Feel a right mess - can someone give some easy tips for being a well-groomed type person?

[dinny]

Feel I have no time to ever get ready properly and do stuff like pluck eyebrows etc. What's your weekly maintenance routine, all groomed types?

[franch]

Get your eyebrows done at a salon then pluck away the strays DAILY in front of a magnifying mirror - as it's only a couple of hairs a day it only takes a second

[glitterfairy]

Eyebrows done and tinted instant facelift. I also get a lip wax.

I do face stuff every day and sometimes dry body brushing. I use a tanning lotion whenever andbody and hand cream to keep skin smooth. I never ever go out without mascara on! [stern emoticon] It doesnt matter how busy anyone is they can always have lovely lashes.

I dont really care about the look at all it is how I feel in the end, taken care of and presentable.

[dinny]

god idea - used to get them shaped but has fallen by wayside.

what else? tint eyelashes? hate waxing legs but think bikini line is essential?


am becoming increasingly hirsute - can't stand it!

[dinny]

glitterfairy - face stuff? cleanse, tone, moisturise?

[PinkMartini]

Ooh bumping this as would love to know other people's secrets.

I try to always have my toes painted as I hate unpainted toes. I do them in front of the telly in a cheery red colour and then quick retouch on them as necessary.

Try and keep my fingernails with just palest pink or clear to prevent having to touch up nails. Looks groomed without worrying about it.

Run the razor over underarms in the shower every time.

There must be other secrets though.

My bikini line tends to run away with me occasionally.

[cylonbabe]

find yourself a mobile beautician who can come and do some grooming for you at home. either that or religiously go to salon. ie. priorites the appointment as if it was dc hospital appointment.
but i think you still have very young children dont you? once they are in school, hopefully you will have more time to yourself.

[glitterfairy]

I never bother with toning. I use origins stuff for cleansing and always moisturise like crazy. I like to use rose night cream from neils yard or their oil once a week and once a week I use an origins facial scrub. I use MD as well whihc I get from my beauty place.

[glitterfairy]

I love pedicures just cant afford them all the time. Were I a lady of leisure I would spend my life getting treatments it is really addictive.

[Rubyslippers]

I always exfoliate in the shower and use a special one for my feet
pluck eyebrows everyday
keep nails buffed rather than painted - they look healthy and don't have to worry about chips
use a hand cream
cleanse, tone and moisterise everyday
touche eclat to hide hideous dark circles under eyes - it is a miracle worker

[turquoise]

Regular haircut, and roots done if you have colour.
Toes painted if they're on show.
Plucked eyebrows, combed into shape when you do your makeup.
Always mascara, concealer, bit of lip colour
Decent bra - and what always amazes me is the amount of women who have nips on show all squewiff - if they're going to show, at least align them! I always wear a t shirt bra though, because I'm a Laydee (and far too old!)
Decent coat, decent handbag, decent shoes.

[dinny]

oooh, very helpful, keep 'em coming

have a 5 year old and 2.5 year old and ds (2.5) just started playgroup 3 mornings a week but feel I have to use that time to get rid of flab at gym!

do you all get up early and shower before kids are awake? that's when I look a mess - scool run.

[dinny]

lol, school run

[cylonbabe]

the gym is a great place to help kick start the grooming. the excercise will make you sweat, which will help release all those toxins from your skin. a good exfoliate in the shower afterwardsand then mositurse lots .
does teh gym have a salon which you can afford? even if you cant, usepart of one session at the gym in the changing rooms doing things like a face mask, plucking etc.

and the good bra is vital i thingk

[LordVenger]

Until the kids go to school, the only stuff you'll bother with is quick and/or long-lasting, so: if there's one thing you can invest time/money in, make it a good cut'n'colour that needs minimal styling. Mine just needs a comb-through when it's wet, dries naturally, and then gets backcombed and put up in a pony. I hope it's Catherine Deneurve, but I suspect it's more Amy Winehouse.
Shower: mix together sugar and olive oil in a jar, and use to simultaneously exfoliate and moisturise in the shower. Shave yr armpits, get out the shower, apply Dove or Johnson's holiday glow tanning cream.
Eyes: home-tint yr eyelashes (black) and eyebrows (whatever matches your hair). Saves so much time - you can basically apply lipgloss and blush and walk out the door. I pluck my eyebrows while the kids are in the bath - you're in the bathroom, bored, with tweezers. Might as well multi-task.
Do manicure/pedicure whilst watching the telly. Gold toes go with pretty much everything, and are very "2007", which I am reliably informed is what this year is.
Clothes: buy dresses. Spend all your money on dresses. They instantly made you look smart, even if it's just a £12 wrap from New Look with a nice pair of sandals and a necklace.
That said, I think anyone with a child below the age of three is allowed to leave the house wrapped in a duvet, with egg in their hair, and be met with nothing but murmurs of "Oh, you look fabulous."

[twelveyeargap]

Tinted moisturiser in the morning if you look a bit tired and pasty. I use the Dermalogica one, which is a little pricey, but lasts for ages. Find the Nivea one a bit "thick", but I'm sure there are better reasonably priced ones if that's an issue.

Agree that mascara is a must. You look instantly less tired.

A good, soft brown eyeliner is very useful (if you have pale to medium skin). There's a Loreal pen-style one (as opposed to the kind you sharpen). A line of brown eyeliner along your top lid can open up your eyes, doesn't look too "done" because it's soft pencil, not a harsh line. Black works if you have darker skin, of course.

Lipgloss, even some sort of lip moisturiser. Brush flakes of skin off your lips with your toothbrush.

For the summer, it's a must to use a pumice or foot scrubber thingy on your feet and heels. Dry, flaky skin in sandals is a bit grim IMO.

None of that takes much time...

[InTheseShoes]

I highly recommend Maybelline 16 hour lip colour, you really do not have to retouch it, and it still looks nice if you go to bed in it... ahem, I believe.

Bronzing powder brushed over quickly perks up your skin. Second the Dove/Johnson's holiday skin. Also quick shave legs/underarms daily/every other day, and touching up toenail polish. Eyebrow (also, for me, lip) wax - £7 lasts about a month. Buff nails while watching TV/LOs in the bath. Jewellery a must, but not OTT. Hair conditioner is a great "tamer" on dry hair rather than an expensive product. Spend an evening trying on clothes and putting together a few things that can be thrown on quickly and reasonably co-ordinate. Get clothes ready the night before, even if it's only hanging them on the wardrobe door.

[motherinferior]

I suspect I should be laughed off this thread but I'd say lash tint, a GOOD pair of tweezers - get those apparently pointlessly pricey Tweezerman ones - and yes, proper bra. A lifted pair of norks does a lot for a girl, I find.

[twelveyeargap]

Actually agree with the good tweezers. Cheap ones often (though not always) break the hairs above the root or don't grip properly so you end up plucking the same hair more than once, and make ingrowns more likely.

[motherinferior]

Also recommend travelling beautician. Mine does my lashes. I feel quite madly self-indulgent and laydeeofleeesurish whenever she does.

[franch]

MI, who's your travelling beautician?

[Tutter]

lol lordvenger - i like your post

[Tutter]

i wouldn't say am an expert (i do have an under-3yo and am heavily pg) but despite looking tired all the time i make sure i...

have frequent pedicures
keep eyebrows groomed
have regular cut and colour
keep legs and underarms hair-free

i need to get better at keeping hands presentable, and blow drying hair (usually only fringe, then rest gets tied back)

[Malaleche]

oh thank goodness for lordvenger's post ...[picks egg out of hair and adjusts duvet to hide hairy legs]
am lucky to drag a slimey facecloth over my face most days, did manage to shave my armpits recently tho [brightens]

[dinny]

oh, wow, this is great - thanks! some questions!

• do you all get up and shower first thing?
  
• do you shave legs in shower or bath in evening?
  
• what do you do with your bikini line?
  
• I have got below-chin layered bob thing that I always end up scraping back. would a fringe make me look more groomed?
  
• that Dove holiday skin - do you put it on your knees and feet too?
  
  
  I have a friend who is beautician who has dd same age as ds, so it's actually really easy to get stuff done, even if have ds with me (I have only just increased work hours, so have a bit more money to spend on myself)
  
  am loving the using time at the gym to do beauty things!

[franch]

• do you all get up and shower first thing? - Yes, this is vital! I shower and do as much makeup etc as possible while DH is still around; if he's leaving early I just have to get up before everyone else

- do you shave legs in shower or bath in evening? - Shower, AM (but not daily)

- what do you do with your bikini line? - Nothing unless I'm going to be wearing a swimsuit - but I don't think mine's too bad!!

- I have got below-chin layered bob thing that I always end up scraping back. would a fringe make me look more groomed? - Depends on your hair. If I had a fringe it wouldn't lie flat so would be a lot of work.

- that Dove holiday skin - do you put it on your knees and feet too? - I await the wisdom of others on this! I've always used normal fake tan (St Tropez etc) as it doesn't have to be applied daily, but am considering other options - see my fake tan thread. However I do use Lancome's gel fake tan for face daily as I'm extremely pasty and it's quite subtle.