To find it nearly impossible to look polished

[Ceci03]

So I have been making a big effort with my hair and makeup and doing my nails and fake tan on my legs. Just trying to look a bit more polished.

Was at a work meeting with some colleagues I hadn't met before and couldn't stop admiring the woman beside me. Her hair was beautifully highlighted and smooth. He nails were perfect. I nearly felt embarrassed when I looked at my efforts. Her clothes were beautifully cut. Sparkly white teeth. Lovely jewellry.

I came away feeling very scruffy and wondering if I will ever get the look I want of being put together and I suppose polished. I guess it takes money too to look that good. I highlighted my hair at home and it looks nice but not as good as a hairdressers colour. My nails were scruffy round the edges. I dunno I just felt a bit shabby.

Any tips for looking more polished on a budget!

I'm not sure I'm fully with Araminta but all the "French manicure" stuff I would either not even notice or actively dislike . I don't like coloured nails or nail extensions or whatever. Same with fake- not keen on natural tans much either.

@Damnyouautocorrect1 what hair plumper did you use?

@AbsoIutelyLovely i might have misunderstood this thread but to me polished means nicely put together, looking chic and stylish - nothing to do with being a beige carbon copy. I teach undergrads for a living in a creative subject, and dress like I do, so am definitely not in the Victoria Beckham or Kate Middleton camp!

Oooh what hair plumper did you get? Mine is so bloody flat 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Damnyouautocorrect1 id love to know which hair plumper you use too

It's definitely the hair.

Every so often I have a burst of energy and make an effort. Today I went out and carefully chose clothes, shoes, bit of make up, just a few simple accessories, all elegant, and well put together.

Then I caught sight of myself whilst out and the only thing I saw was the hair which had gone from a simple tidy half-up-do into a half lank, half frizzy mess with wispy bits all over the place. Total shitshow.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses you sound like my next style icon

I think good eyelash extensions and fake tan are the number one things to make someone look good and ‘sparkly’.

Alternatively: weekly veg box, almost zero processed food, little alcohol, consistent skin care, plenty of sleep. Then buy the best quality tailoring you can (new or otherwise) and fill in the gaps from places like Zara or Uniqlo. Avoid the ghastly good taste and generally poor quality of the upper High St.

Agree

Genuine question from a mixed race woman with super curly hair - how does one do Polished with mad curls???

I have got better at this look over the last few years, I think mainly because my children are older and I have more disposable income. I have never heard I look polished before but I do now on a regular basis. I wear clothes that fit in hood fabrics. Always pressed/ironed. I have a keratin blow dry so my hair is swishy and I do my eyebrows and nails every three weeks in very good salons. I am also fanatic about skin care and use good quality makeup. It costs alot. But I really enjoy feeling so much better about myself and I don't have any other expensive habits etc.

Also, I look more polished in the winter. Much more so

You own the shit out of them ❤️. Mad curls are extremely polished. My sister in law has 4c hair and she looks like a goodess. Her daughters are mixed race so loser curls but always in prestine condition.

Curls are polished (and we are all dead jealous of you for having them)

What is a hair plumber and how does it work?

My per theory is that it is ALL down to hair 🤣

I so agree! I have wavy, frizzy hair that had gotten more wiry with age (50s) and greys. I like to look polished but my hair is a no go these days. It no longer wants to be straightened (I've tried), it just gets more frizzy. As long as my skin is clear, makeup is nice and I have a bold lippie on (look dead without it), nails are clean and buffed/shaped and I like my outfit for the day, I feel polished enough. Good enough for me. My office is corporate but my team is very casual, luckily.

Agree on your point re length too - can't do a sharp bob either, my hair is almost down to armpit and hangs better - as long as it's not too frizzy or too greasy it's OK by me. It does it's own thing! That's the trouble with wavy/curly hair, you have to let it find its happy place and just roll with it!

I think any hair that is looked after looks polished. Curly, straight, wavy, doesn’t matter as long as you look after it.

I’ve got dead straight hair and can look like Neil from the young ones if I leave it.

Healthy, shiny, bouncy, freshly washed hair is polished imo. Be it long, short, straight, curly or wavy, white, blonde, black, red or even a rainbow.
but that’s the key to looking polished - just taking care. Of your hair, skin, clothes, diet, all of it. Avoid processed food and alcohol, cleanse and moisturise, wash and blow dry your hair, iron your clothes.

and I think I’d rather go with glamourous then polished

People like this are almost certainly aliens, OP. Back away slowly and don't make any sudden movements.

That was always me. Starting off looking reasonably put together, but it was never long before I looked a little unravelled.

post menopause and losing my thyroid I don’t look great and I’ve given up. Most devastating thing is hair thinning on top. It’s just started happening in the past year or so and I still haven’t got used to it. Hopefully the day will come when I thoroughly don’t care.

Please, please tell me the brand name of the hair plumper!

I find that shortage of time is the problem. I don’t have the time (or budget) to get my brows done, but I do use a good brow brush with colour. Concealer and bronzer; I look better with a glow. I second the Babyliss Big Brush to get that bouncy just-dried shine.

I get more compliments wearing strong colours than neutrals.

@MintyAraminta
I mean, even the idea of the word 'edgy' is a bit cringe

I mean, another woman came on here and described her process, giving a direct answer to the OP's question, and you're slagging off her choice of words?
I don't think edgy is any cringier than self-describing as a "wild" "free spirit" with a certain "intellectualism".

I was just about to come on and say my mad curly hair makes it hard to look polished! So I've just gone with it and aim to look good and as smart as I can. But I'll never be polished.

I had my colours done, it's made a massive difference to my "polished". I also have unruly curly hair I keep straight. Sounds like you look great but question is how do you feel? I think it's all about that.

I’m just here for the hair plumper

I was just about to come on and say my mad curly hair makes it hard to look polished! So I've just gone with it and aim to look good and as smart as I can. But I'll never be polished.

I wonder if people notice how they’ve bought into a particular, heavily racialised, narrative about what constitutes a polished (AKA ‘civilised’) look?