If you want glowing skin retinol is where its at. I use tretinoin which is prescription in the UK. It is a game changer.
The ordinary are very cheap. Don't buy 100s of products that you don't know what they do. A few I suggest.
Argireline. Acts like botox but milder. Amazing fore forehead lines and dynamic wrinkles (ones you get from making faces, laughing, movement). Effects aren't permanent but it works a treat.
Peptides. I like the matrixyl. Help repair skin and build collagen and elastin. They won't snap back sagging skin but it will firm it up and help slow aging.
Lactic acid. It's a really mild exfoliant. It will leave your skin bright and glowing. I absolutely love this stuff.
Use a good moisturiser that isn't greasy or heavy every single day morning and night.
Ditch any scrubs that are rough or gritty, they aren't good for your skin and they don't correctly unblock pores. They can cause your skin to produce more oil to compensate too.
Wear sunscreen every single day even in winter.
When it comes to make up less is more but you don't need to ditch foundation.
Drop from full coverage to a lighter coverage foundation. Do not bake or add crud loads of powder it will look awful. If you are getting under eye creasing either don't apply to this area, or apply much more conservatively.
Use a hydrating primer. I use too faced hang over primer. If your skin is dry it will try to absorb moisture from the foundation, leaving you with a patchy, dry, cakey finish.
I like dior backstage foundation.
Bb creams work really well if you want a subtle glow and not the full face of make up look. They often come in limited shades though.
I find a sweep of blush stops me looking like a corpse (I'm extremely fair skinned). You dont need to apply a lot. It also helps if you don't apply it only to your cheeks, a very subtle bit if colour on the tip of the nose, from the cheek up to the temple helps it blend better. I even dust over my forehead a little. Don't go crazy with it though. If I don't have time for full make up blush and ight foundation might be all I wear. You can add a touch to eyelids too. Make sure the tone suits your skin.
For lips, dior lipglow is my holy grail product. Its more subtle than lipstick anx always looks incredible. For a cheaper alternative the burts bees tinted lip balms are really nice for every day especially at thus time of year.
For hair, I think grey roots look worse than grey hair! If you're going to dye, make sure you can keep on top of it, if not go natural.
I recently lost 12kg and I look bloody great for it. I'm in my 30s and have a better body than I did in my early 20s. I recently got gym fit and now have a 6 pack and thigh muscles. It is worth the effort! Unfortunately it doesn't happen quickly so you need to do a lot of dieting, exercising and waiting to see any result at all. No instant gratification here. If you want to make changes but a full diet is too much, I started out by cutting back drinking from several times a week to 1 once a month if that and I lost a lot from this alone. Ditch take away and cut back on a few treats and you will be surprised.
I do yoga for about an hour a day. I started at 10 minutes. You don't need to join a gym or pay any money there are tons of videos on YouTube you can watch. My balance has improved so so much and i feel so much stronger physically and mentally. When I'm stressed it acts as a really good outlet too. Remember that if you gain muscle you will only be able to sew it if you get your body fat below a certain percentage.
With clothing, there's an art to looking put together, but it's 99 percent accessories. I actually find I look best when I own less clothes, things tend to get rotated in and out more and I have a better mental grasp on what I like to wear with what instead of just whatever is clean. Start swapping out old t-shirts and things that you feel frumpy in for comfortable but beautiful tops and jumpers. Don't torture yourself with clothes that look nice but you can't wait to take off, you will inevitably go back to that nasty old t-shirt if your new clothes feel constrictive.
The same goes for shoes. Don't buy anything you can't walk in. You won't look glamorous if you can't wear it. Sophisticated boots at this time of year work great.
Try to get in a routine with skincare and exercise. Make it a ritual before bed, in the morning. Start with just 1 or 2 things and then when you do it automatically you can add on to your routine and build on it.
Smelling nice is like the icing on the cake. not just clean but really yummy. If you have that one friend who smells good all day but not perfumey then you know what I mean. The answer is body lotion. I used to love the champneys summer dream body lotion but its been discontinued. Search around til you find one you like.
Start small and see where it goes. I couldn't imagine being in such good shape during lockdown when I was gaining weight and drinking too much and I bought a catsuit yesterday which I look incredible in. So you may surprise yourself if you stick at it.