To ask - If you are well off would you say that helps how you look?

[evergreen7]

Sorry if it's a bit random but I'm just quite curious wether it's a factor of having money or just finding out a bit more about what works.

I have 2 distant friends who have both recently crossed into what I would consider quite wealthy category. - think buying houses over 500k driving brand new expensive cars etc

I've also noticed how different they both look their skin is lovely, the hair always falls great, their clothes look brilliant on them. They were both good looking women and could afford regular hair cuts and getting their nails done etc beforehand anyway but now they look put together and flawless 24/7.
None of them are particularly girly and usually wear minimal makeup but it looks perfect.

I know it's nosy but AIBU to ask you if you consider yourself well off financially would you say it's a large contributing factor to how you look or do you think it can be done on a low budget once you know what you're looking for?

Without a doubt. I look so much better for having the income to get my hair done at a nice place and buy more expensive skincare and makeup products (as well as better tailored clothes).

That's not to say less well-off people cant and don't look great - if you know what you're doing you can look amazing on much less expensive products / with cheaper clothes. But I think it takes a bit more work and effort to find what works for a low price.

And overall I still think the biggest factor is just how you look! I've polished myself a lot since I started earning more but can only do so much with what I've got

Everything is easier when you're rich because you just have more money and therefore a) more choice and b) can afford to pay other people to help you. So you can walk into an expensive shop and pick up whatever clothes and makeup look best irrespective of what they cost, get the best haircuts/facials/nail care, eat a great diet rich in fresh organic fruit and veg, fish and chicken without having to bulk it out with cheaper starchy foods, get a personal trainer to help you stay fit and slim.

You can look good on a limited budget, but it just takes a lot more time and effort because you will end up chasing down good quality, flattering clothes second hand or in sales instead of just walking into John Lewis or Selfridges and grabbing things off the rack or getting a session with the in-store stylist, having to track down cheaper makeup that works, learn to do your own nails and skincare, cook a healthy varied diet on a budget, force yourself to go for runs instead of having a PT to kick your ass at a specified time every week. I think pretty much the only thing that's nigh-on impossible to do on the cheap unless you are incredibly lucky is finding a good low-budget hairdresser. Everything else can be done if you have a lot of time and energy. And of course it's also possible to be rich and scruffy if you're just not that interested in clothes and appearance, which clearly your friends are if they look so stylish. I would guess that they have simply slightly upgraded what they were already doing before their incomes increased: i.e. a better hairdresser, more expensive clothes, really good food, maybe spending a bit more on beauty treatments. It all adds up.

The people I have met that are most well off have an appalling sense of fashion. They dress their children in the most questionable of outfits and their bloody hair always looks like it needs a brush.

i know several people who are well off according to the two markers in your op. it doesn't magically make them look like Amal Clooney or Cat Deeley.

looking good can be done when you have a household gross income of under £40k for example. it depends on how much effort you want to make styling your hair, considering your diet and choosing clothing.

this is quite a bizarre thread actually.

Tbh, I think if you are on a very low income you need to be quite slim to look high end. We are comfortable financially but I am plump, I fit nowhere 😂

It really does depend. I have known some very wealthy women who don’t give a shiny shite about how they look and are instead totally engrossed in their kids/hobbies/ work etc. I’ve also known and do know some wealthy women who dedicate a lot of their time to personal grooming and as a result look fantastic.

Don't know. Our house is probably worth twice that by now and we are both high earners. But I have never been interested in make up and hair or fashion. I am still a scruff bag with fuzzy hair because I don't have time to blow dry it daily.

I’m pretty wealthy, but I never look particularly good. I have birds nest hair and dress a bit grungy, it’s not something I’m massively interested in. However, I know what you mean, those women who always looked ‘groomed’. Well, they have the money to go to the gym, have their hair nicely highlighted, wear well fitting clothes, eat good fresh food. It makes sense.

Definitely yes IME. I look crap now I'm broke!

A mixture I think.
Getting my teeth sorted cost a lot of money worth it though. I go to an expensive hair salon because they do it exactly how I want.
Have gym membership and find that using the steam room has a great benefit for my skin but not as good as the free genes I inherited off my mum, drinking loads of water and never smoking. Rest of skin care is basic.
Clothes wise I always buy quality but some of that via the charity shop.
Make-up is pretty cheap though more bothered about it being cruelty free, it's all the same to me.

It’s definitely easier - not impossible look good on a lower income but takes more work to hunt out great clothes and make up in a budget.

I think it totally depends on each individual person. I have 2 friends who are on low incomes and they both look amazing- coifed hair, good skincare routine, lovely teeth, makeup always well done etc. I, on the other hand, had a windfall and could afford to keep myself perfectly polished. But I don't because I have depression and anxiety and generally just don't like myself enough to take care of me. I'm scruffy, ugly, fat and frumpy, plus my makeup when I actually wear it looks awful because I have bad skin. Having money makes zeros difference to my self-happiness. So I would say it definitely depends on individual personal circumstances.

Plus it does take more money as you age now I think about it. Trying to look good post 40 often involves some cosmetic work ie regular fillers/Botox, supplements, facials, etc etc. You can’t just rely on the bloom of youth and buy some nice clothes.

I’m not well off at all, I’m actually pretty skint. But I think I look a bit rubbish because I’m time poor. I’m still very young but my clothes from being a teen (literally 2 years ago) are more expensive pieces because I was earning £1200 a month and lived at home. They don’t fit me now because I had a baby. Also I can’t be arsed to put on my best tops because it’s a faff with breast feeding. My hair looks crap because I don’t want to spend my weekend in the hair dressers when i could be with my child. I could probably look presentable, but really can’t be bothered.

They already looked good before they had as much money so it was clearly a priority for them.

Having money allows those who want to spend money on hair, clothes, make up to do so. It doesn't automatically mean you will do so but you can if you want.

Another relatively wealthy somewhat unpolished type.

Without a doubt!

Well made clothing & shoes cost £££

I have my hair dyed and cut every 6-8 weeks at the pricey sum of £280. I also blow dry my hair every day or two before dh goes to work while he gives dc breakfast.

I have a manicure every few weeks, so always lovely painted nails.

Good quality face cream can work wonders for your skin. As can a few make up bits ( nothing too over the top just a mascara and lipstick for me)

I go to fitness classes and can afford to eat well.

I think it’s like everything it’s harder if you are on a lower income. Don’t get me wrong of course someone on a lower budget can look good and I am sure so many do but I do think it would be harder.

I definitely look better than I would if I were hard up. I have money for regular beauty treatments and good haircuts and colour. I also have spare time to go for the treatments and to work out regularly. knowing I have enough money to feel secure means I am less stressed which also probably helps with looking better.

My DH always says I have champagne money and a beer lifestyle. I defo don’t look good but I resent spending loads on clothes etc. I love my Superdrug hair dye which is a couple of quid.
I’m usually in jods or gym gear. I try and at least brush my hair before I go into work and scrape some mud off

If I were extremely well off I would love to have thicker hair. I would buy hair extensions in a heartbeat but hear they cost hundreds. Sigh. My hair has got quite a lot thinner now I am in my fifties ....

I would also get my teeth whitened. They don't look so bad but it would be nice.

I do think being able to have a really good hairdresser, who happens to cost a lot of money, really does help me look generally good.

I think generally people look a lot better if they are less stressed. Generally - and this is a massive assumption I know- people with lots of money are less stressed as they have more choices. (Medically, educationally, where they live etc etc). I would say that has to help.

But... most of the people I know with serious amounts of money are the scruffiest and love a good rummage through charity shops - and then go back home to their mortgage free £1m homes.

Some people invest a higher % of their income in their appearance than others. Obviously a high % of £££££s is a bigger budget than a high % of ££s. But some people will still go for a low spend regardless.

It should be the case but we are well off and I look like shite!

I do get my nails done every 2 weeks (only a recent thing though) but I get my hair done when I remember (so once every 6 months), dress in cheap clothes and rarely wear makeup. But looking good isn't a priority for me tbh.

Of course it can be done on a low budget, but it's so much easier if you are well off. You can buy better products, have access to a good hairdresser, beauty salon.

Instead of wasting time with chores, you can afford a cleaner and have free time to exercise. You can afford to eat well but to your taste. It is of course possible to eat a perfectly healthy diet on a low budget, many people do, but it's easier to have money when you remove pasta/potatoes/ bread and junk food from your life.

Money doesn't mean taste however, look at photos of WAGS. They have the cash but some of them look a state.

As a general rule yes, I agree with you. X