What beauty and hair lessons have you learned over time?

[something2say]

Hi! I am a long time poster who loves a thread in this section, because it is so simple and pleasing in a complicated world. Threads on this board make me smile and feel nicer.

I was reflecting this morning on how much I have learnt about what beauty routines work for me and what suits me, and am curious about what you've learned?

• I struggled to find a light foundation / powder combination to just dust over. I tried Trinny, Mac and Terry. All made me oily / too made up. I now use Laura Geller and it is great. Can hardly see it, never shiny.

• Eye makeup - black doesn't work for me now, the Maybelline dark grey eyeliner is the only one that doesn't smudge (tried loads of others) and it looks best on me as a side wing with a touch underneath, corner only. Layering black inside and out makes my eyes look small and I always regret it. Wing tips make them look wide. Mascara top only.

• No lipsticks really work for me now. I wish to find a nice one but they just don't work for me.

• Hair has also been a big change. I've got long, thick curly hair which will be dry and frizzy if I let it. I have gone full Curly Girl and it has done wonders for my curls, which are now like coils on wash day. I use Faith In Nature shampoo and condition, their aloe vera conditioner which is the lightest and which works beautifully on my low porosity hair. I grew out the lowlights, stopped using a hairdryer and started doing deep conditioning hair packs in a heated hair cap from Amazon.

• Hair longer than bra strap no longer works for me and I need layers. I will never try to grow it longer again as it is boring.

What have you tried and learned?

Mixa urea cream is great for dry skin

i use foot cream and hand cream every single night just before bed

Mac fix plus isn’t a setting spray, but it’s for getting rid of that powdery look

if you want a stronger look from shimmer or glitter eyeshadow, wet your brush, use an eyeshadow primer or get some inglot duraline to mix with it

powder only where you need it

tightline upper waterline makes a big difference to a makeup look

experiment with new makeup looks, it washes off (but not just before you leave the house!)

learn what works for your hair and skin. My curly hair needs lightweight hard hold products and absolutely no masks or deep conditioners

use the nice stuff up before it goes off

Tretinoin is a long haul but it really changed my skin

Please don't feel like a failure as a woman!! You sound as if you're doing all that you need to!*

I feel envious of everyone who says they barely wear any make-up - as I lack the self-confidence to go anywhere without some at least. Luckily though, I love wearing make-up! It doesn't take me that long - but I just love the ritual of it. It's very calming.

*I'm sure that you will get some recommendations for foundation alternatives. I'm not the right person to advise as I wear Armani Luminous Silk, which is medium coverage. I love it though.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish has been more effective at controlling my rosacea than anything else, including two months of antibiotics.

Philip Kingsley volumising shampoo really helps my hair look thicker, post menopause.

It cleared up my facial eczema too - I still use it 20+ years on.

Towel dry your hair before applying conditioner, you get a far better result with a less diluted product
Section hair and blow dry methodically, use a cool shot - it will last
Use root lift powder but sprinkle in your hand first then dab in to your roots for lift
Waterproof eyebrow pencil (ELF), eyeliner (Maybelline Tattoo liner) and lip pencil (Huda) last the day with no smudging - these three areas need definition for me now I’m 60
Estrogen gel applied to my outer upper arms (as directed for HRT not beauty) seems to have cured my lifelong KP issue there
Silk pillowcases work for skin and hair

I have had a silk pillowcase for over thirty years (thank you grandma).

Bar soap, especially lovely ones.

Keratase hair products - I can’t go back now I’ve tried and I struggled for years to find something that controls and makes my hair looks beautiful.

Lash lift and subtle eyebrow tinting by a very talented therapist makes so much difference to my face and I never wear make up.

That your hair and skin change overtime. I always had really greasy skin and hair. Stopped me getting wrinkles. Hair was nice and thick,grew so fast,roots done weekly. Underarm,legs, daily shaved, eyebrows plucked daily.At 70,thin hair,dry skin, hardly any body hair. SPF people! Blue eyed blond (lots of white now) Had 2 bcc removed back, and chest. Hate the heat, can just about cope at 21c (on vaso dilators for hypertension) have been diagnosed with multiple bccs, several on my nose/face. Awaiting treatment. Your skin also lightens up as you age,you have to adapt. I now use Eucerin moisturiser with SPF,elf foundation with SPF (it also covers the lesions quite nicely ATM. Brown mascara, tubing now. Cream blush stick, brown pencil eye liner and light coloured lip balm for the disappearing lips

I learnt early on that people treat you very differently depending on how you look, as I went from having horribly wonky teeth (and people's eyes dropping from mine to stare in horrified fascination at my teeth) to wearing braces.

I did wear make-up daily for a time, but it made me very shiny. On the odd occasion that I wear it now, I'm still going through the cycle of trying to find a foundation that works, so I'll add Laura Geller to the list.

For me, I think, "if you don't like it, change it" (providing that it's just your opinion and nobody else's). I have a Japanese Conditioning treatment booked in to deal with my dry, frizzy, and "I'll only hold curls if you don't go outside/near water/sweat/overheat" hair. I'm hoping that it will be a permanent way to Tame the Mane, even if the hairdresser did look very surprised at the sheer size of my hair once the bobble was removed!

I've also had laser treatment for spider veins and rosacea, which I couldn't hide with make-up. OK, I look a bit like Wednesday Addams without the permanent red patches, but I can live with that! The lasering ladies also advised me on how to care for my very sensitive, but otherwise in good condition, skin (SPF50 and scent- and lanolin-free moisturiser every day). Oh, and laser hair removal has been wonderful and time-saving.

I’ve learned not to listen to influencers / beauty advice too much and observe what actually works for me.

For example- my hair is dry and frizzy. I was influenced by the curly girl brigade and my hair has genuinely never looked worse. Turns out for my hair silicones are great. And heat styling too makes my hair look so great!

So now I will give something a go but really I focus on what’s best for me.

French soap company 💕💕💕

Make-up, skincare, haircare and toiletries advice from influencers, magazines and newspapers are basically advertisements.

@ChoccyHobknob , use a moisturiser or primer, a bit of concealer if/where you need it and a light amount of powder. You don't 'need' foundation.

My personal trainer is worth her weight in gold 🌟🌟🌟

Oh also, stick a couple of squirts of Wow Coconut Dream Cocktail on wet hair… let it dry to 80/90% and finish with the Babyliss Big Hair heated brush - looks and holds like a salon blow dry - but way quicker and cheaper! 🌟

There are only 2 ways to look like celebrities in being pert and polished. First is to be young, then after that window passes is a shit load of botox and fillers, no cream or make up gets that look. Nobody looks like that by rolling out of bed. Its totally fake and contrived. I like it and sport it but it' s not for everyone and that is beautiful too.

Proper pilates makes a torso that looks like it belongs to someone else. And is useful for sex 😊

I think I'm quite happy with a torso that looks like it belongs to me and it's pretty useful as it is.

1. As I’ve got older brown mascara looks a lot more flattering than black.
2. The best investment I made was an illuminated magnifying mirror!
3. It’s more flattering over 45 to skip foundation and instead use a CC cream that adjusts to my skin tone (Eborian). I use dots of under eye brightener and corrector where needed.
4. Switching my usual pink blush to a coral is more flattering as I age.
5. Never use retinol and then go out in the sun without a high factor SPF!!!

Ok then. Sorry to have triggered you and your perfect torso. 🙄

.....Meanwhile, I have looked up Pilates videos! I'll do two x half an hour each - thanks for that.

You've not triggered me. My torso is my torso. I didn't say it was perfect.
Who does your torso look like it belongs to?

A woman I know has a very nice nose. The bad news is it doesn't look like it belongs to her. It's obvious that she had it changed.

Hair rubbish? Buy a wig. Takes years off me. Eborian green green cream for red veins. Primark under wired pack of 2 bras. I've lost almost 7 stones. Kept it off for a year so far( diet and exercise) It killed my hair though and made my nipples inverted

Spend money on your teeth

Agreed. And look after them. I had my first filling just before I was 50, they seem to have gone to pot overnight. It was luck and genes before that rather than dedication. Pam Ayres was right.

Im not sure whether an illuminated magnifying mirror is a good thing or a bad thing after 50. I think I might rather not see all the horrors magnified and Im hoping all the people I hobnob with can't see them either as we all need glasses now anyway.

If you're someone who has a tendency to pick at your face, be it spots, or dry skin or whatever, do not get a magnifying mirror. You'll end up with a face full of scabs!