How to look nice every day?

[justgotquestions]

Some people just look good all the time. Not me!

If there is a night out or party I have a mad panic to try and make myself presentable. (That and trying to lose 4 stones in 24 hours) Other people just seem ready to go ..... Oh I'll change into my dress at work and just put some lipstick on ..... and they look amazing! Perfect tan and no hairy legs.

How do they do it? Do you have a beauty or grooming type routine?

I just always look like a bit of a scruff even when I am making an effort but I would love not to have to panic if I get an invite out at short notice.

Think people have a beauty routine e.g shave legs every day, pluck eyebrows every few days, paint toes once a week etc.

Also they make a plan - lay clothes out the night before etc.

They make time for themselves too so that the beauty 'jobs' don't become too onerous!!!

Looking good is all about looking well maintained I think - healthy diet and exercise also key elements.

I agree - I think you need to keep on top of things. A bit done each day, with a little more when you have time. And find things that work for you that help you save time. A great haircut is an excellent start, for instance. And choosing your clothes with care, makes dressing faster and easier ie the time is spent when buying, not dressing.

Ah yes a 'capsule wardrobe' - the holy grail of style.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting a capsule wardrobe. I don't have one - I like lots of variety I choose from. But a lot of my things work together, and I am getting better at knowing what looks good on me. So I don't spend much time getting dressed each day. Am pretty sure that's obvious, some days, though!

Come join us on the Christmas Countdown. That's the whole point of the thread, do bits everyday so there's no mad panic when invites for Christmas parties start coming in.

OP being "groomed" did not come naturally to me. My default setting seems to be "that'll do" :o However, over the last two years I have slowly built myself a routine:

• bubble bath followed by mani/pedi on a Sunday eve once DCs in bed.
• tubes of handcream by every sink in the house and next to the sofa.
• carry out short "maintenance" when DC in bath eg eyebrow tweezing, file nails, face mask etc
• keep nail file/footcream/small pot of moisturiser on bedside table.

In addition, I have found Pinterest to be a real help. I put together looks I like for the autumn/winter then uploaded images of the things I have and made notes of things I needed which could recreate the look I was after. The best thing about this was that I realised I owned almost everything to create the look I wanted (with the exception of a few items.) I just wasn't putting them together the right way!

Also a boring but therapeutic and very helpful step towards being more groomed is to sort out your bathroom cupboards & make up bag. I did mine yesterday - threw out a heap of stuff I never use or was out of date. I bought a clear plastic make up tray from TK Maxx to stop the seemingly endless & time consuming rummaging in my make up bag each morning. I've also sorted hair stuff, nail stuff and skincare into separate baskets. It was so relaxing to get ready this morning!

At risk of sounding a show off, mums on the school run and colleagues often comment to me 'you always look nice'. Now I'm no supermodel - 5ft nothing, size 6-8 and late 30s. But I think it's the following that help:

I keep my hair in a neat bob that suits me with regular cuts and colour. Once a week I sleep with conditioner in my hair over night.
I keep nails short and clean and painted.
I have eyebrows threaded every 3 months and maintain myself in between
When in the shower each day, I shave and then moisturise

I have realised that less is more when it comes to clothes. I buy reasonable quality high street. I have worked out what suits me and stick to it.
For work I wear pencil skirts, skinny trousers, fitted quirky print shirts, tweed blazer, skinny fit cashmere sweaters
Weekend I wear jeans, stripe tops, slouchy casual knits
I use scarves and bracelets to finish an outfit off.