I need help for 2018, because I look like a walking paradox. I have a fairly high profile job, with a lot of public speaking, and I also sometimes do some TV work - so technically, I'd love to look polished, but fail miserably. I am challenged in a number of areas:
- my hormones have gone crazy. My face is like pizza at least half of my cycle, and super greasy too - this is a new thing that really started 5 years ago. I am unable to stick to any complicated routine - all I do at the mo is use the garnier micellar water on cotton in the evenings (and sometimes mornings) to wipe my face an neck. I don't wear face creams (I've never found one that actually "helped"). I also have spots on my neck, shoulders, back and decolletage. This is gross, and at its worst (when I am super stressed) my good friend has asked me if I had chicken-fucking-pox. I am not on the pill either (terrible mood swing effects that made me even less pleasant than I usually am).
- I look fairly "young" - but I am 37. The young look is because I never graduated from student garb. And the pizza face, of course, which confuses whoever I speak to and distracts them from my wrinkles (only a few, TBF). Looking like a student is not good in my job. It kind of takes away half of the credibility. But I don't want to look like an old woman either, I still feel like a student in my head (ah ah).
- make-up: there is so little to say about this. I wear NONE. I own some, but do not know how to use it, and when I try, I look like coco the clown. I have a Clinique tinted lip balm that I use when I need to look a little bit more interesting (for a better word) - but this fades within 1hour and I would never think of touching it up, ever. I pluck my eyebrows when I remember - which is never. I'd love to know what to do, but I don't. I've tried to look at youtube channels - it's like a foreign language to me. The rare times I've gone to the salon, I felt very awkward there.
- my hair is thinning - I had to chop it dramatically to a chin-length bob to remediate the rat tails (and have grown out my fringe), and have started to look into scarves and headbands. Little problem: I have no idea how to not look like a hobo with scarves, and I have a "big head" - all Alice bands are too short and dig behind my ears :/
- I think I have some OK clothes (loads), but I cannot put them together in an interesting way, and I horde these clothes when they are past their best (a consequence of poorer times when I could not afford any). My go-to outfit is: black skinny jeans, black ankle boots (or converse in the summer), a random T-shirt, and a random jumper on top. I never take time to get ready (I usually wake up late) and cannot accessorize effectively. When I do, I find it mostly impractical / in the way.
I've probably forgotten other pertinent details. I'd love to be able to look more "put together" but cannot get a handle on the overall style thing (and I think I lack the level of interest required to "invest" time and effort in it). What seemed to work 10 years ago just looks like a joke now. I will take any sensible workable advice on how to get out of this bad groove!