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 🤓

Loads of excellent advice here ladies... very interested in the PP's comments re using beef tallow and gua sha facial massage. My friend swears by lymphatic facial massage and lying on this spiky matt every morning and night for better relaxation and good skin. I have to say she looks gorgeous and when I gave the matt a go I found it uncomfortable but deeply relaxing afterwards! I love woo woo. I am definitely going to get my teeth whitened as a post-exam treat later in the year after reading this thread. I've been thinking about it for a while and now I'm convinced.

I would also add:

• I think Colgate's new tooth whitening products are very good for at-home results.
• I befriended the lady who did my highlights in the salon (c.£200 a go) and she now does them at home for me for £80 cash. Many hairdressers are woefully underpaid so see if you can try this (discreetly!)
• Essie's apricot cuticle oil got rid of my raggedy cuticles.
• I carry a small toothbrush and some toothpaste with me everywhere - nothing worse than food in the teeth.
• Even if you pay loads for a fanny wax you can end up with a wonky landing strip - far better to do it yourself at home with some nair. Apply a gycolic acid toning pad the next day if you are prone to ingrown hairs from shaving.
• Agreed with PP re: ELF make-up being fantastic - I think that more expensive BB creams and foundations can be worth it, but I would NEVER pay over a tenner for a mascara. I tend to get mine in Elf or Collection 2000.
• If you feel a bit bad about yourself, go home for an 'everything' shower and cut out sugar for a week. If you feel clean and lose a bit of weight you will generally feel a lot better.
• You sleep better in a cold room, and you won't wake up with a puffy face.
• I recently tried to give blood and was told my iron levels were too low. I have since eaten a lot more red meat (organic) and taken supplements, and I definitely have better hair, skin, and nails as a result.
• The Trinny London BB cream is fantastic but so expensive that I wouldn't buy it for myself (previously received as a gift.) I have been meaning to try Eborian cream for a while and PP have mentioned it so now I certainly will!

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/acupressure-mat/343121/c251c309c344m8767817?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=gb_t-intbra_ct-shopp_n-generic-pros_ts-pro_f-cv_o-roas_spd-msp_spu-msp_sp-msp_pt-pb_pnl-com_l-en_pp-gads_bm-roa_pr-cpc_&utm_term=_n-generic-pros_ts-pro_spd-msp_spu-msp_sp-msp_pt-pb_l-en_prod+push&network=g&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1646595788&gbraid=0AAAAADygKq3YkntnMJNvz9bbleQUXYJuy&gclid=Cj0KCQiAprLLBhCMARIsAEDhdPccQ5CiAM5Ba4Y5XwFvZz6RU1nnwRChgejfcwy2GU4ma_Vfo1CqBYcaAqt3EALw_wcB

@fizzyroselemonade I do oil cleansing. So, I put a little almond oil on my face, I use a clean facecloth and soak it and wring out with hot (not too hot) water, place over my face and wipe off oil. Repeat. I then do the same with cold water. In the morning, I then use a little rosehip oil with a gua sha to massage and add Neal's Yard rose and mallow moisturiser. At night I use ordinary retinol then moisturiser.

Edited for typos.

Posted response to the wrong thread so edited.

I'd be really interested to know too @waitandwonder . :)

Thank you will try!

Bioderma Atoderm shower oil for very dry skin. Super gentle and use all over, including washing off makeup at night. I buy a big bottle and decant it into soap dispensers all over the house. Also Cerave moisturiser lotion for dry skin - works all over, dermatologists love it. That’s top to toe cleansing and moisturising taken care of in two products that the whole household can use.

Exfoliating gloves used in the shower are better, cheaper, faster and more sustainable than packaged exfoliating products.

Thanks !

I’m loving this thread @HildegardVonBingham
Thank you for starting it.

I carry a small toothbrush and some toothpaste with me everywhere - nothing worse than food in the teeth.

My dentist said you shouldn’t brush your teeth more than twice a day as it isn’t good for the enamel. You would be better off using dental floss and a mouthwash.

Another tip from me – as you get older, less is more. I now use tinted moisturiser instead of foundation. My go to is a Laura Mercier one as too many look orange on me. It was £££, but worth it in my case. I don’t look “made up” but just look like a better version of me.

I am fortunate enough to have even tempered skin and just don’t need expensive skincare products. As long as it feels (and smells) nice I am happy, so I tend to buy anything that is on offer at the supermarket.

Me too! I'm an olive skinned brunette (57 but not grey) and discovered Nivea cherry lipsalve is amazingly more flattering and cheap. I keep one in my bags and car. This is a revelation after being a bright and expensive lipstick wearer for decades.
Black Honey drains me and makes my lips look dry and lined.

Great advice on here, will take a lot onboard. Mine is, if you have greasy hair you should definitely wash it as often as needed, this can be every day. A greasy scalp can clog hair follicles leading to hair loss. Using baby shampoo everyday will do the job perfectly, no need for anything full of chemicals.

My absolute non negotiable beauty tip -

Dry brush every day before I get in the shower. It takes 90 seconds while the shower is heating up. Go towards the heart so that's up the legs and tummy, down the arms, shoulders and chest. Also blast my face, neck, shoulders and chest with cold water before leaving the shower.

I transformed my dry flaky legs as a teen and kept going. From size 8 to 16 and back again I've never worried about dimply thighs.

For a few months in my late thirties I found myself living somewhere without a brush and I wasn't too bothered... Until I saw a photo of myself from behind. I went out and bought a brush immediately.

@lemonsandlime87 do you have a link to the bonnet you use please? I have fine curly hair that goes really frizzy overnight. I have to wash it everyday as the 'refreshing' takes just as long and is more faff (plus looks really frizzy & scruffy). I wonder if a bonnet might mean I could get away with washing it every other day. Thanks

I use HA and retinol at night and have never had an issue - mind you I don't have any reaction to retinols or retinoids.

This is a great thread for tips. I'm so lazy with wearing makeup (I rarely wear it) and sticking to a good skin care regime (I just splash a bit of water on my face day and night, and wear a bit of face cream with SPF).

After reading about the lip tints, I looked online and saw an article where the lady would apply a lip tint/whatever , leave it on for 3-5mins and then blot excess off. I'm trying that out with one of my MAC lacquers, just to see if it does anything. I'm after something that will give an all day colouring a bit of moisture, but not feel sticky.

Wash your hair.

Greasy hair looks terrible.

I'm 65, have had pierced ears for 50 years and this has not happened. However, I've only ever worn a small diamond/pearl/gold or silver knot. If ever I wear a drop earrong for dressier event, I remove before bed.

Bleached/fully highlighted blonde hair looks best on people who were blonde as small children.

Was just trying to explain this to my SD who leaves her highlighted hair too long between going to the salon and is upset because her ‘hair never looks nice’. In my opinion, she is just not meant to be blonde and this was my exact reason. Blonde is expensive to maintain if it’s not your childhood ‘base’.

Have a look at the Only Curls website. I got a pillowcase and a bonnet from here, plus a warm hat with a satin lining- game changers!
I also use their co-wash, shampoo, and conditioner (the co-wash for alternate washes) as well as the Curl Creme and gel.

Glycerine. Cheap as chips and you can add it to body lotion or an oil. I have a premixed one that I have (I'm in another country, but it's Glyco-Oil just incase you do get it). I someone add it to lotions and also use it on my face for a moisture burst from time to time.

Have a look for melon seed oil. This stuff is just fantastic. Also called ootanga oil. Great for your scalp, use some before you shampoo, but I use it on my face as well. I am in starting phase of tret and am using this to avoid any dry patches on the non tret nights.

This is also nice and is said to be a good dupe for the Clinique: https://www.elfcosmetics.co.uk/sheer-slick-lipstick-black-cherry/82158.html

I've never tried the Clinique so can't really comment if the elf one's a dupe, but I love it, it gives a really nice sheer wash of colour and good hydration. I've repurchased it several times.

My dad(who was a dapper fella) who grew up with Burtons tailors and made to measure, always said your trousers should come above the top of the heels and should slightly "break" over your shoe. He'd always turn my huge 70s trousers up for me.

@Sandysandal don’t the earrings drag in the day due to gravity rather than at night when you are lying down?

Earring used to be much heavier - I’ve got some older ones I can’t wear any more. The tiny rings I use (Huggies or snuggies) certainly aren’t going to cause any damage. They are so light they are hard to put in!

Lip colour recommendations please. Minimal make up so a tint. Cool/Soft Summer. Can’t do bright colours anymore at 50

want something as my lips seem to disappear.

Favourite bargain brands are Cerave (far and body), Elf, NYX (esp fixing spray). However for SPF I spend a little bit more with a Heliocare tinted liquid. I wear it year round and it also looks good under make up. I started a few years ago (early forties) but already have a lot of sun damage so recommend starting earlier!

@Gggh i wear the Clinique product linked to in my original post in ‘nude honey’ (thought it was black cherry - d’oh!) and it’s a nice light reddish brownish colour. I think that with a tinted balm you can go slightly over the lip line which makes them look fuller whereas a matte colour is less forgiving and can make them look smaller