How to get that polished look

[DrHarleenFrancesQuinzel]

How do I look good all day? Ive got my hair sorted, but my face. uggh. Im 37 and dont like looking in the mirror. I dont like what looks back at me.

Ive never been very good at make-up so dont really know what Im doing. I dont want to look like a clown and certainly dont want it to look like Ive tried too hard. It like to look nice, but natural.

Please can you help? What products (a few cheap or one or two more pricey, but worthwhile) should I look to getting? Any tips or tricks would be appreciated too.

BB is (I think) Bobbi Brown.

I like the Benefit palettes and also Bare Minerals make up. Not everyone gets on with it but it's definitely my favourite. You can't beat Chanel for lip gloss IMO.

Three posts - two by the same person - on the original topic and the rest of the page is a heated debate between two other posters .

The polished look - at my age I really need some kind of base now to even out my skintone. Even a very light BB helps, but foundation is best - recently bought some Rimmel reduced (the wake me up one) but it is quite shiny (I think they term they use is glowy) so I powder it down a bit.

As I am quite pale with fair skin, dyeing my eyelashes always makes me look a bit more lively. It's not thickening like mascara but it does make my lashes more visible! Similarly, I should use an eyebrow pencil more than I do!

Beauty Balm - BB Creams. Sorry, the rest of the posts came in while I was typing. Or CC, Colour Correcting creams - both can be lightweight and nice.

Getting the right makeup colours for your colouring is the main thing when it comes to looking naturally polished.

If the tones are wrong on your skin then not even the most skillful application can make you look naturally polished.

If you have time, go to makeup counters to get a makeover and chat to them about the best shades for you. They tend to be friendly and helpful. Don't buy anything immediately. Tell them you want to wear the makeup for the rest of the day and see how it lasts and how it looks in different lights before you decide whether to buy it or not. If you've got enough spare cash then get your makeup colours done professionally.

Interestingly polished isn't the same as covered in make up. I was watching a woman yesterday who was very Towie and looked like she was wearing labels but didn't look expensive or 'classy'. I think she had money though.

It's about non frizzy hair, tamed tendrils, eyebrows groomed and filled, nails short and clean and light polish, clothes without holes or thread loose it stains etc. Polished shoes, nice accessories, etc.

I cant afford to spend £45 on a facial ATM, but it is something I was thinking about. Though I have to agree why pay for someone else to do that when I can do my own with the right products?

I suppose I should have mentioned my complexion. I am fair skinned, with blue eyes. My hair was blond as a child, but got darker when I was about 10. Now it would be grey, but I dye it red. It is currently a deep red wine type of colour. I last had it done on Tues and Ive had a load of compliments about it since. I just need to sort my face out.

I would love to get my make-up colours done, but wouldnt know where to start. In fact Id love to get my colours done in general and some general guide to what I should be wearing, but as I can't afford a new wardrobe ATM anyway its not something Im thinking about. Just my face. I will work on the clothes later. I dont think I dress too bad, but then again I could be wrong.

So Im thinking of popping to the supermarket (dont have time for a department store or boots etc) and seeing what I can pick up on the way to work. Im thinking exfoliating face wash and some BB cream for now.

Thanks for all the advice.

eyebrows groomed and filled

How do you fill them? Mine are fairly light and even when they are unruly (like they are now) they're still fine.

Ignore that last post Ive just had a quick look on net. I might be OK.

If you can't afford facials etc, it might be worth looking at local colleges, they often need models to learn on and the students are constantly being checked so just as good - although does often take quite a lot longer than qualified beauticians

Oooh thats a good idea What I just might look into that. Ive had students do my hair in the past too.

Harleen I use benefit brow zing and I don't mean scouse brow style, just any balder patches evened out.

Just had a look at the local college (just round the corner from work too). Really good prices. Right that's it, going to have to give them a ring. £7.50 for a luxury facial. £8 for an eye treatment package (eyebrow shape, eyebrow tint and eyelast tint)

I agree about colleges - you'll get a salon level treatment at a much better price. I don't really like Dermalogica generally but they do do one particular product which I think is very good called multi vitamin recovery mask. Colleges usually offer galvanic treatments which I think are very good also and most salons don't do them (usually offered on cruise ships)

Sorry for hijacking the thread earlier - I'm too stubborn not to argue. I apologise

galvanic treatments

Does this mean the things where they put a current through your skin - like Slendertone for your face?

I have to say this is the only non-interventionist treatment I think actually works for an ageing face. And I should know, I've had & done every possible treatment that doesn't involve syringes or knives!

Before anyone asks, I'm 61 now and look at least 61. But up until my health conked out (around 50) I honestly did look a good 15 years less than my age. It's partly genetic - my sun-shy sister has absurdly youthful skin - but also down to consistent skincare routines. I would say cleansing and moisturising are the only necessities, and you can do that with soap & olive oil if needs be.

I had a series of 'electrical' salon treatments in my late forties. I was cynical, but very impressed. For some weeks people kept asking if I'd been on holiday: that's the best compliment to a facial! If I thought I could keep up a beauty routine these days, I'd buy one of the DIY versions.

Sorry, Harleen, that's not specific to looking 'polished' but I guess it counts as a contribution to your expansing beauty knowledge!

If you're keen and on a tight budget - look up hot oil cleansing. It has nothing to do with hot oil It involves olive oil, a flannel and your hot water tap. Basically you steam your face a bit with the hot, wet flannel. Then you massage oil into your face, steam it again, and wipe off the oil with yet more hot water. This miraculously cleanses, hydrates and moisturises your skin. At a cost of about £2 a month!

BB cream is tinted moisturiser, sometimes with added powder. Any brand will do, just try and match your general skin tone. Also - mineral powder isn't very good for your skin, but it does work on the optical blur front. Easy to apply - you just whisk it all over with the big, fluffy brush - and supermarket own brands are perfectly good.

In terms of make up - if you have good complexion and you're not used to wearing make up go for a BB cream but not a cheap one - if you're pale it's hard finding one pale enough! Otherwise try MAC or illamasqua (in a lot of debenhams now) or urban decay. Always take your foundation down onto the neck and invest in some good brushes (which should be washed once a week) - real techniques are good value. mascara - collection 2000 do a couple of good ones but I love the mini version of the benefit real deal mascara. Tinted lip balms are good but the colour won't last long - sleek lipsticks from superdrug are cheap and have staying power, but unless you're using a very natural colour use a lip liner. With eyebrows I get mine waxed and tinted when I can afford to and then use a Mac brown pencil (which is tiny do you don't end up with drawn on looking brows). With cheeks - use a tiny bit of your lipstick on the apples (the round bit when you smile) and blend towards the hairline. Less is more! Concealer only if you really need it, highlighter - doesn't have to cost much, benefit do high beam in a mini bottle too for £5, just dab sparingly along the top of the cheek bone.

In terms of face products - I'm a trained make up artist and I use fairly good products but in small quantities - but you don't need expensive stuff just avoid hot water, use a muslin cloth (wash it often though), avoid soap and Vaseline like the plague and use coconut oil instead (v small quantities though!). Coconut oil will work as a cleanser and moisturiser too, rose water from a local Asian food shop as toner. Vaseline is like putting petrol on your face and clogs your pores.

The answer to getting better with applying make-up is the same for a lot of things - practice makes perfect. We all made mistakes with this when we were younger. Too little make-up is better than too much, it looks classier. As a youngster with no confidence I used the full works, foundation, blusher, powder, lipstick and eye-shadow. Now I'm older I find that eyebrow pencil and lipstick is quite enough. Look at this as a little 'adventure' and don't be scared to experiment. A good haircut works wonders and don't forget to check your clothes for pet hairs before you leave the house.

If I didn't spend a few minutes on my eye make up each morning I'd look 10 years older, people tell me I look ill if I don't bother. If you aren't sure what products to use and how get yourself down to a Mac or some other make up counter and get some help and advice ( be prepared to spend a few hundred quid if your current stocks are not up to much. Good brushes will be expensive and a big outlay but last years so its an investment) also u tube is full of make up tutorials if you are in need of inspiration.

GarlicShake, can I ask why mineral powder isn't good for your skin? I've been using Lily Lolo powder for about 8 years on the assumption that it is good for the skin . Can I add I have spot prone skin so need to avoid anything with oil or silicone as it makes matters worse.

Drink loads of water, reduce your sugar/caffeine intake and increase your fruit and fibre intake. This will make your skin glow and good skin is vital with or without makeup.

Good hair cut, eyebrows threaded, excess facial hair removed, regular exfoliation and good supportive underwear.

figureofspeech is absolutely spot on about this. Please try it.

A long time ago there was a Cochrane report saying that Boots No 7 (!) was actually the most effective skincare product range. More effective than brands coming in at 10 x the price.

That was a long time ago, but does this ring a bell for anyone? Is it still considered as good generally?

Completely agree with figureofspeech and fredamayor, lots of water is a must! Coconut oil is also meant to be really good for you and natural steam (head and towel over boiling water to steam your face and open your pores)

After years of trying all different branded lotions and potions I'm a big fan of Avons own collections both skin care and make up are great plus if they arrive and the colour isn't right they take it back no question asked!

If your unsure of which make up to use you could always pop into somewhere like debenhams widths lots of beauty counters and get some tips or free make up trials, most will try and sell you the products but you don't have to buy just see what the mua do then see what colours and products work best for you.

You could also try boots 7, they have some great offers on and have the mua in store to do skin tests and make up trails

I have recently discovered a wonderful cosmetic called 'Corn Silk'. Evidently it is used by the film industry (and has been for years) and cosmetic experts in stores have told me that they use it for wedding make up. As one whose hastily applied slap of light foundation to even out a very blotchy skin disappeared within a few hectic hours, applying a light dusting of Corn Silk over my usual foundation with a brush holds all in place for the entire day. It is not heavy, looks entirely natural, and never turns into the ghastly 'orange' face that is so ageing. It's not expensive (about £8 for a pot that lasts a good while) I bought a pressed powder compact of Corn Silk for touch ups during the day but have never used it - that's how good the loose powder is. Good luck!