"Nobody ever told me" thread

[littlecatfeet]

I was wondering, do you have any personal style/beauty tips that you worked out all by yourself?

I have two:

1. Never ever apply perfume when you're under stress - running late, or angry, or anxious - it seems to cause that horrible reaction that makes perfume unbearable.
2. When you are carrying 'le flab' (as I call it) a silk slip looks a million times better under a dress than shapewear. It slides past your creases and moves naturally. And you're comfortable!

What hard-won or fluke inspirations do you have to share?

@LoeliaPonsonby

steppenmum Agree that there’s nothing wrong with heading to a garden centre in, well, gardening clothes - it’s just that it’s never held up as a paragon of someone wearing whatever the fuck they like and being considered well put together. Wearing whatever the fuck you like really appears to mean, break some conventions but still spend loads of time thinking about what you wear, how you look and whilst you’re there spend loads of money and mental energy.

Yep. Wear whatever you like as long as it's either safe and "fashionable" or bold and inventive.

@Harriedharriet, it used to be Long & Lean from Gap

You know how sometimes you notice another woman checking out what you are wearing. It happened to me yesterday, and not in a good way, and I don't care.

On the plus side, I was wearing a coat... and it rained. She wasn't.

On a similar note to the garden centre woman, do you remember that Trinny and Susannah programme where they’d secretly film a woman whose friends thought needed style advice?

T and S (who I love) never understood that some women don’t want to look attractive to mss Ed n and the shapeless clothes are sometimes deliberate. It was an aspect of female psychology they never seemed to get.

Typo! “attractive to men”

(Anyone else’s iPhone do that random jumble of letters?)

@LoeliaPonsonby

steppenmum Agree that there’s nothing wrong with heading to a garden centre in, well, gardening clothes - it’s just that it’s never held up as a paragon of someone wearing whatever the fuck they like and being considered well put together. Wearing whatever the fuck you like really appears to mean, break some conventions but still spend loads of time thinking about what you wear, how you look and whilst you’re there spend loads of money and mental energy.

yes, I'd agree with you there.

Wear whatever the fuck you like = ffs women not like that, you're STILL doing it wrong

I go to garden centres a great deal. And there’s often men there wearing gardening clothes without, apparently, anyone judging.

When I go to the ( plant ) nursery almost everyone is Wearing gardening clothes, women and men.

I’ve never checked the condition of their heels TBH.

spend loads of time thinking about what you wear
This doesn't have to be a bad thing unless it's causing anxiety. I love looking at clothes and deciding how to put outfits together.

That different body types suit different styles of knickers! I spent years as a pear shape (and I'm still slim, but definitely pear shaped) buying knickers that just disappeared up my bum when I walked and despairing. Those Brazilian knickers that were all the rage and the must have underwear all the papers and magazines were raving about? They don't work on me. Now I actually understand why. It also never occurred to me until recently to size up!

@JaneJeffer

spend loads of time thinking about what you wear This doesn't have to be a bad thing unless it's causing anxiety. I love looking at clothes and deciding how to put outfits together.

Exactly, wearing casual clothes and opting out of what is fashionable has never been so acceptable. In fact what’s fashionable seems more comfortable than ever before too. If you don’t want to spend the headspace thinking about what to wear don’t bother.

Most people who come on the style and beauty threads enjoy thinking about what they are wearing and putting outfits or capsule wardrobes together. It’s a hobby like any other.

[quote MikeUniformMike]@Harriedharriet, it used to be Long & Lean from Gap[/quote]
tis

Thanks yes

You know how sometimes you notice another woman checking out what you are wearing

Nope. I have never noticed anyone checking out my clothes. I tend not to notice what other people are wearing unless it is something I particularly like or something that is inappropriate for the weather or occasion.

Maybe it's just in Somerset that people go to garden centres to waft around the overpriced farm shop and eat expensive cake. It's designer handbags a-gogo here.

@hammeringinmyhead it’s like that in gardening centres in Hampshire too

I tend not to notice other people, tat or cake in garden centres.

Ah I obv go to the less posh garden centres.

Cotton wool balls unravel into thin strips of cotton. I found this out a couple of months ago and I am 40. All my life ( until i moved onto pads and now, reusable pads) I have used them as balls and grumbled over their tiny inadequacy!

Cotton wool balls unravel into thin strips of cotton. I found this out a couple of months ago and I am 40

I knew they unravelled but I still use them as balls

That all (ALL) foundation, no matter how light, dewy, BB, CC, even tinted sunscreen looks dead, flat and, as you get older, lined in the same way.

I've finally realized that I should use whatever other skin products I use, then concealer, go. Powder for photos, or if giving a big sweat-inducing talk. But never foundation!

I never wear make up or heels. Ever. Go ahead, judge me, but actually not only do not care, I actually don't notice your judgement.

I won't be judging as I'm the same. I don't think I've worn heels in my whole life, and the last time I wore make up (minimal, applied by myself) was at my wedding 30 years ago.

I don't actually get the underwire bra thing though. I never wore them for years because I thought they would be uncomfortable, tried one and found it very comfortable and never went back.

For comfortable earrings I wear silver hoops, the kind that are a nightmare to put in as they're one solid circle. Got the piercer to do it for me and never take them out

You don't have to use powder everywhere, I use a puff and press it on in areas I get shiny

If your glasses remove your foundation with the nose pads, try a eye primer on that patch under the foundation

Using a dermaplane scalpel to shape my brows

Bioderma shower oil is a gift from the gods, moisturising and you can shave your legs with it and wash hair if needed

I kept buying body lotion because I feel I "should" use it, but I hate it. So the above shower oil plus sanctuary in shower gel does the same job

Find a youtube person with similar skin and/or colouring and watch their reviews. I found CYO foundation from this and it was amazing. I know if she likes something, it's more than likely I will

That all (ALL) foundation, no matter how light, dewy, BB, CC, even tinted sunscreen looks dead, flat and, as you get older, lined in the same way.

That. With bells on.
Foundation is vile. And smells funny, no matter the make, cost, alleged magical properties.

I'm 54, I have half-decent skin, most of my lines are laughter/'thinking' line (never frowning, oh no! ) and so far no horses have bolted nor children run away screaming from my bar face, so I shall carry on my max £5 pot of moisturiser 'routine'.

Oh, the stress that used to be induced when a beauty counter person would ask me what my 'skin care routine' was!

barE bace - should proof read, sorry.
And lineS - multiple