Is there any one thing you've done, small or big, cheap or pricey, that has changed your style for the better?

[JessiCake]

I have a terrible tendency to over-heat in the summer but nevertheless used to spend the summer SWELTERING in long trousers, envious of breezy-looking people in floaty skirts and dresses, because I had such problems de-fuzzing my legs.

Waxing only lasted about a week (followed by 5-6 weeks of bumpy re-growth), shaving caused sore and bright red razor rash no matter how I did it. Hair-removal cream caused rashes and the effect barely lasted.

2 summers ago I saved up and forked out for laser hair removal for my legs.

I have only just twigged the HUGE difference it has made to the way I dress in the warmer months/on holiday. I hadn't really noticed how easily I can pop on a dress these days in the warm weather without having to think days in advance about how to get my legs hair-free and non-rash-covered. It was just never worth even trying to wear a dress, skirt, shorts because I was always either too hairy or too covered in a rash! I cannot tell you (this is probably really obvious to most people tbf) how much COOLER and more comfortable I feel on hot days.

In addition, I'm not that confident about much of my appearance but my legs are actually pretty decent so it's so nice to be able to feel I'm not hiding them away all summer long just because of depilation issues!

Is there any one thing you've done that made such a huge difference to the way you dress?

I've treated myself to some cheapy cotton sundresses these past 2 summers and it's revolutionised my wardrobe, the long too-hot chinos/linen trousers are relegated and haven't been out in a while.

Laser wasn't cheap (though I got a special offer, still it was well over £500 which is more than I spend on ANYTHING in a huge block like that) but it really was worth it and I only wish I'd done it blooming years ago. I'm now 41 and regret all those sweltering summers feeling silly in hot trousers/long skirts when I could have worn a nice pair of shorts like a normal 30 year old!!

I'm in my mid 30s and have been waxing my legs since I was 16. Only get a few hairs on each leg now! I even just tweeze sometimes!

For me, it was a thread on here about how to look expensive in the summer. I've bought a few nice, good quality items and formed myself a nice classic capsule wardrobe for summer. I don't feel so frumpy now!

realising that i look utterly CRAP in browns, beige, camel, cream, yellow and orange of any shade and that no matter what the style i buy is, those colours are never going to look nice on me.

Realising that fit and flare/50s style swing dresses really suit my shape and the slightly longer length makes my legs look a little slimmer

That I CAN wear shorts if they are the right shape and length and I don't have to just stare at them longingly int he shops, i CAN buy and wear them

That brightly coloured statement jewellery like necklaces and earrings don't work for me and I should just wear exactly what i want and like

And finally that my hair does look quite nice tied up and back if i make the effort to do it and my ears don't actually stick out the way i was lead to believe they do

Realising that no matter how cool a cocoon coat or sack-shaped COS dress may look on a model / someone else, it will always make me look like a very well-filled sack of potatoes. Though I'm a pear-shaped size 14, I look much, much better, and also slimmer, in fitted things and clothes with a waist. I still wistfully love that cos-style look, but I've given up trying to do it myself.

ethel I WISH I was you!! I started waxing legs in early 20s and in almost 20 years they never got any less hairy :( Well, maybe a few bald patches on the front of the shins but negligible difference.

OneNighht, oh yes, I'm defiitely with you too on the colours front, I reluctantly let go of beige about 15 years ago when I realised I liked it but it didn't like me!!

wrt finding the right shapes that work, I've made a lot of discoveries on this front recently too (kick-started by being able to wear dresses!) I never thought tunic-type dresses would suit me but they do! That kind of sack-like, A-line dress, with pockets, is perfect for me and though I'd lusted after them on other people for years I never thought I could wear one. Turns out I can.

Game-changing

That I CAN wear shorts if they are the right shape and length and I don't have to just stare at them longingly int he shops, i CAN buy and wear them

OneNight what kind of shorts are these, I need to know!

I want to know about these shorts too!!

THat said, I think I've also recently discovered that a shorter pair of shorts is better on me than knee-length. Hardly Kylie-in-her-hot-pants levels of short, but something mid-thigh rather than longer makes me look less dumpy.

No cost, but I think that growing out my fringe has helped my style.

It was never the right length and behaved badly in any kind of humidity.

Botox on my number 11's. DH hasn't noticed but I feel loads better and look less grumpy and tired.

Oops, that's more 'beauty' than 'style'....

Style wise, cotton dresses instead of short and top combo's. Much easier.

Got my 'colours done'. Bye bye washed out beige, brown, khaki, cream! Cant believe I spent so many years in colours that did me NO favours.

Discovered dresses for work. You wont catch me in separates now. Fling on a dress and pair of shoes (tights in winter). Takes a minute to get dressed and dont have to think about what goes with what.

Mine are the plain black denim, basic £5 primark shorts. They are just plain black denim with a bit of stretch with a small turn up and are shorter than I would have thought would work for me but they fit like a dream and don't make me look like a heffalump. I tried knee length ones for years but they never sat right or looked right and as a PP said, it turns out that shorter shorts actually look better

Oh, you know what MyHair, that's really interesting because I've been thinking I could do with sorting out my number 11 lines at some point, they're getting very very deep. I have not many other lines, which is great obv, but this just means the ones I do have stand out even more.

That said, I think I will have to save spare cash for a coiuple of top-up sessions on the laser for my legs before next summer. THe effect has been remarkable but it's obviously not totally permanent and given the change it's made to my life I don't want to have to start shaving the weird little area around my knees again, which is where the laser was least effective it looks like.

I also think a lot of my hang-ups about my body would be solved by having a particular mole removed or tackling the dozens of very dark red cherry red spots that I have all over my torso. So if I'm prioritising money for anything, having seen the difference a little bit of cosmetic 'help' can make in terms of how I feel and my clothes etc, it would probably have to be these rather than Botox.

Buying those gel ball of foot insoles that you stick in heels. They are awesome!!!!! Got me out of sensible flats and back into nice shoes again.

jessi please tell me more about lasering. I have the same issue with waxing just not lasting long enough to justify the pain and expense, and leaving me with horrific ingrown hairs. Currently shave, but have to do it daily and always have a nasty bit of stubble hanging around that makes me really self conscious.

How long did the lasering take? Was it painful and are you permanently hair free now or do you need to have top up treatments every so often?

OneNight, thanks for the recc! I'm glad it's not just me that feels/looks better in shorter shorts. I think I mistakenly thought that as I'm not longer in my 20s or early 30s I had better try knee-length but like you they just don't look or hang right on me. They make me look very masculine, and though I love masculine style I don't love it in THIS way. I look a bit like a rugby player on his/her day off in knee-length, and it's not a look I aspire to! They also make my (big) bum look just plain big, whereas shorter shorts make it look more pert , it's a trick of the light as it's not that pert, but the shorter length really helps!

Cross post! Just seen that you do need top ups, but how frequently are these expected, or does it really vary by individual?

ilikecakes, hello!

I didn't find lasering painful at all, roughly 20% of the same pain you'd feel from waxing.

I had ingrowns really badly too (as well as the rash) from waxing so it really wasn't working for me.

I had 8 sessions, spaced over about 14 months, there was a MASSIVE reduction after about the 2nd or 3rd session. I could probably have gone for a package of 6 but they upsold me slightly and tbh I'm glad as it meant I could use the last couple just before my second summer after it.

It's not absolutely permanent, no. That said, I now have so little hair on my shins that I only need to run a razor lightly over the backs of them about once every 4 months. Thighs/knees, the hair that does grow there is so much finer, but if I'm not being totally lazy I guess I would have to say I'd ideally run a razor over them once every 6-8 weeks. But LIGHTLY, not the hacking through the forest thing I used to do and which made the razor burn worse.

In this sense I would probably say it's kind of 80% permanent, in that 80% of the hair (in my case) is gone for ever, and the remainder is v v easily dealt with.

I will probably try to have another couple of sessions before next summer, which I would hope will last me another 2-3 years before needing any more.

It's changed my life (clearly I'm this shallow) and it's been the best money I've spent on any beauty treatment. I don't get facials, manicures, pedicures even, or hair colour. So this felt a huge outlay for me. But worth every penny.

Lots of salons do cut-price courses during the summer months (it's how I got mine) because as you have to wear spf 50 (if exposing your legs) for the duration of the treatment it suits more people to get it done in winter. So the salons want to entice summer customers!

Thank you! I tan very easily and am pretty brown now so wouldn't be a good candidate until that's all gone then!

With regards to the shaving in between now, does the hair still grow back fine and light?

yep, the hair absolutely grows back fine and light. I was a bit worried it would come back coarse again but it doesn't My knees are the only place where you could even begin to describe the grow-back as 'coarse' and even there it's like baby-hair in comparison to the spiky black hairs that used to come through on a daily basis after I'd shaved!!

Philips Lumea

Invisalign teeth straightening

jessi I would recommend a home laser like Phillips lumea if your only needing top ups.
I have one for my beard and its been a game changer.

Amazing, getting excited now. Will get my research done now during the summer and perhaps look to start in Oct/November when the tan is fully gone.....

And thank you!

Kerastraight treatment. Saves me so much time in the mornings I can actually wear make up now! Also totally stops the issue of Monica Gellar holiday hair when there is the tiniest hint of humidity. It was worth every penny!

Among its countless other benefits, doing Pilates means I can wear heels now. Always felt too wobbly before.