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..

It's easier to break than build, so for me it means than nothing stands out in a negative way, many things are slightly positive and one or two things really stand out in a positive way.

For example nails - they can look bad from lack of care or weird from more care than taste. They can look fine without painting or painted/gelled.

fishfingerbutty Vinted 😊

Dior Nail Glow. Nail berry Acai Elixir. Neither are nail polishes but enhance your nails. I work for the NHS so nail Polish is banned but use these.

I work in healthcare too and would like to be able to wear something like Nail Glow, but nails have to be completely bare.

As someone who was seeking this for a long time and now generally looks polished in anything I’ve discovered it’s mostly just being thin and having nice nails. I’ve lost 13kg and now I look elegant for the first time ever. Even in jeans. Depressing discovery.

Agree that wearing block colours and different textures rather than prints looks much more put together and sophisticated.

I'm by no means 'polished' but I've got rid of the majority of my clothes with prints and my wardrobe is definitely more grown up now.

Good teeth is another massive one. It's instantly noticeable in any closer interaction with someone and there's not much point only looking polished for strangers on the street.

"Polished" is just a collection of signifiers that you take care of yourself and that you have more time and money than the average person. Being skinny implies you have time to work out or eat healthy, having good hair means you have time to take showers, having good nails means you also have the time to visit a salon or do your own nails. I feel those women with grotesquely injected lips actually do so because it's another outward signifier that they have the time and money to spend on fillers (to whoever will be impressed by that).

Personally, I feel it doesn't make sense to chase the image of looking polished if you don't actually have the time. If you do a lot of work with your hands or have an incredibly busy schedule then it's pointless trying to maintain a perfect manicure at all times. If you're not a SAHM to a rich man then you realistically won't have time to attend pilates 3 mornings a week. So it's pointless to try cosplaying that lifestyle by dressing or styling yourself in a similar way. It's more liberating to let some things go, even if it's for the time being. It also makes more sense to find the things that can fit into your schedule most realistically. Eg getting perfect teeth is an expensive undertaking but it's not actually difficult in terms of time or effort. You just attend a few appointments and it's done.

I’ve never given this much thought because I just assume I look polished 😁 and I certainly feel polished.

Even though I don’t tick all the boxes mentioned on here.

I am happy with the way i look. My body is fine, alright teeth, great posture, and wear natural materials instead of landfill fashion.

Hair can be messy and defo not cut on the regular, often no makeup and nails not always groomed. Going to pay more attention to that.

Generally, my motto would be: if you wear a pair of earrings you always look dressed

But there is a big difference between nails hair and brows on someone who looks polished to someone who doesn't.

You're not as likely to look polished if you have patterned/jewelled or extremely brightly coloured nails. Or one nail that is a completely different colour to the others. You're not as likely to look polished if you wear your nails very long or extremely short. Or if you have broken a nail but not filed the others down to match and instead have various lengths. You're not as likely to look polished if your brows are very plucked out and then pencilled back on or if you have brows that are a very different colour to your hair or that dominate your face. You're not as likely to look polished if your hair colour doesn't compliment your skin tone or if you have very brightly coloured or artificially dark/light hair. You're not as likely to look polished if you have very obvious stripes in your hair rather than subtle naturally placed highlights or a block line where you can see that you don't get your colour done regularly/professionally.

All of these things can be pulled off by some polished women if the other parts of their appearance are polished but in generally will given the impression of a person being "unpolished" (if that matters to you which it seems it does).

I agree with all the postings about looking clean and tidy, keeping it simple and classic, natural fibres and the very best you can afford. I also avoid high fashion as well. It just looks ridiculous on me (early 60's) I keep my hair short and well cut. It is also coloured and highlighted regularly. Minimal non claggy makeup. Decent underwear is a must. Discard anything that looks tatty. No bobbled clothes!
Also, when I try on clothes, I always try on as many in the same size that the shop has. One will always look better due to small variations. Also, look at yourself really objectively. See yourself as others see you. I reject a lot of potential clothing purchases on this basis.

This is true I think and depends to a large extent on diet. My friend swears that she can tell from the photos of kids at her school whether they come from the deprived areas of her city and that she has an almost 100% success rate. She says you can spot it in things like hollows under their eyes, skin tone, hair, teeth and under developed jawline etc

I've recently brought a long camel coloured coat, everyone has commented on it, it feels great to wear over anything.

Yes very much this. There is a definite look about these people and no amount of tailored clothes, expensive make up or nice nails is going to undo it. I'm not wealthy or even middle class btw so not looking down on anyone, but in an area where there is a high concentration of generational poverty there are definitely particular facial characteristics like you've mentioned.

Is it possible to look polished with naturally curly hair? I wish mine was “swishy”, but, I’m mixed race so that’s not going to happen!

I saw someone today and they were in cheap clothes but they still looked nice they had perfume on and they we clean

I’ve a friend who always looks polished.

She has Good Hair - naturally thick and healthy, always blow dried. She always wears subtle gold jewellery and her clothes always look in good condition and ironed.

Most noticeably she wears about 3 colours (navy, khaki, white) with the odd pastel in summer. No patterns really except a bit of subtle leopard or something self-coloured like broderie anglaise. So everything goes. She also rarely wears jeans.

I’d love to look like this but I cba with ironing, I like colours and I live in jeans …I also have Crap Hair, it’s thin and the ends always look wispy and sad. I’ve made a bit more effort recently with hairdrying and jewellery, but I know my limits 😆

It’s completely see through though. How is it ‘polished’ to see a label through a thin blouse? Even if it is silk… 🤷🏻‍♀️

camisole underneath

Yes! Without question, yes. I have naturally wavy/curly hair and when mine is styled properly, it’s the most polished thing about me.

@Whosthetabbynow
What are huggie earrings ?

See, I don’t think I can style mine! It just, ‘is’!

Hair

Well-fitting, potentially ironed clothes

Some makeup (although you definitely don’t need a full face. Even minimal makeup is enough imo)

being generally well-groomed. Definitely no chapped lips, clean nails etc.

Being slim (and tall…) definitely helps.

the importance of nail polish is massively exaggerated on this thread imo.

These are huggies. They are small and fit closely to your earlobe

Probably a daft question, but nails are so small, do people really notice them that much? Do they really have such a big effect on someone’s overall appearance? Not criticising anyone’s posts on here: my nails are a state and I’m wondering if it’s worth sorting them out.

I think people do notice nails, particularly in social situations where you might be having a drink or eating.

Well manicured nails are important IMO if you want to look polished. Not necessarily with nail varnish on them though if they are otherwise well groomed. I use manicurist active treatment varnishes and their serum which gives you really simple clean looking nails with a slight shine.