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 🤓

Definitely stay out of the sun especially on the face. Factor 50 and a sun hat/glasses.

I have grey, very frizzy hair, like to wear it long but it was so difficult to keep the frizz at bay. High maintenance, tried colour, products etc., and it usually looked awful and felt old.
I had a "straight perm" (not sure what this is called in English) in October. I've now got really glossy straight hair, doesn't need blow drying, stays glossy through rain etc. The colour suddenly looks amazing because glossy hair does not look like old lady hair even if it's grey. It's taken about 10 years off me and I do literally nothing with it. It was expensive but worth it.

If you can’t be bothered to moisturise your body, decant baby oil or any other oil into an old spray bottle and leave it in the shower to use when you’re done. You’d think it would make the floor slippy but it doesn’t because you’re directing it onto your arms, legs and body.

I use a bonnet but it doesn’t keep my hair perfectly in place as it’s more ringlets than curls. I’ve been thinking about maybe rolling the back of my head up with these at night but that might be a step too far (and purists would say is cheating but who cares): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rollers-Pillow-Sponge-Sleeping-Curlers/dp/B09N1496J4

I really don’t want to sleep in proper cylindrical rods, that’s no way to live your life 😁

I use it under my eyes as well as a highlighter. It seems to cover my dark circles just fine. I trust my husband to tell me if anything looks weird and he hasn't mentioned it!

Wear sunglasses. I have blue eyes that are super sensitive to the sun so I would be constantly squinting at the slightest bit of sunlight.
Niw I keep sunglasses in my bag and wear them throughout the year. My eyes are a lot more conformable and less squinting just mean less wrinkles?
Admittedly I probably look like a twat sometimes. 🤣

Yes this. The optician told me wear sunglasses year round because I have pale blue eyes

(haven’t noticed that it’s helping with wrinkles yet 😂)

Similar colouring (and age) as you. I either use the Nivea watermelon lip balm I mentioned before, or the nuetrogena lip balm with a lip pencil. I usually choose rose pink and I think my current one is rimmel

A quick daily exfoliation with a net thingy in the shower, especially on shins, elbows, heels or anywhere else with dry skin, avoids the need for heavy duty exfoliation once the better weather arrives.

I also keep a nail file and cuticle cream on my desk to remind me to use both regularly.

I was about to say that (from a bad experience last year where the grounds caused a massive back up).

Also good purple products to keep highlighted blonde hair looking fresh. Been a game changer for me. Not so much shampoo and conditioner but there are some masques, sprays, leave in sprays and even home toners which are brilliant.

I'm a fan of this as well. I have just bought another one today.

Put 80% of your clothing budget into coats and jackets. You can wear jeans and a tee every day and still look great just by rotating interesting + high quality outerwear

As a paler skinned redhead, I was told that bottle green and dark navy suited me and I wore lots of black and white. Then I had my colours done. It's honestly made such a difference. I'm warm Spring and warm orange and yellow make me look so much better. If I buy anything not on my colour chart, it goes straight back to the shop as I look so tired in harsher and duller colours. But the woman who did my colours had to cover my hair as she said my skin tone is at odds with my hair colour.
For moisturiser, on the advice of a dermatologist, I use Cetraben cream night and morning. My skin is never dry.

Naturium glycolic acid body wash is brilliant for exfoliating. Especially legs. I use scrubby gloves and can’t believe the difference.

Absolutely brilliant!!

I only need one “disc” of spent coffee and they are ground finer than ground coffee. I also only exfoliate once every 2-3 months (no need for more i think). Never had any issues in the 20yeas ivedone that.

and obviously now ive said this, ive jinxed it and will have to call the plumber soon!!!

This is a great alternative to the Clinique black honey and comes in a few different shades
https://www.boots.com/no7-pro-artist-moisture-muse-lipstick-10365225

Those unsightly bumps on your arms will disappear after a few days if you use a cream with Urea in it, the cheapest is cracked heal cream.

if you have an electric toothbrush use those two minuets to choose what your going to wear that day while brushing your teeth.

Every season, I sort through my wardrobe and only put the clothes that fit me, are fit to wear and fit the season back in the wardrobe. Then I make a list of anything that is needed to make those things wearable - it’s usually boring stuff like tank tops, a boot with a particular heel height, or a particular style of bra. Keep that list with you and buy those things before buying any new clothes. It’s pedantic advice but since I started doing this consistently I have a much more manageable wardrobe, and can actually wear all of my clothes.

(Incidentally I don’t try and declutter when I do this because I found that made the process harder and emotional. I just put the stuff that doesn’t make the cut into storage and do my decluttering another day).

Getting clothes altered to fit makes a massive difference to how well you can look. At first I resented the cost, but as I stopped buying cheaply made clothes (I buy good quality cheaply in charity shops) it’s worth the investment. It’s actually changed how I feel about my body shape.

Finally, ditching sugar from my diet and the crappy carbs has made an incredible difference to my skin and hair. Way more effective than any serum I’ve ever tried.

I agree and would add good quality shoes to this, style not important but need to be clean and repaired as needed.

Ameliorate lotion for strawberry skin. Doesn't smell very nice and takes a few weeks to work but when I use it consistenly it gets rid of my shaving dots and even my "dirty knees". I need to start using it again in time for summer.

Bioderm lip balm.
Aveeno factor 50 face moisturiser every day.
Dermatica retinol.
Prime cosmetics tubing mascara.
Use oil on your skin after a bath.

My old wardrobe in the spare room was breaking down so, I replaced it with a black clothes rack with shelving. Now that I can actually see my clothes, I’ve started wearing stuff that I’ve had for ages but not worn because they were shoved under other things. I’m enjoying making outfits for the next day or upcoming events and just hanging them up so that I can just get up and go - made such a difference.

DD1 is 5’3 and wears skyscraper heels with trousers that are too long, to try to make her legs look longer. It just looks silly to me.

See also, the ridiculous pose for photos, one foot pointing forward. We’re not a leggy family, get over it!

I really like The Cornish Seaweed Bath Co. range. I use their hair, bath and skin products (I’m 62 with sensitive skin) and although they’re fairly expensive, they last a while and are just lovely.

Ditto recommendations for a Soft Autumn, please...