"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?

@Spiderbaby8

Bralettes/bra tops are much better than underwired. Burn the underwire!

Wear what you like rather than worry what others think.

Sometimes rolling up jeans/tucking in a top can help finish a look, make you feel more stylish.

Haahaahaa! That's hilarious! I have huge boobs. I have since I was about 13. I'm 50 and they are now not pert. I haven't been able to wear a fucking bralette without possibly resulting in an obscenity charge in about 30 years. A properly fitting bar for someone with a big bust is a must if you want your torso to look like something besides one giant panel of boob, which is exactly what a bralette or bra top does for someone with huge tits.

In a similar vein to cutting the hanging loops out of tops, no outfit was improved by having the washing label sticking out of it. Especially not when it's an underwear label - what the Germans call Arschfax (arse fax). It's preferable to pre-emptively cut them out.

Does anyone have a trick to prevent cut out arse faxes or any label, from creating an itchy edge? Doesn’t always happen but can be v annoying

Arse fax! I love it and will now adopt this term!

Those labels can be useful from a washing info/ resale on ebay perspective though...

Always wear SPF 50 rain or shine

Add oil to your foundation if you have dry skin. Stops it highlighting flakes or filling creases and adds 'glow'

I was convinced short hair would have a rejuvenating effect on me, but it didn’t, I just felt in invisible. Thankfully I am back to shoulder length hair again

It's been the complete opposite for me. During lock down my hair grew and became more straw like, frumpy and frizzy in spite of all the conditioning treatments I tried. I had my hair cut and coloured two weeks ago, back to being short, and it is now shiny again. It has taken years off me.

@Coffeepot72 - I'm wearing Dunlop, they look exactly the same but somehow they fit me better and feel more comfortable. However I'm in NZ and can't find them at present, so I may have to move to a plan B when I need to replace them.

I have really straight eyelashes, in fact they curl downwards like a cows! Waterproof mascara used after I curl them sets them and they stay ‘up‘ all day.

Blusher ( Bourjois Rose Frisson) makes my dark circles look less obvious.

A little face fake tan used every other day makes me look so much better with or without make up on - DH always compliments me first thing after I’ve used tan luxe sleep oil. I also add tan luxe Tanning drops to my day moisturiser, I alternate.

I straighten a section of hair with GHD’s then immediately put in Velcro rollers - this gives great rootlift and a slight curl to the ends, it also eliminates frizz without the flatness.

Taper long sleeves on tops, cardigans, jumpers and sweatshirts.

I quite often turn too short dresses into long tops buy cutting a few inches off and hemming - I’ll actually buy dresses to turn in to tops, I like a longer top that covers the tops of my thighs in skinny jeans - not always easy to find.

carbs are the enemy

Utter rubbish

I always enjoy and excuse to post a link to this excellent advice on style for the over 30s. Especially for @FairyAndLavender

warningcurvesahead.com/2016/06/04/24-things-women-over-30-should-wear/

@eaglejulesk not rubbish at all. At least imo which is what this thread is asking for

Oh yes and agree short hair is sooooo unflattering

Oh yes and agree short hair is sooooo unflattering

I don't understand why people feel the need to come on these threads and be so rude. Couldn't you just say that short hair doesn't suit you?!

Long hair is much easier to manage than short hair. OMG yes!!

I have weird hair. Fine but lots of it, red but with streaks of blonde/auburn and of course now grey, wavy/curly, double crown. NIGHTMARE to style but even more so when short, I stupidly thought after having dd (when I was losing handfuls by the day anyway!) that a nice “Elfin” cut would be “easier and quicker to manage” for a busy mum - biggest regret style wise of my life!

I looked awful and it took bloody ages till it was long enough to look decent again, I will NEVER make that mistake again.

Even though many including my mother think long hair after 40 is outrageous! Well it suits me and it’s easier to look after this way which is also important as I’m disabled. Ok a lot of days I will put it up but even that looks better than when it was short as I can tame battle into submission the curls

I also 😱 cut my own hair! Saves me a fortune and also saves me days of pain after sitting in uncomfortable stupid hairdresser chairs and using those sinks!

@LunaNorth thanks for posting that article. Those women look fucking awesome!!

I’m thankful that I mostly come from a family where the “older” women don’t/didn’t gaf for the supposed rules of fashion! Gran on my dads side loved band and cartoon t-shirts, trainers (inc converse in her 80’s!) and baseball caps, gran on mums side swore by red lippy, hair done and any kind of earrings on (she had some belters! I don’t think she ever threw any jewellery away), I have one aunt that lives in dungarees/jumpsuits and always has, but another that has never owned a pair of jeans because she doesn’t like the feel of denim...

All power to them!

I haven’t worn a bra in 3 years! And I have a large chest! Started because I hurt my shoulder and couldn’t put them on/take them off. I switched to crop top style at first but they were also awkward to use so now I just wear a strappy vest. Boobs haven’t “dropped”, no stretch marks or anything and I’m comfortable! I’ve asked trusted people including my very blunt dd if it looks ok and they’ve all said it doesn’t look significantly different to when I was wearing bras!

No one ever told me after spending £££££ on skincare that a 49p bar of dettol soap would give me the best skin I've had in years. All those bits and bobs of spots and marks I've had for years are completely gone! No one ever told me that I just am not a good shape for trousers of any kind, but flowing v neck dresses fitted around the bust make me look 100 times better. No one ever told me that I would have to spend an awful lot of money on footwear to comfort my awkward feet. No one ever told me that the best bras for me were only £4 in asda!

I’ve changed my name to my ‘outing hair colour’ nickname because , erm, it’s outing.

If you had beautiful almost-black hair and got grey in your twenties and started dyeing it dark brown and then woke up at 42 with a massive white line on your scalp within a week of dyeing your hair your original colour, make peace and embrace the grey! I had all mine bleached, then went pink, then blue, steely grey, and currently pink again. The burning allergy of dark brown hair dye doesn’t happen with the bright colours (who knew obvious artificiality is less allergenic - but that brown dye is horrific). So much happier now- and surprisingly bright colours do well with both neutrals, other brights, and blacks.

At some point I plan steel grey with bright ends.

Also:

Yes to slips
Yes to converse but they hurt my feet (superga less so)
Yes to those cheap spring moustache remover thingys
Yes to those Korean ‘Italian towels’ that polish your skin (both mumsnet recommendations)

Oooh also yes to comfortable shoes
And

Never, ever ever wear hold up stockings. Especially if you’ve moisturised your legs.
(Me going out in my twenties for the evening but pending my time holding the hold ups up as they rolled down my legs due to the moisturiser nullifying the Sticky strips on the hold up.

It rains in the UK. Buy the best, most stylish, waterproof jacket/ coat you can afford, it will pay for itself many times over.

Knockers over tights to keep them up

I know boobs go south a little as we age, but that's extreme!

I saw a PP mention that dresses are easier than separates and YES to that! That is one thing I wish I could go back and tell my much younger self. I think I always thought that dresses were too 'dressy', it feels like such a waste to have been so shy.

I wish I’d realised in my younger days that the sexiest thing by far is confidence. I feel FAR more attractive at almost 40 (post childbirth and with saggy boobs, greying hair and a craggy face) than I did as a slim and pretty 20-something with zero confidence.

Also wish someone had told me the importance of eyebrows (sisters not twins!) before I became a 90s overplucking casualty.

What are you meant to do with your Converse when you turn 40? Can you give then away or do you have to burn them?

Anyway.

Buy a clothes steamer. It's so much quicker and easier than having to bother ironing.

Buy a bobble shaver. Best gadget ever.

Always have wundaweb in the house. Hems only ever come down when you're in a hurry and have nothing else to wear.

Buy one size up in pants and you won't get VPL.

What are you meant to do with your Converse when you turn 40? Can you give then away or do you have to burn them?

You have them placed in special urns so they can be reunited with you when you're interred.

Don’t waste your money on waxing or shaving foam. I once over each week using hair conditioner and a cheap razor in the bath looks just as good as saves you lots of money.

Oh yes and agree short hair is sooooo unflattering

Also utter rubbish.

I do feel sorry for the women who think you can't wear something because of your age, size, it's no longer fashionable etc. What angst ridden lives you must lead! Me, I just put on whatever makes me feel comfortable and head out with a smile to face the day