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

Look of course it’s true
Had I another £400 pure spare cash I would have more clothes , better hair and maybe better skin

But OP seems to have given up and seems to want to wallow rather than change anything . So what’s the point of discussing even

And YY to Uniglo - it’s the only place that does cheap and classic . Very good basics to start yourself off

Stop shouting because op started the discussion? You say given up I say feeling abit down and in need of encouragement not being written off

I have not seen recent updates - don’t want to kick a woman when she is down sorry

When I was young & slim it was cheap & easy & I got away with the 'natural' look - not anymore lol. I only started having treatments like brow/lash tinting/waxing, highlights done etc in late 30s. Also as have a belly now I like to buy better fitted clothes, better quality mum jeans etc I'd love to be able to have pedicures n manicures every couple weeks but cant justify the cost lol

Well groomed eyebrows would take even Quasimodo far.

Being 21 and slim, with knowledge from magazines, can trump most looks. I remember it well......

The Rihanna thing - has she had her nose done?

I have thick wavy hair. HATED it when I was younger, still hate it NATURAL but GHDs saved me. I suppose they’re not cheap if your skint. Make me look completely different. I dislike my natural hair so I’d really hate to have Rihanna’s hair.

I agree with the money/time thing - I feel I look pretty good on a low budget but I do have time to shop second hand and get to work ebay etc.

It also comes down to priorities - I think some cultures/social groups it’s easy to practice good self care. Others, not so much.

You need to make your own standards.

I’ve often received negative social pressure for taking care of my looks

(from guys I date doing the whole “why are you going to yoga/swim when you could be taking care of MY social needs” .

To other women being a bit bitchy, or implying I’m desperate to get a man.

Or even my depressed mothers voice doing the whole mocking “clever girls don’t care about what they look like, you look like crap so why even bother because you’re not some uber-conventionally pretty blonde type?)

“I like shopping for clothes. I feel exercise time is an essential not a “treat”. I like being X dress size. I like looking at style blogs. I value my personal appearance. I feel more confident and enjoy socialising more when I like the way I look and feel appropriately socially dressed. Clothing is a way of creatively expressing myself. I have two (in budget) items on order from ebay right now.”

If I said the above out loud in front of some people I’ve known I’d be mocked a LOT. So I don’t, but I internally prioritise what I want to.

Cheap food I. E. Lentils, veg, will make you look good as will expensive healthy foods such as avocado.

Lots of water. Walking. Cheap or free.

At the end of the days cheap clothes can look good on someone if they are slim. If you're bigger it's harder.

With Ballyhoo, the Ordinary skincare company with their vitamin c serum, hyaluoronic acid and derma rollers which I've found fab. So cheap on Amazon .
It is depressing though when you turn on the tv and it's frozen faces! Good on ya Judy dench and lovely ladies who age with dignity and happy with themselves, having self love and content within their own skin🤗

"Frownies" are also fab on the 11's between the eyebrows- Amazon 👍🏼. I'll shut up now😬

boopsy I do think there are some women who do just not care. Which is fine if it makes them happy - it’s a free country. I might eventually go that way myself

What pisses me off is the women who DO secretly make an effort but try to then undermine other women by claiming they don’t and that it’s “shallow” to care?

Like they themselves are just some natural, laid back, elegant creatures (when they’ve spent hours achieving that particular “casual” look) who never think about presentation

So they’ll want them and their daughters to be slimmish and well groomed and well dressed and polished, but encourage other women not to do the same.

(Same type who will slut shame other women for being “desperate for a relationship”

But be logged into match.com permanently and trip over themselves chasing after every single man going themselves)

I'm coming up to 40 and in the same category-I don't go to beautician, I get my hair done once a year if even that and pretty much don't buy clothes. But I'm changing it, have found a hairdressing school that cuts your hair for free, and have started dyeing my hair again (Clairol). Bought Rimmel foundation and have started buying moisturiser again (Olay-the cheap one but it feels lovely!) and wearing spf. Pennys (Primark) can be great- you'll find the odd work gem in there (a nice blouse and a top and cardi) and then I live in black trousers instead of jeans or trackers. It honestly makes you feel a bit better. True you mightn't always look as perfected as the people who can spend more but you sound like this is more that you're feeling down. So olive oil and sugar in a bowl and exfoliate for your shower, and shave your legs and moisturise and put some toe nail polish and you'll already start to feel better about yourself.Tomorrow a walk and a lot of water. (I hope. If I haven't helped them sorry and hope you feel better soon)

Definitely check if there's any local colleges round you that have a salon/spa on site - one near me does a hair cut and blow dry for a fiver! One hour full body massage for a tenner!

Also buy some coconut oil - it's £1.65 in superdrug, good hair treatment, body moisturiser and cuticle treatment. Pamper yourself a bit

A lot of good charity shop bargains involve going to an affluent area. Try going to the shabby town I live and finidngnjaegar anything.

I thought Rihanna looked beautiful au natural. Just needed a cut into a nice style so that it wasn’t all random lengths. I think it’s sad she felt the need to try to conform to societal diktats on beauty.

However, it is far easier to continue to look beautiful and age gracefully with pots of money.

Do you not think Rihanna looked so much happier in the first pic and therefore much better? And OP I'm so so sorry-i missed your update. I've been terrified waiting for payday loads of times, I remember standing in Aldi with twelve euro Id found everywhere and anywhere, trying to come up with food for three kids and two adults for two days and then having to keep the kids off school the following day because we'd run out of petrol! You need to talk to someone about financial assistance OP, money can drag you down so much. thats where you start. And big hug, flowers, cake. Take care

It’s a complicated equation:

Good genes.
Good habits.
Lucky life that lets you sit happily in your skin.
Interest in style and an understanding of how to put things together.
Time to indulge it
Money to spare for it

There’s lots of people with time and money who just look all wrong.

Have you tried a derma roller I got mine from dermarollerstore uk they aren't expensive and my skin looks great

It depends what your priorities are regarding what you want to spend your money on. I don't wear make up. I wear second hand or clothes that people have given me, mixed with some new. I prefer to spend my money on my hobbies and family.

I was such an ugly kid. I was so insecure I spent:

£4000 on laser eye surgery. £4000 on braces (still in them). Lost 5 stone in weight.

But I cut my own hair. I wear Primark leggings & charity shop find tops (River Island, French Connection). Barely wear any make up. Eat healthily so good skin & hair.

I often get compliments on my style which is lovely. Guys open doors for me and I feel flattered. When I was fat I was invisible.

BUT. As a former size 22 and a current size 10, going from geek to slightly more glam, I can tell you it's all about confidence. Looking good is feeling good, whatever that means for you. I don't think you need to spend much money to look good, but if your self esteem is tied to how much you spend on yourself, then you may need to spend more than someone more confident.

Face powder and bright lipstick make most women look amazing imo. These can be the cheapest. Also wear all one colour like black leggings and black jumper and then a lovely scarf (not the woolly sort)