Do you ever look at yourself and think 'where do i start?'

[alicecrail]

I am going racing for the first time this year on saturday and although i've got plenty of things to wear, i feel frumpy. My clothes aren't really the problem iyswim its the saggyness, the frizzy hair, the dry skin, chewed nails and the wobbly bits. I'm planning on taking over the bathroom on friday night, but where do i start?

Help....

ok, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, hair serum, moisturiser,cuticle remover,control pants.

Start with hair. Hair is big, and at eye level. Is it wavy or curly or just not-quite-straight? Can you get to a hairdresser's, or do the MN home cut or maybe you just need to style it differently.

Not much you can do about saggyness/wobbly bits at short notice, except get good underwear.

Chewed nails - stop chewing them. File them and cut any longer ones so they are all the same length. Short neat nails look good. Maybe paint them to discourage you from chewing any more.

I don't know much about dry skin, hopefuly someone else will be along in a bit.

Dry skin.. scrub (not too madly) then moisturise.

Drink 2 litres of water a day

A good haircut works wonders
Ditto underwear

If nails are awful just buff them don't paint as IMO they look grim (sorry Trillian!)

I only meant paint if you can file them to look neat. Obviously don't paint raggedy-edged nails if they are so bitten-down that you can't smooth them out.

Hair - wash and condition. Put something smoothing on it when wet. Scrunch a little so it goes wavy (trying to work it out from pics on your profile). You'll have helmet head from riding anyway won't you? So get something nice to use to tie/clip it up afterwards.

hot bath and a leg shave.
wash and condition your hair.
exfoliate, use garnier tanning moisturiser, particularly on your face. i find if i look tanned i feel more confident, and garnier doesnt streak and looks v. natural.
and its half price at tesco

also, always wear matching underwear, makes you feel good about yourself.
enjoy your day

Trillian I think the OP is watching the racing rather than actually taking part?

Come back alice, we need more info so we can get you all nicely scrubbed up!

Yes, am watching not riding I think i am going to straighten my hair as feels a bit sleeker. What info do you need?

Needed to know if you were riding or watching and what your hair is like. I was going to talk about curls/waves, but if you're straightening then that's simple enough (hope it's dry! )

Weather forcast is good for the next 4 days (not that means much) and i am thinking of wearing the dress i wore last year (was a bit tight then) its a 40's tea dress style in black with grey and white flowers and a pair of black maryjanes with wedge heels and john lewis extra secure firm control tights (or whatever they are called) My face is quite tanned from being outside, but after reading all these i think i will use the johnsons tan lotion on rest of me.

Doesn't help that my best friend looks like Barbie just back from her beach house! I need to choose uglier friends

at needing uglier friends.

Barbie back from her beach house will surely look out of place though right?

No. Unfortunately Newmarket races is full of them (well any racecourse really) Nearly all of my friends are stunning and skinny and taller than me and they have huge wardrobes full of tiny clothes that are beautiful.... oh well. I suppose at least i have a cleavage!!

I had better get the exfoliation out and scrub up.

Do you think that very pale pink nail polish would be ok on short nails?

I was always so laid back about the whole skin care thing before i had DD but since my skin has gone totally mad and i have dried up old hands like a 70yr old and all my skin is so sensitive that i am allergic to myself!! I'm only 24!

Palmer's cocoa butter cream is THE BEST for dry skin.

False nails?

Right that's it, you lot are determined to put me off having kids aren't you?

Just showing you the realities! DD decided to give herself a mashed potato mohican this evening - would you really want to miss out on all that fun?

daisy i haven't tried it, does it smell nice? I really hate all the 'medicinal' smelling body creams that there are for dry skin

Mmm, mashed potato. Haven't had that for ages (like, at least two weeks, I need my mashed potato fix more regularly than that).

Cocoa butter stuff should smell nice.

We have mash at least twice a week, its a dietry requirement (doesn't do much for your hair though)
I shall have a little trip to Boots tomorrow, i have 5 whole pounds on my advantage card which is dying to be spent!

Another question for the beautiful people:
Are eyelash curlers any good?

Yes I think they quite good. It means that instead of sticking straight out (where they don't really get seen because of perspective) your eyelashes go up from your eyes.

Ooh, might get some of those too, my eyelashes are very small.
A friend once did my make up for a night out and she kept saying things like "you have absolutely no eyelashes" "Do you have cheekbones?" and "wow! Your top lip is almost non-existant!" Err.... thanks

What a lovely friend!

Yes, she was a gem

Barbara Daly Tesco eyelash curlers are great and under a fiver