Calling all you fashionistas/style gurus! We need your style-and-beauty tips

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We're thinking of doing an MN Guide to Style and Beauty - but we can't do it without you!

We'd love you to post bestest, wittiest, most practical style/hair/beauty tips, secrets, rules, dos and don'ts on this thread.

Obviously, we're thinking "this will make you look good in the 13 seconds you have between getting up and getting the kids up", rather than "this will make you look good but takes six hours and £3000 to achieve".

Right, over to you. And thank you!

the swinky is an abomination

What is a swinky??

Don't have babies, they have no respect for the need for beauty sleep

Don't buy your entire wardrobe in tHe Disney Store.
Just statement pieces.

the best way to improve your appearance instantly is to smile.

sinkygal

ask your mates

" tell me honeslty is this thing minging"

adn lo they will say yes

Ignore size labels in clothes and buy the ones that fit. That might mean you are two sizes larger in one shop then another, or that your top half is a different size to your bottom half - especially if you have baby-boobs.

Have a fringe and hide your forehead wrinkles.

Remove all mirrors from house.

buy as much as you can with tesco shop
haev a routine
eg exfoliate on sundays and wednesdays then you dont forget.
a magazine at this point woudl tell you to have a frigign pamper party once a month wiht mates etcetc
but tbh who can be arsed

You are all taking the piss about the swinky, right?

Hope so squeaver.

good boots
clean nails - not bitten or horsey looking
good haircut
get your bras fitted as great bosoms much better than saggy tits
NEVER wear trainers unless you are doing sports
ditto tracksuits

Ladies, when using mascara, first use a good volumising one then for second coat use a lenghtening one, cheap will do. It really opens your eyes, see? ->

I'm not joking, I love mine. It's two combs attached by some beaded elasticated stuff and it holds hair in a bun or pony tail, takes 10 seconds and stays forever. But you do have to pick the design carefully because some of them look blimming awful. And never admit that it's a swinky if questioned!

I'm not giving up my swinnky for anyone.

they are worse than banana clips

Large Velcro rollers (dead cheap on eBay). Use your straighteners to heat a strand of hair and then roll up to your parting. Takes 2 minutes and adds lots of volume.
Have looked at the slinky website - they are truly hideous IMO.

ah clemette that sounds nice and easy one of the best tips yet but i think you may have looked up the wrong website there, slinky? is that not a big mad metal spring thing ?

Lol, can you tell I am thinking about Christmas presents?
It was the swinky site I looked at. Though I am not a fan of hair accessories in general really!

I'm going to add a controversial one for the rural dog-walkers among us. (but which, now I come to think of it, has relevance for everyone) - embrace the practical. if you're going to be doing something messy on a daily basis, or somthing that needs warm clothes, or flat shoes(could be walking the dog, could be going to toddler group), then accept it - and buy for it. don't just wear old relegated stuff that's been at the back of the wardrobe for 10 years. forget spending £100+ on a stunning dress you'll wear once a year. spend it on stuff you'll wear everyday. even expensive jeans (you know the ones I mean) are better value than expensive dresses - you'll get far more wear out of them - and they'll give you a regular lift.

SPF 50 every day. Since I have been doing this (trying to halt damage of spending entire childhood on beach) I seem to have stopped those bastard wrinkles in their tracks.

Yes to eyebrow grooming. Even if you wear no make up, pluck and tidy your brows (you may need to colour them in after you hit 30), cream blush and a bit of vaseline on your lips will make you look more groomed.

Don't wear high heels unless you can walk in them, otherwise you will look like a twat.

Invest in expensive foundation (Rimmel type no good unless you are younger than 22). The rest of your make can (generally) be of the cheap and cheerful type, but you get what you pay for in foundations.

Don't wear black opaque 60 denier, 3 pairs for £2.50 from Asda type tights. This is the way to achieve immediate frumpdom.

Disagree re: foundations. I have just bought a Max Factor one for a tenner and it is as good as Prescriptives or Clinique, which is what I usually buy.

How do you colour your eyebrows in without looking like a muppet? Mine seem to be disappearing.