Face like a crocodiles armpit

[originalmavis]

Oh dear. I looked on the mirror this morning and it was the face of my mother looking back at me (and she does when she was 73).

Pasty, puffy, wrinkles under my eyes down to my cheeks - not a pretty sight.

I was up late last night ironing, DH was working (loudly) to the the wee small hours (so when I did manage to fall asleep he woke me up coming to bed). Pest of a child on a go slow this morning even though I got him up early. Late for the bus. Trains all delayed and I'm ashamed to say I was almost in tears at the station.

Managed to get to school very late (again), then turn around to travel across town to work, for which I will be late. I need to be on the ball at work too and after 4.5 hours sleep it isn't looking good!

Anyway very dry, papery and puffy skin most mornings, not just when tired). Mid 40s, could pass for 60.

I need energy and new face. Any tips, hints, magic lotions?

I am older than you and see my mother appearing in the mirror.

Dye brows (perhaps have them shaped) and lashes, whiten teeth and nice fashionable hair style makes a big change. Oh, and stand up straight.

I'm naturally quite pale, so expect to just disappear by 50!

Agree with everyone saying drink lots of water, get enough sleep, hot cloth cleanse.

Have good fats in your diet. Olive and coconut oil, avocadoes, walnuts..
Substitute some of the coffee breaks with green tea or camomille, both good for the skin. Green salads.

Try a honey massage. Wash off all make up. Spread raw honey on your face. Press fingertips to skin and lift, do this all over your face a few times. If you have time leave honey on your skin for a few minutes (while you iron that shirt?) ;)
Wash off with warm water. Pat face dry. Mix one part organic raw apple cider vinegar to four parts water and use as toner. If your skin is not delicate you can increase vinegar to water ratio.
Your skin will look a little red for a bit but really comes alive.
Honey and cider vinegar should be from a health shop not the supermarket over processed stuff. Manuka honey is best.

Once a day rub all over your face in circles with a not too soft face cloth. Quick, gentle way to exfoliate naturally.

Stop ironing, get more sleep

I don't iron all that much - certainly not knickers (unlike my late mum!). Usually it's a last minute - I need to wear a suit tomorrow/go casual or bloody hell, look at thec ceases on that skirt!

Because its after dinner, tidy up, coral DS to bed etc, its usually late o'clock before I even start!

4.5 hours sleep def not enough. I'm a sleep
Junkie and need at least 6 hours to function if I've had a bad night, I usually get 8 hours which is just enough!! Ikwym re the face though. I'm mid-40s too and give myself a shock when I look in the bathroom mirror!! Try more sleep, more water and less ironing. Ironing is dehydrating anyway with all the hot air and steam ;-)

Water - get an app on your phone to remind you to drink
Sleep if you can
Cod Liver Oil and Vit D supplements
In terms of skincare basically follow the goddess that is Caroline Hirons. top tips for great skin. I used to think I needed better moisturiser - I didn't - I just needed to cleanse my skin more thoroughly.
Keep smiling :)

Try Cetaphil face wash and moisturizer, stick the face wash on a sponge to remove makeup at night, slap moisturizer on and repeat in the morning. I've tried all sorts of things and Cetaphil is the only thing I have gone back to re buy. My skin feels much softer and using moisturizer twice a day plumps the skin up so the wrinkles don't show as much! Getting a decent nights sleep always helps though.

Funnily enough about the advice about smiling - my sister worked with a model who would never smile because, she said, it have you wrinkles. Not fantastic when she worked in hospitality!

This sounds like my life/face... I can't say I look fab, but some improvements when I reduce alcohol and caffeine (the twin toxins I use to survive!!). Also trilogy rose hip oil as a serum or blended with a serum before moisturiser. Olay total effects with radiant stuff (not the tinted moisturiser one). Sleep, water and vitamin E capsules too. Hope it helps xxx

Oh yes and I second the brow shaping tip : £5 threading in my local shopping centre worked wonders.

As for ironing, there's a dry cleaners in my neighbourhood here in the U.S that will iron shirts for 99c each! Best money I ever spend and a better job than I would do. Is there anything like that nearby you could use? Life changing x

I take most office shirts to the dry cleaners. I'm beginning to wonder where all this laundry is coming from?

A Clarisonic
Cream moisturizing mask (a wonder product IMO) in the morning, post a cleanse in the shower with said Clarisonic.

Sleeping is obvs more important than ironing. I don't have anything that needs ironing and husbands work shirts are done by someone he pays.