What are your NO-NONSENSE style and grooming tips? With products, if poss...

[HildegardVonBingham]

I'll start:

• If you have fine hair it is often best to get it cut shorter. If it's long it can look straggly and wispy. I have accepted my fate, and my hair looks much fuller and healthier now it's all cut to one blunt length.
• The idea that you have to have your nails 'done' all the time is insane and costly. Just keep them clean, filed, and use cuticle oil. In my view a grown-out manicure or acrylics looks bad.
• This is the most hydrating and natural-looking lip tint on the market. It's sooooo good - you can apply it without looking: https://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1605/4772/makeup/lipsticks/almost-lipstick-in-black-honey-pink-honey-and-nude-honey
• If you use a retinol (and you should), use it in conjunction with a serum and moisturiser so that the skin barrier repairs, and you avoid flakey bits of skin round your nose. Naturally wear SPF!!!
• Better to get clothes a size up and have them tailored and taken in. Even a woman with an amazing body looks like a sausage bursting its casing in too-small clothes.
• Colour theory is real. If you have 'high contrast' you can get away with wearing a lot of make-up. I think that a 'full glam' looks amazing on women with darker skin tones, but as I'm pale and blonde I can't really carry a lot of make-up. The 'bold lip' is a massive scam!
• Gradual tan on the body and tanning drops in your moisturiser can make you look slimmer and better-rested with minimal effort if you are pale.
• Your trousers should be almost too long - this makes your legs look longer.

Would be interested to hear any other NO NONSENSE advice you may have.... for instance I would love to know the best exfoliant to use on the body, and how I can avoid getting disgusting calloused hobbit feet from exercise 🤓

Of course I don’t mind - bondi sands tan drops in my SPF on the face, and palmers cocoa butter gradual tan (always on offer in Superdrug.) wash hands vigorously after especially between the fingers !! I have thick eyebrows and I I scrub them with a q tip after doing my face (every other day or so) with the drops as otherwise you can end up with orange eyebrows (think the moisturiser coagulates and goes orange when the hairs trap it)

@luckylavender sad that you’re not finding this thread useful when many other women are - some retinol and a trip to the tailor’s might lift your spirits x

As is suggesting false tan to make one look slimmer. I know this is style and beauty but come on.

If we’re talking lipstick, I’m a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury lip chat pencil in Pillow Talk. I like being able to define and balance out my lip outline then colour in with the same product. I prefer a creamy Matt finish to sheer or glossy/satin. One product, day or night, winter and summer. The only thing is, you need to buy the CT sharpener, the pencil breaks in all in the others I tried.

I also grew out my greys and I really like it - I get compliments and I enjoy not spending extra time and money in the salon.

Ouch

Im hearing my misogynist mother - tan to look slimmer and a short hair cut.

it's peoples tips on what works for them, no need for you to follow any or even read the thread if you're not interested!

Having a lash lift (eyelash perm) is the easiest thing I do that improves my appearance so much with literally no daily effort at all. Add a tint at the same time if your lashes and it brows are fair. Oh and the Nivea blackberry shine is a more flattering dupe for black honey on me, less browny more pinky.

@HildegardVonBingham , thank you for this thread. It is fabulous and has given me a few ideas x

Retinol can be a scam.

There have been many, many clinical studies with retinol over a long period of time that show it has anti aging benefits. It's not a scam.

Exactly. It’s probably only one of the actually proven skin products amongst a whole lot of pseudo hype out there.

This is a fabulous thread. I'm very low maintenance - my only skin care is excellent genetics and Nivea (the former being far more significant than the latter).

My tips are:

1. tailoring & fit (also good fabrics: no polyester) But I make my own clothes (my nerdy hobby) so I can get both. I have a really gorgeous slouchy jacket (Donna Karan pattern) with matching trousers, which is casual cool but tailored (DK is great at that) and any time I wear it, I get compliments. I don't need to be "pulled together" the suit does it for me.

1. Dresses: a dress, tights, and flat shoes, with a jacket, and you look neat & together.

And the type of jacket is important: Coco Chanel's famous jacket was designed to be a jacket as comfortable to wear as a cardigan. That always guides me when I'm choosing a jacket style and fabric.

Of course, most of the time I'm wearing squat-proof leggings and trainers ...

Oh, also

Good posture!

Makes all the difference

Don’t underestimate those old timers Ponds Cold Cream (sold in big jars in America) and Vaseline. I wouldn’t be without them and Vaseline removes my waterproof mascara.
When I put cream on my face, I rub the back of my hands on my face before removing the excess.

A white primer before mascara really thickens up my thin eyelashes.

Oh don’t worry about me. I’m just not a sheep.

Best thing I did for my confidence was get a Beauty Pie membership. Lovely make up and even a beginner like me couldn’t mess it up! Their collagen lip oil in particular.

agree with PP about ‘you’ jewellery that’s always on.

Laying out tomorrow’s outfit the night before.

Polished shoes.

enough water and sleep.

force a smile even when you don’t feel it, especially as gravity comes knocking on your face.

There's nothing preachy about sharing tips and suggestions, not all of them will be suitable for you, but I've personally taken some great ideas from this thread.

Wanting to make the most of yourself and benefitting from other people's positive experiences does not make someone a sheep.

This would have been my only tip. Can't sleep without one now, game changer - my hair was so frizzy and dry in the mornings.

Just thought of another for those bad hair days, when grey roots are through and you’ve got another two weeks until your hair appt, Colour Wow root cover up, fantastic stuff, you brush the powder on with what’s like a make up brush, it’s powder in a compact so brilliantly portable too.
https://uk.colorwowhair.com/products/root-cover-up

And here’s me thinking cerave is expensive 😂🙈

Me too. I'm more Cien at Lidl.

I'm working my way through a stash of moisturisers and some are nicer than others. They're mostly bargains or from advent calendars. Some of the own brand ones are lovely.

A hair washing tip that I picked up on here - to make sure you have washed all your shampoo out by turning your shower head onto the strong pressure setting and getting in to the roots.

Then from wfh I learnt that if I want to let my hair dry naturally, give it a good comb with a wide tooth comb, to separate it all, to let the air get to it. And top section in a claw clip to get some lift. (Looking like Roz in Fisk)

Also gradual tan is something I do in the morning now, can swan around in loose clothing rather than doing before bed and losing half the product on the bed sheets. Also do hands but they get washed and moisturised after an hour or two of development to avoid the orange hand look.

Several months ago I accidentally ordered Revolution blur primer instead of the revolution cc cream. I cursed my idiocy and chucked it in my make up drawer.

Then I read a post on this thread about wearing primer under cc cream so I found the primer and used it this morning.

Oh. My. Goodness.

What a difference!

So I for one am grateful for this thread!

Retinol works. It is really not a scam.

Retinal - note the A - is even better. And The Ordinary retinal is very affordably priced for those that spend money on retinol products. This post isn’t for those that don’t.

Water and a good night’s sleep are also no-nonsense skincare tips. Sunscreen, obviously.