To think some people are effortlessly glamorous

[Basketofkittens]

On holiday in Southern Europe. It’s around 32C and sunny.

All around me are very slim women in loose flowing clothes looking very cool and glamorous. And long swishy hair.

Then there’s me looking very British in my Boden maxi dress (size 12) and sun hat, flushed and INCREDIBLY sweaty with my make up running off. Hair tied back and damp with perspiration. Came back to hotel to shower, wash hair, take off make up to redo it all to go out to dinner.

How on earth do some people manage to not be bothered by the heat? We’ve walked a lot today and my ankles have also swollen in the heat - very sexy! I wear big short pants under my dresses so my thighs don’t get sweaty and rub too. 😂

They might be.
But effortless is not necessarily the case!
It can take an awful lot of work to look like you haven’t tried!
I’m complimented on my appearance regularly- but l don’t roll out of bed like it!
I look natural ~ 😉

Carry a water mist spray OP to cool down . And the tight fitting big knickers if not 100% cotton will make you sweat more. Natural fibres & looser fits are cooler. My colleague used to wear nylon/polyester bras & big knickers etc then polyester clothes on top & sweated constantly, she's now wearing cotton & thin layers she can take off & the sweating is way less.

Put deodorant on your thighs instead of your big pants

Use fake tan, it makes a massive difference

Haha I went to Italy the other year, walking around Sorrento I felt like a fat little sweaty blob, and so very British! 😂😂😭

Are they from the place? They are probably just more used to the weather.

From seeing my Italian DM/cousins/aunties all do it, there's a lot of effort into looking 'effortlessly stylish'

I live in a hot country, but luckily get summers off. I just slow down massively and don’t exert myself. It is different when you are on holiday though as you want to see and do loads of things, so I think it is that more than anything. I also spend my days in the shade.

Southern Europe? They don't walk as much as tourists! Seriously-British people wonder why they are sweaty and melting when Italians are seemingly dry and composed. Well, the Brits walk around all day in 32 degrees heat. I'm not judging I walk a lot too but that's why!

I can't tolerate heat over 25 degrees. Now I've stopped booking hot holidays I feel much better! I always envy the perfect women you describe. I'm short and dumpy and sadly will never be elegant and willowy!

X post with wereyou. Exactly that. Slow down in the heat and stay in the shade.

I have a couple of friends like this. The kind of women who leave the house wearing a crisp white shirt, lipstick and blow dried hair, linen trousers etc and will still look immaculate 12 hours later.

I just need to look at a white shirt and it crinkles and develops grubby fingerprints all over it.

Actually my DH is like this too. I commented the other day we went for a walk, him in his lovely white trainers, me in wellies. End of walk I had mud and leaves INSIDE my wellies, his trainers still day glo white and not a speck on them...

I also tend towards the fat sweaty blob end of things so have made a study of people like this. I have a friend who is one of those you describe - always elegant and never seemingly bothered by the heat (despite living in seriously hot climes). What I have learned is: dont wear too much makeup as it slides off. What you do wear, make it waterproof. Clothes wise, wear loose stuff and (and this is absolutely key) it has to be 100% natural fibres. Anything else leaves you a sweaty mess!!

Yeah, I agree with what others have said - they're probably more used to the weather and also, there's probably a lot more effort gone into their look than you think. Some people are really lucky in how little they sweat, too.

I sweat in buckets in hot weather and never feel at all attractive in hot countries for this reason. By contrast, I'm absolutely in my element in winter when I can wear a gorgeous coat, a stylish scarf, lovely boots and maybe a massive pair of shades in the winter sunshine. I'm very pale and winter light is much more flattering on my skin.

It's not really as effortless as you think. It takes quite a lot of off-camera effort to look good out and about in any kind of weather. In fact I find that I put waaaay more effort into my appearance in the Summer.

Also on holiday I’m a big red pulsating sweaty greasy disaster zone. Meanwhile other friends just glow.

We also all escape the cities in August if we can, my village in the alps doubles in size in summer with people coming up from Milan.

(Then they walk and get sweaty hiking, but that's because they are on holiday where no one can see them!)

Primer and setting spray

I've just been to Southern Europe too. It's very hot and unusually humid. I too was in awe of not only the locals but also of other British women who seemed so cool and dry whilst I was drenched in sweat even while sitting still. I was doing all the wearing loose natural fibres, minimal make up, hair tied up stuff but still had sweat running down my face, back and chest. I'm a sweaty person in this country but this was ridiculous. It's put me off living abroad which was what I hoped to do one day.

Ugh. I hate holidays (well not really) but at home I can wear fake tan and have swishy hair. On holiday the dc are obsessed with burying my feet in the sand and exfoliating my lower legs back to their natural blue white. My hair turns to straw. Nail varnish disintegrates with sunblock which always makes me look like a sticky mess.

I had a thread about how it was hard to be glam on holiday!

We were in Rome. BOILING hot. I'd had a blow dry the night before I left - pointless as my head was sweating so much. I did look ok at the start of the day but as you say with walking etc I soon ended up a mess. Two showers a day!

I’m the same, I hate it, always look a hot mess. I haven’t found the solution, but hide under hats.

I think it comes natural to some, money helps, Dsis always looks immaculate without a lot of effort, expensive makeup and clothing.
I cant wear white never could, even my communion dress was filthy after an hour, looking fab all the time takes a lot of effort. I don't care enough to spend time, when I do it is noticed but I don't keep it up.

My theory is that some people don’t sweat as much. I had the same experience as you recently on holiday.

I had to chase the shade around our sun lounger all day and was still glistening with sweat. Whereas others seemed to lay effortlessly in the sun without looking hot, red or sweaty!

Effortless beauty takes a surprising amount of effort.

I was in the south of France in July in 35c+ heat - around the same time as the high humidity heat in the UK
You know what? In France, I didn't sweat at all!! It was DRY heat. I avoided the heat of the day so stayed inside from 11am-3pm and the house was nice & cool.
I was able to get out of the shower in the evening, put on aftersun and it would soak in!! Whereas in the UK I'd given up using body lotion....

That said, I was in Madrid a few years ago at temperatures of almost 40c & was a sweating mess. The local ladies all looked stunning. And yes, we avoided the heat of the day but even at 10pm, I was still sweating!

In my experience it's down to a few things:

1. Acclimatisation. I spent twenty years living in a year round warm-to hot-to very hot climate and I was never bothered by the heat and didn't sweat much if ever. Then I moved back to the UK. The following summer I went back to visit friends and found myself sweating buckets and feeling like a swollen sweaty blob. Likewise when I first moved back to the UK I was freezing all the time, literally wearing ski clothes in November here while everyone around me was wearing a raincoat at best.

1. To be honest, it helps to be skinny/slim. I discovered the truth of this when I managed to put on 15 -17 lbs one year (at 5'3" that was about two clothes sizes up for me). I got much more hot and sweaty with the extra weight.