Grammys" preshow. Plus check out videos of the nominees and more right here on mtv.com.