Where do I start on the whole beauty thing?

[TartyMcFarty]

I joined Weight Watchers today, and having logged on to their members' forum I'm a bit intimidated by the groomed-ness of the before and after pics that posters display on their profiles. It got me thinking - losing a stone and a half is only the beginning. I am totally unstylish and ungroomed, but don't really know what's worth doing and what isn't. I'm pretty cynical about the whole beauty industry TBH. Nothing ever seems to work to me, and I feel like it's all just a big rip off.

I'm not a complete scarecrow - I do have my hair highlighted and I pluck my eyebrows. Problem is they haven't got much natural shape towards the ends, and on the two occasions I've been to a salon they haven't looked any different from the way I do them! But I don't usually bother to moisturise (I have combination skin and I worry about breakouts); I don't use much make-up other than concealer and a bit of eyeliner and mascara, and when I do put a full face on it just doesn't look flawless. I don't do much with my hair day-to-day and even if I do, it doesn't really stay put (it's quite fine).

Clothes-wise, I'm really unadventurous. I'd say in some ways that I dress younger than my age (35), but not in any stylish way. It's because I'm stuck in a rut and don't know what to go for.

Anyway, I don't have much money to spare on this sort of stuff, but what would your advice be on where to start putting myself together a bit?!

[TartyMcFarty]

I'm not 35, I'm 34!!

[gregssausageroll]

My suggestion would be a starter kit from Liz Earle for skincare. You can buy it on QVC - if your skin doesn't like it you can return is within 30 days - even if you have used it. Start with the basics of cleanse and polish and a moisturiser for sensitive skin.

Are you happy with what you wear make up wise or do you want more?

[WastedYears]

I find that tinting my eyebrows slightly makes the shape a bit more defined. I sometimes get it done in the salon but sometimes do it at home. You only need to leave the dye on for a very short time ie a minute or less, definitely not the 10 mins they say for eyelashes.

I like Liz Earle too. You might find that you don't need to moisturise at all if you are using the cleanse and polish on combination skin. If you do get the moisturiser get the light one as the normal/combination one is quite heavy imo.

[likelucklove]

I would say the first thing to do with beauty if having determination with WW. I lost 3 stone on it in a year and my leader always said to me when I got my 7lbs sticker, 10% keyring etc, reward yourself with something you would never wear as you thought it didn't suit you. By the time you grow in confidence, through losing weight and also getting to know you and your body, you'll be wearing them in no time! But perhaps pass over the hot pants and leave that to Kylie.

On a skin regime, I recommend Simple's bits. They're on offer in Tesco and ASDA at the moment and I have used them for years. I have really sensitive skin and it works a treat. It also helps you look more refreshed and youthful because your cleaning all the crap out that has been there for god knows how long! And abit strange, but when I was younger with more than a minute to spare, I used to dunk my face into a bathroom sink of cold water for 30 secs each time for about 5mins. I don't know what it did, but I never went through the horrible teenage skin problems!

With make-up, can you pop into a House of Fraser/Debenhams near you? Make-up artists know best what their talking about, with Yves Saint Laurent and Bobbi Brown being my favorites, since it has basic staples that last for a good while, while not getting bogged down with 'trends', since this inavariably leads to horrific blue and green eyeshadow trends of which I have no recollection...

For clothes, I'd say wear what your comfortable with. It doesn't matter if you don't dress your age as long as your happy that way. Whether that's younger or older, your the one who has to wear it day-by-day. If you would like a change, ask friends or family what they would like to see you wearing. Especially if you have children or a teenage daughter/niece, they'll love it :)

Hope I don't sound condescending or nippy, just some of the major advice given to me from my dnan and friends. Enjoy losing weight, you'll do great!

[ilovemyteddy]

To reshape your eyebrows try Urban Decay's Brow Box. They have a lighter colour for the daytime and a darker one for the evening, or you can mix the colours. It comes with a shaped brush and a tiny pair of fantastic tweezers. I plucked my eyebrows to tiny thin lines in my teens and they've stopped growing, but the Brow Box is fab for drawing back in natural looking eyebrows.

[TartyMcFarty]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I like the idea of eyebrow tinting or make-up. Mine are pretty dark, so would it make much difference? How much does the Liz Earle stuff sell for on QVC? I suspect Simple might be more suited to my budget!

[WastedYears]

I'm not sure how much it sells for on QVC but I know the postage can be quite expensive. There is a Liz Earle outlet on ebay, or you can buy travel sizes from the Liz Earle website. You could just try any cleanser with a muslin cloth as I suspect it is the exfoliating that has the greatest effect.

[TartyMcFarty]

Well I haven't splashed out on Liz Earle, but I have been to Boots today and got some No7 moisturisers and serum. I've also ordered the Urban Decay brow box, so that's a start! This week I've exfoliated my face and used a charcoal mask thing too. I've had a sneaky peek at the scales and think I've lost a few lbs this week, but will find out officially tomorrow. Feeling better already!

Now to improve my make-up skills ...

[perceptionreality]

Some things, do work honestly. And while there are a lot of sharks out there who annoy me too (I'm a beauty therapist). It absolutely is possible to find someone good who will give you honest advice and these days there are a lot of very accessible products and treatments to those of us who are neither rich nor famous.

my tips;

You really must start using a moisturiser even if you don't use anything else, otherwise you skin will age more quickly. Ditto to using a SPF factor even in winter, as it is UVAs that breakdown the network of the skin and make us age. I use MD formulations - fantastic products. Oh and I would also recommend mineral foundation as it does not damage your skin.

Try getting your eyebrows threaded - the shape is fantastic!