How to look “polished”

[Turdissimo]

Some folk seem to look good all the time. Why is this? Do you think they always feel good too or would they look good even on a bad day?

Do you have to be thin (or at least not v overweight) for the look (whatever the look is) to work?

Can you wear cheap clothes / accessories if they are classic styles etc?

Can you be casual and polished at the same time?

PS would add I have tried to copy styling gurus etc on YouTube and just ended up buying items which didn’t suit me or feel like me.

Bemused. I want to look more put together..

@Violetdress Just keeping your nails short, tidy and well-oiled (2-3 times a day) will help a lot. I like Manucurist nail oil.

Thank you. I do keep them short and tidy but they’re a bit dull I think. I’ll try the oil.
ETA Oh, just realised it’s nut oils so I can’t use, but will try to find something similar, thanks.

I used to think it was mostly weight and how much you can afford tailored clothes etc but then this woman changed my mind - size 18, regularly shops at supermarkets, always looks flawless.

https://www.instagram.com/molliecampsie/?hl=en

Based on what I've learned from her I'd say hair and having a colour palette are two big helpers.

Know what suits you. It might be that the style you should be going for is more relaxed than another person who looks their best in classic, tailored clothes. Same with colours. White, camel, beige might speak of quiet luxury on one person but if they don’t suit you you won’t look your best.

I think regular haircuts, keeping nails clean /shaped/ polished & groomed brows help.

With clothes I think knowing what suits you shape and colour wise helps too. For me sticking to neutral colours, decent shoes and simple shapes in natural fibres as much as possible makes me look more polished but won’t suit eveyone. A lot of the time I’m WFH in old leggings and a hoody as it’s easier to nip out to walk my dogs and certainly don’t look polished or stylish!!

I know someone who wears loads of bright colours and quite flamboyant styles and she always looks polished. She is quite wealthy though so wears expensive well cut clothes which probably helps. She always looks stylish and polished but I’d look terrible in what she wears! She exudes confidence but is the most down to earth person I know. It just seems to come naturally to her and she always looks great.

@2026IsMyYear I think you are on the mark there about something intangible, born with attitude. I have spend years polishing the formula for looking polished, taking care of weight, health, teeth, ironing and steaming, everything in best quality I can afford.

Yes, when I think about the women that took my breath away in real life, especially going back to my teenage years and my twenties, I could not tell you if their nails were painted or if they had any make up on. What I have observed across them all is:

they never looked hurried or overwhelmed, they glide through life at own pace
they may look tired sometimes but always have a smile even for a stranger
they genuinely love themselves, not shy to occupy the space or spend money on themselves, spend time on self care, they find joy in small rituals, no victim / martyr vibes
they do not follow fashion / trend / practicality formulas - it’s always special and fabulous to me, like the woman who wore jeans in USSR, a woman on a sleeper train in a blazer, my neighbour in a swishy floor length black fur coat, down to her ankles in wet sleet, her glossy red hair shimmering over broad coat, it all seemed unique to them and totally unattainable.

Just recollecting them made me want to write a short description for each - let me know if anyone would like me to go to that effort…

It's not weight,I have friends who aren't stick thin but look super polished.

Good hair, minimal good quality jewellery, plain coloured clothes, good quality coat.

I am told I look consistently good. Its my hair I am pretty sure. I don't wear make up and look after my skin. I wear simple clothes and look after them- only natural fabrics. I have short nails. I am very 'clean' - no nail polish, no make up, no jewellery. I am always very busy. I have a very small and tidy handbag - or more often no bag. I am a size 6-8, short, only wear trainers/flat boots.
My hair is very long and I spend £1000 a year on colouring it - it is by far my biggest expense. When I tried to cut back I felt and looked crap imo.

I am lurking.

This is my goal I'm working towards.

I have my colours done: Deep Autumn. Easy to pick clothes in dark greens, navy, browns, beige, mustard, burnt orange. I stick to simple gold jewellery. Coats are navy, shoes and bags are tan leather.

I have defined my style type: romantic/classic. Despite losing 5st, I'm still a curvy hourglass at size 12. I try to stick to clothing shapes that work with my body. I choose bootcut trousers/ jeans or pencil skirts, v-neck tops and jumpers. Define my waist with a belt where I can.

My next step on my to do list is invest in quality fabrics. After going from a size 20 to 10/12, I've kept replacing my wardrobe with cheap clothes. Now I'm at goal, I will replace with quality clothing, cotton, silk, wool, linen, real leather.

I'm looking after my skin with skincare and nutrition and keep up with regular hair and beauty treatments. My roots are covered every 3 weeks before they are too noticable, my nails are always done in a nice nude almond shape. I have a bikini wax every 6wks, lash lift every few months and botox a couple of times a year.

Shiny bouncy hair is a big thing to look polished. Mine is naturally thick and wavy and always has to be styled properly to look good, thankfully it then lasts for 3-4 days if not messed about with too much. Find a manageable style that works for you, if it needs time to style it then you have make that time. I wash my hair at the gym after a workout, sauna, steam and swim 3x a week, I use their good hairdryers and take my hot air brush to leave with beautiful hair. I've gone back to my natural colour and use a hair mask weekly.

Perfume and some light makeup everyday.

Then it's little treatments at home: sheet face masks, tooth bleaching, LED face mask, hand and foot creams.

Fit of clothes is hugely important. Most people aren’t getting clothes altered but it’s rare that something fits you perfectly off the hanger.

Trousers is a huge one. They need to be either “as long as possible”, i.e reach the heel of your shoe without touching the floor and cover a good amount of the front of your shoe , or above the ankle. This in between your ankle and your shoe stuff looks lazy/frumpy/dated etc.

A curated wardrobe looks best, so yes more expensive/better made clothes but much less of them. A £20 thick, off white, 100% cotton tshirt is miles better than having 5 £3 thin, stretches out easily, not 100% cotton T-shirts.

@cosimnotwhereitsat You ARE where it's at!

Believe in that and you'll have a magnetic quality regardless of polished/scruffy

It’s all in the smaller details I think - neat nails, tidy hair, ironed well-coordinated clothes, subtle make up, clean shoes, decent accessories (and not too many). Oh, and decent fitting underwear - I pretty much always wear a tummy control thong now! They’ve been the single best purchase I’ve made (Spanx or M&S), smoothing hip and tummy lumps without the ‘solid bum’ look of other shape wear and stuff hangs better.

Looking polished doesn’t come naturally to me - I’ve got crazy curly hair with peri-meno frizz and can look like I’ve been living in a hedge (I enjoy gardening and often have leaves and twigs stuck in it 😂). I wanted to make more of an effort in my 50s though - seemed time to grow up a bit!

This time last year I went through my wardrobe and pared it right back. Clothes that work well together hang next to each other and if I’ve got an important day coming up I prepare everything the night before and make sure it’s steamed, de-bobbled, shoes wiped or polished etc. I NEVER wear patterns because they just don’t work on me and look too fussy/distracting.

So it can be done and then I have days like today - I look a dead-ringer for the bag-lady from Home Alone 😊

@Violetdress Just make sure you get something that's meant for nails/cuticles as the size of the molecule is important so it can penetrate to be effective. I think jojoba is meant to be good?

I do not get my nails done, it ruins them. I very frequently don’t wear make up.

However I’m always getting told how expensively and attractively dressed I am, how classy I look.

I only wear natural fabrics and I NEVER buy new so it’s much cheaper than people who are going about in brand new Primark. I only wear wool/cashmere/silk/angora/mohair/linen in summer/cotton in jeans/cotton or bamboo t shirts. I’m wearing a £300 jumper today, that I got for £14 off EBay.

I wear really expensive clothes, that I’ve paid between £4-£40 for 😂And when I say I never buy new, I mean I don’t buy from shops but I buy new on Vinted or eBay.

I’m also very slim now, a 4-6 and I don’t need to worry about whether something suits me as everything does now. I spent decades being overweight where I looked dreadful no matter how much money I spent.

I agree with the poster above that only has leather handbags, mine aren’t all leather but are expensive makes (again bought cheap second hand). Some of them are that expensive canvas/tweed/wool fabric. I have a stupidly expensive Prada bag that cost me £40. It’s the prada neoprene fabric, leather strap and piping in burgundy. Probably cost about £700 originally.

My Mum always looked polished. Never wore makeup other than lipstick, she had the most beautiful olive skin, her jet black hair was set every week. Her clothes were classic but what made her stand out was that her clothes were not only pressed they were tailored to fit her exactly, it makes all the difference.
No matter what you spend you never look polished unless you press and tailor.

How did you lose the weight out of interest? I agree that wearing natural fabrics and good quality clothes really makes a difference. A lot is about posture . No point in wearing lovely clothes if you are slouched . Having hair done , eyebrows plucked, skin moisturised is so important. Make sure shoes are polished and heels aren’t worn down. . So many people live in leisure wear these days and have trainers on all the time. Or wear polyester clothes and acrylic. That never looks good. As for lounging around in Oodies and pyjamas , just yuk.

@Violetdress have a look at the Manicurist smooth and active ranges for very easy to wear natural nail polishes.

Also, this YouTube account for easy manicure and nail advice. She recommends any kind of oil, even olive oil or vegetable oil, the trick is to use it little & often

Hair plays the biggest part imo. Well styled, healthy hair can make even the most casual look seem polished.

Iron the fuck out of everything.

My top tip is to try a tonal outfit (so different tones of the same colour or similar colours) for easy instant chic! Hard to beat cream if your lifestyle allows but chocolate and navy are failsafes too. Or camel!

I find very few people look polished. Most look scruffy or overdone. It’s very hard to get the look right and I do agree that it comes down to genes a lot of the time.
The women I can think of who look polished all has a very natural ease about them. One was a model. They all had clean, blow dried, short hair. Wore very natural looking make up. They were all thin and their clothes well kept, always ironed. None of them wore cheap looking clothes. Everything seemed to fall into place and always appropriate for the season and occasion. Never saw them in anything worn out or dirty/freyed. Shoes clean, polished, classy jewellery, nails clean and not too long or overdone. No massive fish lips or spider eyelashes, always natural looking.

I need to know how @LaurieFairyCake manages to get such ace bargains on Vinted.

All the sellers I encounter seem to expect £30 for an M&S item that only cost about £40 new..

Posture is very important. The same person in the same outfit will look average if they have bad posture.

I have a job where I can people watch and I'm very interested in this topic.
I agree that good hair is key. The second most important thing is a jacket, knitwear, top or coat that fits well. Third is proportions. I think that's a bit tricky but some people just get the top/trousers/footwear spot on and it really makes a huge difference. Fourth is good quality footwear. I think trainers are fine as long as they aren't scruffy.
Maybe it my age but I don't really notice manicures unless they're really OTT. I think a nice scarf or jewellery makes more of a statement.