Share your quick, easy &/or cheap beauty wins with haggard-looking turning 50.

[lechatnoir]

I need an overhaul. I've lost a couple of stone recently so less puffy-looking but my skin is grey & dull, I've got awful bags and my hair looks shit. I'm turning 50 in a few months and need to give myself a kick up the arse. Please share your easy or quick (& preferably cheap) at home hacks for looking and feeling better.

I started body brushing most days a few months back but god it's boring & uncomfortable - is it really worth it? Awful cellulite so will persevere if it helps but no difference so far. Ditto, night serum religiously for a good month yet no change. One of my kids uses a really thick cheap Cerave moisturiser so might just start using that and save money on expensive serums.

One plus is I can now fit into most of my clothes and bought some nice pieces on Vinted recently so from a distance don't look too bad 😆

Any quick, easy or reliable a home beauty wins I can take on board and hopefully start to see a difference in a month or two? Supplements, lotions, techniques all welcome.

Hi Op. well done on losing weight that's a huge achievement. I have pretty normal skin and hair. I'm 46. I love products but i am a lazy skinflint these days with tons of other things to pay for.
Body brushing sounds grim and pointless and surely will give you thread veins as its so harsh.
The usual, drink water, sleep, eat a fair amount of salad, veg and fruit that you like.
I'm not really into anything restrictive or rule based these days.
I don't really eat bread and pasta or junk food very much, I don't drink or smoke and i eat dark chocolate and a handful of brazil nuts a day.
I love walking and will do an hour whenever i can. If i had more time i would join a yoga and pilates class to be sociable and motivated. (online stuff too much like hard work for me)

Below is stuff i keep coming back to and have been using for years.

Body
Sainsburys pure soap bars, if i am feeling posh i also use the odd l'Occitane soap bar. I feel that washing all over every day with soap is exfoliating enough for my skin.
I nicked a very cheap superdrug own brand shower gel from my daughter vanilla and dragonfruit i think. It smells divine, a bit like coco mademoiselle by chanel.
E45 lotion, the big bottle lasts ages and goes on really easily and quickly its non scented and non greasy and just works.
Nuxe body oil on my legs after i shave them. Pricey but lasts ages.

Hair removal
Good tweezers, philips lady shave, mach 3 razor and nivea for men sensitive shave gel, men's shave stuff is so much better and cheaper than women's.

Hair
Nice n easy box hair dye, pantene colour gloss shampoo, charles worthington leave in conditioner. That's it. Honestly my hair is in good condition. Its long and i get it cut about every 6 months when i remember.

Teeth
Flossers, a selection of the higher end toothpastes like sensodyne which i really rate. Get decent toothbrushes and change often. go to the dentist every year at least. I have good teeth and really make sure i use a good brushing technique twice a day and floss regularly and really take care of them

nails,
hand soap and nail brushes, essie nail polish is nice, nursem handcream smells lovely and is good, if that's too pricey then neutrogena handcream is great and lasts ages. IMHO a lot of handcreams are crap the above two are the only ones i buy.

Face

L'oreal age perfect cleanser and toner and nivea soothing face cream spf 15. I don't personally like a heavier spf and this makes my skin really soft.

As for make up i would have a browse in superdrug at their revolution, elf and mua ranges, they are such good value great products, nice packaging etc. Less is more and i use light brown pencils and stuff now also really look at your skin colour. Be warned though when you get a good haul the daughter will be sniffing around it all...

As for clothes i did my colours by holding them up to my face in the mirror and seeing which made my eyes pop, no magic science to it.

I have really limited time to clothes shop and i like to see and try on clothes. I only really shop in
M& S for underwear and pyjamas, i get bras from Molke
Schuh for shoes and trainers
New look for basics
Crew Clothing
Jigsaw
Seasalt
There is also an independent shop on the high street which i will buy things from.
i shop in the above because they are within 10 minutes walking distance from me in my local town.

best of luck with the new you and feeling fab OP

Overnight a layer of Vaseline on clean skin maintains moisture better than any expensive night cream. But protect your pillowcases and don’t use it if you have a breakout.

I had a bit of a skincare overhaul in my late 40s, and it's definitely made a difference to my face. Not rolled back the years or anything but my skin is brighter. I like to double cleanse in the evening (using face cloth) and use tretinoin from skin & me followed by moisturiser. I also use a retinol eye cream and prai neck cream at night.

Daytime, I like a balm cleanser (then I met you is current one), medik8 press and glow for exfoliation, vitamin c serum (I flip between Sunday Riley and medik8), sometimes a hyaluronic acid serum, sometimes a mist spray, followed by moisturiser (strivectin sd advanced) and then I use a separate spf religiously. Eye cream applied before moisturiser (varies, still in search of a favourite).

I use some prefe ice globes (I keep in freezer) for an icy home face massage a couple of times a week or before make up on a night out.

Not the cheapest products, and too many products for some people's preferences, but they're working for me, and crucially, this combination doesn't make my foundation pill.

I can never be arsed with body brushing, I don't think there's a fix for cellulite really, but I try and use a body moisturiser regularly.

Beyond that, drink enough water, eat a nutrition diet, and if you drink alcohol, cut it back. I look dreadful if I have a boozy night, in a way I just didn't when I was young!

Sgtmajor mummy beat me to it re vaseline. I also use an acid toner and vit c serum. Use cream cleanser wiped off using eco pads. Revolution miracle cream is good. Im 55

I take a 50+ multivitamin and extra vitamin D (fair skin) which is a general booster for lots of physical processes. Natural Vit D production reduces with age and it and goes out in your pee if you take too much!

Hey thanks some good tips to get me started. I've got a tub of vaseline so will start with that tonight (better warn dh not to get too close!) . A decent multivitamin is a good shout will have a look at those.

I'm not a massive drinker can go weeks without drinking & know the odd night out I'll pay the price on my face the next day but it's not often enough to bother me. I do however need to seriously up my water consumption - standard day yesterday was 2 coffees, 1 tea and just 1 glass of water 😵

I'll look into some of the other lotions and creams as I do need to up my game and can no longer get away with minimal intervention! I was lucky when I was younger always had nice skin and reasonably attractive so the decline in my looks this past year has been brutal and I can no longer get away with winging it.

I used to use lots of expensive skincare but ten years ago decided to trade down, retirement plus wasn’t convinced it was any better.
So now I use high street stuff & if anything my skin looks better, hardly any wrinkles to speak of though I’ve always regularly used something which I think is the answer.Morning I just use Dove soap,then moisturiser Liz Earle Superskin plus an eye cream, various. Evening I use a cream cleanser, L’Oreal followed by Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish hot cloth cleanser ( sometimes the Aldi dupe) Then sometimes a serum followed by night cream, Olay, L’Oreal, No7 often depending on offers or where I’m shopping, Don't body brush but use a body lotion, L’Occitane Shea usually & their hand cream every time I remember, which isn’t often enough.

Best tip I got for grey dull skin is to exfoliate regularly - basically if you don’t remove the dead skin before applying your fancy creams, all the creams are doing is gluing the dead skin to your face 🤢

Depending on your preference, you can use an liquid acid toner like Pixi (glycolic / mandelic / AHA / BHA etc) or a very fine powder - Tatcha have a great one but it’s £££

Find a college near you with a beauty salon and check out what they offer in terms of facials etc.They will be cheaper than a beautician so long as you understand they are training.

Get a good night's sleep as often as possible
Stay hydrated
Eat healthily
Use spf day moisturiser and a night moisturiser
Lip balm

I got this body flannel/towel from Muji the other day and would recommend it. My skin felt so soft afterwards:

Muji shower body cloth

Might be an alternative to body brushing

Im in the same boat @lechatnoir , ( only hitting 60 ) lost the weight and now trying to do something to make myself look fresher - and on a tight budget - ie supermarket price range rather then high end

I hot cloth cleanse,used to use Liz Earle but Im now using Superdrug's Vit E one and whilst its not the same, it does the same job. Using a muslin cloth gives the face a slight exfoliation with every use

I read on here that glycolic acid is great for exfoliating so I have a glycolic toner from the Ordinary , use it after cleansing

Then hyaluronic acid is great for locking in the moisture, so a serum with that goes on after - apply to a damp face, again just one off the shelf and I finish off with Q10 moisturiser

So none of its high end but my skin is definitely much much much improved. No longer dry and flakey, no rough patches of redness and friends Ive not seen in a while have commented on how well Im looking of late

Walk as much as you can. Up fruit and veg. Only things that change my skin.

I can honestly say that rest, sleep and eat well. It sounds easy but it isn't - you really have to prioritise these 3 things.

For grey skin I'd say Vitamin C. I like this mask:
https://www.lookfantastic.com/lumene-nordic-c-valo-fresh-glow-brightening-gel-mask-150ml/12682046.html

A very basic and cheap tip is to switch to soap from shower gel (for your body, not face). My skin is much softer and less dry as a result. I get those lovely smelling French soaps from TKMaxx.

Some good tips on here but I I’d keep up the body brushing, it definitely makes a slight difference to my thighs and the tops of my arms, even a couple of times a week.

A bit of sea salt in shower gel is a good budget body exfoliator too for these areas.

I also use the body lotions with a hint of fake tan on my arms.

Water is a no brainer but I struggle myself to drink enough.

Oils are good too, I run any excess through the lengths of my hair after applying to my face and neck at night.

Well done on the weight loss!

Kind of jumping on this, can anyone recommend specific exercises to tighten neck and double chin pouch?

Thanks 😊

Tinted eyebrow gel is a very quick and easy win for me. Just subtly perks up my face a bit and makes it look more defined. No. 7 does a good cheap one in a range of colours.

All the long term health stuff is great, but sometimes it's nice to have a small thing that takes 30 seconds and gives your appearance an instant lift.

Yes @VictoriaPink it is those little wins we need sometimes. I've recenetly started dying my eyebrows to hide the grey so a tinted gel for in between and taming would be great so will try that.

I walk lots already which I think helped with the weight loss, and definitely need more sleep. I'm rarely in bed before 11:30 often more like midnight and up for 7am which always used to be enough but now seem to need nearer 8 hours to actually feel refreshed. Diet is OK as part of my weight loss this had an overhaul and I always make sure I eat 3 proper meals a day, lots of veg, high protein, not a big bread eater, mainly snack on fruit, veg or nuts. Obviously there's the odd treat but generally not too bad or at least not worth changing for the benefit of my face!