Glow up tips

[Minnie123456]

Last year I promised myself that before I hit the big 40 that I would start looking after myself properly and have a "glow up" unfortunately I turned 40 in Jan and nothing changed.

What are your top glow up tips. I've got fine lines on my forehead, corners of eyes but don't fancy botox.
Need to loose weight and struggle to remember to drink enough.
Hair has been gradually thining over the last few years.

Please tell me what lotions/potions you use to look better. Supplements,vitamins, collegen?? I really don't want to leave my first year of my 40's looking like this.

Get a haircut that is forgiving to your hair and look into PRP for hair loss.
Start using retinol and toners to improve skin texture, fine lines and signs of aging.
Keep on top of eyebrows, they really frame the face.
Buy some nice accessories, shoes, bags, belts. They make an outfit.

I'd start with the basics before fancy lotions and potions to be honest - definitely drink more water, it makes such a difference to your skin when you are properly hydrated (on top of all the other benefits!) and fine lines definitely look worse when you're dehydrated. You could set regular alarms on your phone to remind yourself to have a glass of water. I keep a jug in the fridge to pour from so it's always nice and cold. That being said a good retinol serum works wonders to improve skin texture and signs of aging. And moisturise daily!

Eat well - plenty of fruit and veg and limit processed and sugary foods. Keep alcoholic drinks to a minimum. Fast if you can - doesn't have to be the 5:2 or anything extreme, I find 16:8 works for me.

Exercise - Move your body EVERY DAY, even if it's just a walk. Weight train if you can, we lose muscle mass more quickly as we age and building up your strength has soo many benefits as well as weight loss!

Sleep - Prioritise this! 8 hours if you can. Difficult if you have young kids but do the best you can. Create an evening/nighttime routine that helps you wind down like a shower, nice scented candle and a good book (remember to blow the candle out before you go to sleep 🤣). Magnesium supplements help with sleep and also no screens!!

SPF - Every day

I’m a similar age and have also been trying to improve my appearance. A small simple thing - I’ve gone though my make up bag and binned anything too old or unflattering. I can now clearly see what I’ve got. I did the same with my clothes. I dyed my hair to get rid of the greys. I’m trying to keep my eyebrows nice. I’m doing weights (Caroline Girvan) at home. I’m trying wear my nice items of clothing more often, rather than saving for best. I’m also making a conscious effort to wear jewellery. I did a footner treatment on my feet and I’m trying to use body lotion most days. In short. I’m trying to look after myself. I’ve also whitened my teeth.

Thanks for starting this thread. I’m hoping to pick up some more tips.

Don’t underestimate the power of tooth whitening! It makes such a difference. If you ever go to America you can pick up some Crest Whitening Strips over there. They are as effective as tooth whitening that dentists do over here.

Basics
water
fast till 12 daily
vitamins

face - morning and night
boots brand :
glycolic acid
niacinamide
hyalyronic acid
azalic acid
retinol (night)
SPF

basic make up
concealer / lips / mascara

Cream skin daily
night showers
steam face
pumice stone feet
exfoliate every few days
i could go on

I did something similar in my early 40s (now 50s) but took lots of baby steps over time. Also, January is a rubbish time to have an overhaul, so don't beat yourself up about it.

Some things I did:
tracked my food to start with to find out what I was eating, so started eating more healthily
started some weights and yoga in the mornings
I already walked a lot with the school run
sleep hygiene, watch caffeine and wind down
eating/sleeping well and exercising makes you look better
I already used spf, started retinol
vit c serum
headspace meditation
saw an image consultant who helped me rediscover my style
My changes were health-based initially as I had repeat infections and then expanded.

The obvious:
Sleep well and enough
Eat well and enough - no fad starvation diets (I recommend Mediterranean food!)
Don't be extreme or obsessive. Have things you like, but go for quality and homemade
Drink lots of water
Move your body
No alcohol
No smoking

The extras:
Get your hair coloured and cut - avoid frumpy hairstyles, or too trendy ones. Always go classic
Change up your wardrobe. Get rid of frumpy, dull, unflattering, beige clothes of bad quality - add colour, quality and style
Get some simple, dainty but beautiful jewelry that are timeless. If you can, invest in solid metals. Also, avoid pearls, unless they're tiny...they tend to age you
Wear simple makeup that enhance your features
Start a morning and evening skincare routine
Apply a good body lotion at least once a day
Get your feet sorted out at a podiatrist (not a pedicure place. A podiatrist will have proper knowledge of the foot's anatomy, and know how to shave dry skin off without cutting you)
Do your nails
Get laser hair removal if you need it

Supplements I take:
Multivitamin
Biotin
Iron
Vitamin D
Marine collagen
Rose hip
Psellium husks

I also drink:
Hibiscus and blueberry tea
Chamomile tea
Mint tea

I can't resist an ice cold Pepsi Max. It doesn't do anything for you, but it makes me happy, so...

Schedule a regular spa visit including whatever treatment you feel you need - massage, facial etc. It does wonders for your mental state too.

Are you me?

I have done two things lately which have helped massively:

-Intermittent fasting. I lost 4 kilos and hit my target weight. It seems extreme but is honestly the easiest way to lose weight! I do it twice a week, carry on as nlrmal the rest of the time. Tricky the first week, not difficult at all after that. Side bonus: it makes me drink a lot more water, which I was always terrible at.

• Subscribed to Skin and Me. I've never had a skincare routine and couldn't even begin to try to figure out what products I needed. This is all in one, to use once a day before bed so very achievable. It's made a huge difference already, I think my face was just very dehydrated.

Good luck!

It's boring stuff, lots of water and sleep. Get on top of stress (easier said than done).
Colour greys and cut hair into easy to style.
Regular nail maintenance.
Body lotion or oil after every shower. Body scrub regularly.
Keep hand lotion everywhere (car/ bag/ office desk) and use often.
Keep foot lotion in bedside table and use generously at bedtime.

In my 40s , I upped my beauty treatments and now regularly have my roots done, bikini wax, pedicure, nails, brows and lash lift, massage. Threw money at the problem, it has helped me feel put together.

I had my colours done, made a massive difference to my wardrobe, make up and hair colour. WLI have helped me lose 4st and I dress to my body shape, regular gym sessions improve my health and strength.

I'm much healthier and feel younger now at 44 than I did at 40.

Retinol
professional teeth whitening
sleep
10000 steps a day
2l water a day
good multivitamin

Thank you everyone for your replies, I now have lots of things to try.
@ToBeOrNotToBee is there a retinol you recommend? I tried one from the ordinary but didn't like it, it was very runny and had to be kept in the fridge. I'm currently using a Sunday Riley one but it's too early to tell if it's doing anything.

@ThePinkPonyClub that's a good idea about the alarms, I'm going to try that. No screens before bed will be hard 🤦‍♀️

@PeachPumpkin no worries,hope some of these tips help you as well. I dread to think what is lurking in my make up box, I really do need to sort mine.

@LeaveALittleNote I don't think I'll ever be in Amercia to get those strips ☹️ I did order some Crest toothpaste off Amazon but doubt it will be as good as the strips.

Things I notice when people glow up:

1. fitter, toned body ( noticeable weight loss if they were overweight before)
2. great hair cut and colour that suits them, not just what they’ve grown used to having
3. clothes that fit well are good quality and are stylish and on trend for the age bracket
4. sociable and happy

@shalamakooky that sounds like a good routine. I always get confused with skin care, there's so much to choose from.

@quirkychick thank you. I do try to keep a food diary but I only do it for a few days then stop 🤦‍♀️

@Arancia unfortuately the podiatrist would be a no no, I hate people touching my feet 😂. What does Rose hip and pesillium husks do?

@wintersgold I might need their whole treatment menu at this stage lol.

@Greyowl7 that sounds a good way to do intermittent fasting. I did start setting up a subscription ages ago with skin and me but then didn't go through with it as I wasn't sure if it was any good.

@EveryDayisFriday I do try to do the boring things but if I'm tired I give up for a night which then turns into about a week before I start again. I really need to be more consistent.

@ThePoshUns are there any multivitamins you recommend?

Thanks @MeganM3

@Minnie123456i use Feel multivitamins on prescription

Start the evening pamper earlier, I take my make up off after dinner. Maybe add a face mask or tooth whitening strips. Paint nails in front of the tv.

There's a lot of advice on here, I would start with baby steps, choose 1 or 2 things each week to make a consistent habit. I started by tracking food and exercise on my fitness pal with a support thread on here. I was shocked that I was undereating healthy meals and overeating unhealthy snacks. It showed me what I was doing, so I could make little changes.

You asked about supplements:
I take collagen powder in my coffee (with different types to help skin, nails, hair and muscles and joints)
gelatinised maca powder (not raw, as can cause gut issues) to help with energy and hormones
Vit D in winter
Magnesium at night

I have -

Lost weight.
More strenght training, less cardio
Invisalign and teeth whitening
prescription tret instead of drugstore retinol
Besides tret, swapped all my skincare for Korean brands, I look smooth and plump like a well fed baby, even after the weight loss.
Minoxidil for hair loss.

Figure out what colours suit you and stick to the palette. I also find that on me personally, monochrome colour matched outfits (not black or white, I mean entire outfit in different shades of the same colour) look a lot more elegant than colour blocking contrasting shades.
Buy only clothes that really suit you, not 'ah this will do and it's on sale' ones.
Well fitting bras.