I always look scruffy! Help!

[justascruffbag]

I am admittedly time poor with two small children, who are at preschool 3 mornings a week which is when I do housework, sit down, and do a lot of cooking.

In the winter I wear jeans, white t shirt, cashmere jumper and trainers. I have a wax barbour coat which gets used for almost every occasion.

In the summer it's white t shirt and linen wide leg trousers in various shades. I have birkenstocks and a pair of Hermes Oran's.

That all sounds fine on paper but no matter what I always look scruffy. I hate it. I feel like it's all lipstick on a pig if you know what I mean.

My hair never looks right, I'm a really chronic nail biter and this is never going to change, I used to have my nails done religiously (acrylics just short and a nice colour) but I'm trying to reduce my toxic load and that was an easy cut.

I do look better when my hair is blow dried but it always ends up in a ponytail anyway.

Anyway, if you're one of those people who always looks polished - what do you prioritise and how do you fit it in your day?

Its rarely practical for me to shower in the morning which doesn't help either!

Do you have any skin products/make up that make you glow with one all over application? Am I asking for the moon on a stick? 😂

This is good advice. Decent nails, nice earrings and good trainers/boots will make a big difference with minimal effort

If you don’t have time for make up, a little bit of this is like magic. It is a bronzer, so you’d have to try it and see how you feel/look at the colour.

www.lookfantastic.com/p/oskia-nutri-bronze-adaptive-sheer-tinted-serum/13312556/?affil=thggps&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&affil=thgppc&kwds=19959388920&thg_ppc_campaign=754314205&adtype=&product_id=&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=754314205&cq_con=45238369328&cq_term=&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=754314205&gbraid=0AAAAAD-fXiovqE2N_alx2ONM0IJLwl7g4&gclid=CjwKCAiA0eTJBhBaEiwA-Pa-hSeijPbYfm7Sy7chK0ZquXhBlHWqtxg--r8sLJj1RfVN7eTlW99VwhoCETgQAvD_BwE

This thread has been really helpful thank you!

I hold the odd crumpled item over the kettle whilst making a morning cuppa if I'm short of time... (Just don't burn your fingers).
It gets the worst of the creases out.

Decent fitting underwear helps too. A good fitting bra to round up the mammaries and point them in the right direction and a pair of pants that don't show through clothing fir a start.

Get yourself a really good, easy maintenance hairstyle and always book the next appointment before leaving the salon. See what the hairdresser recommends for your hair dilemma.

Invest in a couple of different coats - wax jackets always look scruffy IMO and they are so heavy. It's depressing always wearing the same coat, day in, day out.

In warmer weather, a coatigan can smarten up even very casual wear underneath it.

Can you give me your secret! I have bought a proper silk one and I still look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. I think I’ve bought every tool going. No idea where I’m going wrong!!!

I am a fellow scruff, and I think you can get away with a lot if you concentrate your efforts for maximum impact. So at this time of year, a nice coat and some lipstick will go a long way to making you look more polished. I think a hair clip looks a bit better than a rushed ponytail - obviously a sleek ponytail looks good, but I'm never going to manage that!
I think the casual look only really works if you're polished anyway, otherwise it looks a bit bedraggled. I think a natural scruff does better with e.g. smart boots rather than trainers.

I am a big fan of the hair clip 😂

I also just.. forgot about lipstick.. That's my next purchase!

Any tips for glasses wearers - contacts are an effort and I cant see that well through them. Always feel so scruffy wearing my glasses like they massively drag my look down!

You're supposed to shower at night to get the grime of the day off and a pits and bits wash in the morning.

I live in casual clothes ans look less scruffy when my clothes fit properly, I'm losing weight and when they get too big they definitely look scruffier. Also pay attention to the style of your trousers, some look better than others.

False lashes and gel nails . Eyebrows definitely and earrings .

Re toxic load: you can purchase non toxic nail wraps online from places like Holy Grail Nail, which are easy to apply once you’re used to them. You need a good top coat polish.

For Autumn, Winter, and Spring, great outerwear and clean shoes do a lot of heavy lifting!

I asked chat GPT to do a colour analysis and seem to get compliments when I wear the suggested colours. I currently wardrobe is mostly M&S and I do iron items that need it. I also mostly wear a Barbour, but it's a trench and will layer.
I've only just started to regain my style and myself now my kids are 3 and 5 so don't be too hard on yourself!

Definitely sort your hair out, this is something I can often not be bothered to do in the morning, as it’s so thick and long, and takes a while. But makes the most difference to my appearance.

I found that having a regular lash lift & tint treatment, every eight weeks or so, has made a difference to my face; it really opens up my rather small eyes. In turn, this has encouraged me to try a bit more with make up. I don’t think you need a face full of slap, as they say, to look groomed. I’m a bit older than you so need to focus on different problem areas, but I guess it’s about trying to highlight your good points and make yourself feel good about your look.

Being thin, perfect hair, great shoes and coat.

I recommend buying a round blow dry brush and watch a couple of “how to blow dry your bangs” videos on TikTok! It only takes a minute but it looks so flattering even with the rest of your hair up!

Really? How do you only have items you love in your wardrobe? This sounds dreamy but wildly out of my life experience.

weight gain/loss? Pregnancy changing your shape (hello belly I can’t hide no matter how hard I try)? Money stress (hello shitty H&M, or shiver primark)? Bad purchases that don’t quite fit? Hair colour changes that mean colours in your wardrobe suddenly don’t suit you? General feelings of low worth and ‘what’s the pointness’ that mean you don’t buy yourself new things regularly? The outfits you think you look good in until you catch site of yourself in a shop window? The fact I generally feel like I look like an alien and am surprised no one has taken me to a government bunker and run experiments on me?

HOW do you like what you own? Do you just not hate yourself? I sound extreme ha but seriously I have such a negative relationship with clothes - I’ll put something new on in the morning, like it well enough…and by the afternoon I’ll think it makes me look like a troll!

Eyebrows eyebrows eyebrows! And roots done.

I just asked Chat GPT what colours and styles would suit me best (uploaded a photo) and it’s given me really comprehensive recommendations including the exact shades of make up to wear. That’s definitely worth a try @justascruffbag provided you don’t mind investing your photo into their language model

I think the casual look only really works if you're polished anyway, otherwise it looks a bit bedraggled.

@SutekhsEars this is very true, I can only get away with casual clothes if my hair and makeup are ‘done’

I used to say this @justascruffbag , i had to wash my hair every day or it was absolutely gross. My hairdresser sat me down earlier in the year and said if I didn’t stop it she was going to refuse to keep colouring my hair as it was getting knackered. I now only wash it twice a week and use dry shampoo in between, top tip is put it on before bed (top up in the morning for volume if need be) but day 2 I get away with a refresh spray and quick blast of the dryer, third day it goes up then time to wash again.

It felt gross initially but after a few weeks it got easier and 9 months later my hair is improving in texture and condition which in itself makes a difference. As a reformed every day washer I encourage you to give it a go.

I’m also an ex nail biter, if you can stop it makes such a difference. Use the bitter nail paint, keep them short and use oil at least twice a day (ideally every time you wash your hands) to minimise snags and dy skimpy which is usually a trigger for biting. Would you consider nail wraps? No where near as good as gel polish but do help you look polished, or try the manucurist, they do nice, neutral natural treatment polishes.

Final tip is skincare, if you have good skin and just want a bit of a gentle boost I recommend the peptide serum and face oil from upcircle.

I once heard eyebrows described as coat hangers for the face, and I think it's sort of true, in that good brows can make the rest of your face look much better.

My top tip would be to have your eyebrows microbladed (OK this does depend on what you're existing brows are Iike). But if they're a bit sparse or lacking in shape/definition, go to a really good microblader. I get mine done once every 18 months, they look really natural but groomed, and I do literally nothing with them in between. If nothing else that one bit of me is always 'done'.

And a huge bonus is, you get to spend 3 hours laying on your back listening to podcasts or whatever floats your boat while they're topped up... heaven!

You sound like you’re doing better than me clothes wise! I have one pair of work trousers and one or two pairs if leggings that I wear on repeat with sweatshirts and a puffa jacket. I do get up and bathe every morning and wash my hair because I feel grim if I don’t. I wear make up too. But despite being clean I still always look like a scruff. I need to totally overhaul my wardrobe and lose two stone.

Ugh.