I cannot look nice / put together

[Icantlooknice]

Just that really.

Theres nothing obvious stopping me - not overweight, very average looking, I can buy new clothes when I need etc but I just can’t look nice and it’s almost worse when I actually make an effort. Make up peels, hair goes flat or frizzy, clothes (except jeans and a jumper) never look quite right.

I could have a professional blow dry and still look like I’d made no effort. Even on my wedding day with my hair and makeup done, guests looked nicer!

Any tips?

Are you sure this isn't a self-esteem issue? Why would you look worse than everyone else?
I would have a think about why you are so critical of yourself. I bet you looked lovely on your wedding day.

Peeling make-up = use a primer. Exfoliate gently and moisturise before.
Frizzy hair = try co-washing.
Clothes = figure out what 'season' you are (broadly speaking) and wear those colours on your top half. It will brighten up your face a lot.

Solid advice above. But also, what if your natural look is to be a bit wild and artistic looking, not dressed up and polished?

I am always the one that looks scruffy in a picture! Following and hoping for words of wisdom!

Maybe your hair is not in the right style for you?
Or a Brazillian blow dry might be worth a try?

It sounds like you haven't found your style yet.
Have an in person House of Colour appointment- I reckon you are wearing the wrong colours and clothes that don't suit you.

I have this problem but I've made some progress over the years. Not as much as I'd have liked but definite and solid progress. You really need to experiment with lots of different things and go with what works best - you may just need to try loads of foundations and different types of application and different moisturisers to find what works for you?

I also find eyebrow powder makes a big difference (or get your brows done permanently by a professional). Your brows really frame your face.

I just discovered the GHD glide brush too - it seems to straighten my hair without flattening it completely. And the Revlon one step can add shape and volume without requiring levels of coordination and energy that I don't have. Earrings can help a bit too if you find stylish ones that suit your face shape etc. I agree that the right colours can give you a lift too.

Brazilian blowdries aren't for me but they work wonders for some and there's a product called Wow that also seems to help with frizzy hair.

I always always felt this way when I was younger but I seem to have found my style in my Kate 39s. I always had frizzy hair too and I do Brazilian blow dry it now which smooths it a lot but also wear it up a lot and can do really nice up do's myself so I wear it that way more as it suits me better.

I found my colour season and try to stick to those colours and have found my style is really simple and works for me in a classic way.

Me too!
I always look like Worzel Gummidge in photos (and real life), even when I hope I might miraculously be having a Joan Collins day 😶
I do a lot of "oh my God, is that me???!" and not in a good way...
I now avoid cameras at all costs 😬

I know how you feel. I’ll never stack up to those women who walk around in their beautifully pressed, perfectly taylored linen trousers with their white cotton shirts and expensive flats.
But I have the warmth and charmth that they always seem to lack.

Me too! I’ve found I look better the less I try, so I’ll look fine after a walk on a windy beach or going for a run, but if I spend ages trying to do my hair and makeup it’s terrible. I’m not sure what the solution is at this point, maybe embrace the windswept look when going for nights out?

I have been like this all my life, I remember reading the makeup advice in Just 17 and not being able to do it. I’m over 40 now and have more or less given up!

My thought exactly, took me 30 years to learn this about myself.

I’m scruffy-lookin’ too OP, I fail dismally when I try to look polished. I go for drama instead. Less work and more fun.

I always prepare my outfits the night before, then I’m not wasting precious time in the morning looking for that nice bag etc (then failing to find it and going out with a Sainsbury’s bag for life).

Thanks all! I’m sadly not the creative wild artistic type either.

Some of it probably is self esteem but I’ve noticed my mum is also like this, never quite gets it ‘right’ so it’s probably just how I am! Possibly a confidence thing too.

Could improve my posture and make up skills for sure!

I think you are probably being a touch self-critical, as you sound lovely, but either way...

Book an appointment with a good local stylist, and get good advice on what actually works for you and will make you feel more polished. Anonymous posters can't really help you much directly, I don't think.