To think it's hard to look good if you don't have much money

[sallychadband]

Just this really.

Few clothes = frequent washing = looking shabby.

No make up

Infrequent hair appointments

No beauty appointments

Overworked - long hours = look exhausted, plus little time to spend on / think about appearance

To look polished yes it can cost money to have you hair done and nails, good fitting clothes

To look good no I don’t think so. You do not need to spend much on skincare and make up (most expensive ranges the products are the same in their cheaper ranges)c clothes look at eBay but you do need time and energy and more so as you get older plus eating a good diet

I saw someone on another thread saying the creaclip is amazing for cutting straight lines. There are also. tutorials on how to cutting layers with it although I know you can use pony tails. have a look here.

Even if I won pots of money and had all the treatments and clothes I wouldn’t look groomed! Some people have a ‘groomed gene ‘ I think.

Having been very very skint and not working for a long time, I’m now in quite a well paid job.
I’ve had: veneers, Botox, fillers. Prob spend around 3k a year on procedures.
However I still get my hair cut in supercuts (long bob how difficult is it?) have tried expensive makeup but nothing beats no.7 and my skincare routine is a face wipe.
So.... agree to a certain extent. I think the biggies like veneers and fillers can make you feel a million dollars. They’re medical procedures and work. The rest of it is clever advertising.

I think it is hair. Skin can look amazing with cheap products and good hydration. Cheap clothes can be stunning. Uncut hair is very very hard to look good (although those with rats tails that haven’t been cut in over 3 years so it can be long would disagree!)

It all depends on what you consider as looking good. I could probably look better if I had more money. But I still make the effort and scrub up all right. But I'll also say there are plenty of people I know who obviously spend a lot of time and money on their appearance and still look bad or cheap. An aging hair cut or colour or ill fitting clothes or bad shoes are all it takes.

First off, if you buy a few good quality items of clothing, they should be up to regular washing. Also, things like jeans unless you get sweaty or mucky aren't actually supposed to be washed after every wear. If you look after clothes when you wash them, they don't wear as much. And unfortunately I've learned the hard way more expensive clothes don't always guarantee quality.

There are cheap ranges of make up. And plenty of you tube videos out there to show you how to look good with few or cheap products. Also choose products wisely. A good quality mascara and foundation can carry cheaper products.

Depending on what type of hair you have, it doesn't always need regular cuts. Mine is curly and probably looks better longer than I wear it currently. You can get a dry trim most hair salons round by us for under a tenner.

I'll be honest and say I've never had treatments and don't see the point. Wash your make up off before bed, get some sleep and moisturise. I've never had my nails done or anything, shape and paint my own nails while I watch telly at night.

Maybe I am the exception, but I've always been someone who likes to put pride in their appearance. Even if I have to get up a bit earlier when I'm tired to put a bit of make up on or will put something nice on even if I'm dressed up for the occasion. It makes me feel better about myself. It's my time for me in the chaos of my life. I say all this as someone who works evenings and then gets up at 6am to do the school run.

Overwork and stress will affect your appearance pretty quickly. Most of the stuff about beauty products, treatments and clothes is a red herring.
As for charity shops; you need plenty of time to search them again and again until you find a useful bargain in your size, so that's no good for someone who's working very long hours.

A good fitting bra makes big difference.

ParryHotterxx where did you get veneers done... I’m definitely thinking of getting these but not sure where to start...

I really don’t need a nail salon to have my nails done perfectly.
Agree a good hair cut costs.
I do my roots and highlights myself but I am quite adept at that sort of thing.
Skin care I use very simple basics. You just need to look up the top 3-4 ingredients and you can work out where to save money.
Make up is a mix of expensive and cheap, but I can go all cheap if necessary.
Agree saving money on this sort of thing can be tricky but if you learn about ingredients and watch some you tube tutorials (Lisa Eldridge and Wayne goss often do cheaper stuff) then you can look great.
As for clothes you just need an iron and plain block colours rather than patterns. Ironed clothes always look more expensive. Again more hard work but possible.

Exercise is free. Eating well is cheap. Dressing well is not dependent on wealth. No I do not agree at all!

I have found Poundland make up ok. I also buy clothes like white stuff or mantaray or fat face etc on eBay second hand where the seller has a low starting price. Sometimes you do miss out on an item you wanted but other times you get a nice item for £5-8

Sorry to hear you're stressed OP

Do you have any days off when you can just relax? Sounds like you definitely need a break!

have tried expensive makeup but nothing beats no.7 and my skincare routine is a face wipe.

No 7 is expensive isn't it....?

In some ways re: beauty appointments yabu I think it's an industry tbh set around making people think they need stuff they don't.

But money allows you to access better food, exercise you enjoy and a new outfit whenever it's needed. I have thin hair and it needs cutting regularly or would look awful, I use a mobile hairdresser these days but it still costs me almost 30 quid a time. I am very lazy with my eyebrows

It's all very individual; I have some friends who are slim & look great in skinny jeans with nice accessories (which can be second hand). If you don't need to colour/cut your hair & only need a coat of mascara & lip balm that's great.

I find it a bit harder. Have taken up running- but trainers cost £60 & sports bra £25 (buying in eBay & sales). I do blow-dry my hair daily but a cut costs £30 every 8ish weeks. Nails are filed & plain.

I generally get a few years out of clothes & try to buy classic items rather than fashion. Difficult to buy from charity shops & online as I am not a standard size so it's a waste of money to buy without trying on first.

Some things that have been a worthwhile investment: when I had money I got my teeth whitened - cost about £100 but has really made a difference. A decent t/shirt bra (usually costs £25-30 if I can buy on sale). A decent pair of Clark's shoes for walking - again I try to buy on sale or in outlets. But again I have to try first.

So I would say it's hard to look groomed on a very tight budget, but if you can prioritise the worthwhile stuff (teeth, mascara, capsule wardrobe) then that's where to spend your money.

A healthy radiant skin costs nothing and beats make up and botox any day

the walking round and carrying is exercise. I also get thirsty when out, a 750ml water bottle cost me £1.50 from b and m and will last the afternoon.

I use a rucksack with a hip belt and it goes in one pocket. good way of carrying stuff but then all I have otherwise is a wallet, keys and a tiny phone, not a brick.

grooming means washed and tidy, not painted.

I drink lots of water, have an active job, try to eat well, but all I keep coming back to is 'I have old shabby clothes and can't find what I want in shops because I'm poor, crap at shopping and hate what I look like and above all so so exhausted all the time'.

Doctors don't want to help with the exhaustion. I'm stuck. I wish I could just wear nice clothes and not feel horribly uncomfortable but a lot of what I try on feels horrid to wear, scratchy or plasticky or restrictive. Or baggy and shapeless because it feels ok but I can see it looks naff.

Op sorry sounds like your having a rough time. When your constantly juggling just trying to get through self care can become abit lax as you have other priorities. I remember really tough times when spending money on Aldi mascara felt really selfish and wasteful. Also pointless when I then have to trek forever with shoppings bags ect, walking in the rain with rucksacks just doesn't feel glamorous whatever your skin care routine. When things started getting better I was able to go back to the gym and spend time on appearance ect, even if it wasn't a lot by some people's standards. Hope things get better for you soon x

Hi OP
How long is your hair? Can you put it up or put just the front up? This might feel more 'styled' until you can go and get it cut.

In the past, when skint, I have tried to buy one thing a week very cheaply: £1 nail buffer or file from pound shop: an all purpose cream: tub of coconut oil: a deep conditioner, etc. Also upped water intake. Maybe pick one thing, hair, or nails, or skin, and focus on that for now.

Even if I won pots of money and had all the treatments and clothes I wouldn’t look groomed! Some people have a ‘groomed gene ‘ I think.

This is me 80's

I am like "Pigpen" off "Peanuts"

I can do myself up to the nines and look amazing, but by the time I've got downstairs I've unravelled, and look like a flood victim.

Why, God? Why?

Depends. I always used to look pretty decent pre child - I had a nice figure and scoured charity shops regularly and got a lot of lovely things, people always complimented my outfits etc. Now I have put on about 4 stone, have permanent bags under my eyes and look crap. It’s also harder finding decent bigger things second hand - lots of size 8 less so size 16. I use cheap make up, do my hair etc and I’m doing slimming world. I don’t look how I used to, but tbh in my case it’s more laziness than anything as I looked good on pennies for years.

Sorry just read that back I wasn’t implying you or anybody on the thread is lazy btw more a comparison of myself between then and now. I probably didn’t word that all that great.

I am currently pregnant, about 5.5 months, so trying to get by on a limited maternity wardrobe, especially as I will be ending my pregnancy in wintry weather. After wearing and washing high street mat stuff since the end of April it's all looking pretty shabby. I can buy more because I work full time and I can dress it up with my nicer shoes and bags but if I didn't have the money I'd be a bit down about it.

I do think though that a basic tub of Superdrug Vitamin E moisturiser, some moisturising own-brand coconut shampoo and conditioner, and some neutral pink varnish on your nails goes a long way.