Does anyone want to join me in giving themselves a DIY extreme makeover?

[BEAUTlFUL]

No, not literally, we won't be doing our own liposuction with straws, or posting messages like, "Keen sewers: I was trying to give myself a lower-body lift but can't reach to sew up the back", or anything.

But does anyone else feel hideous? I do and I'm sure it's at the root of almost all my problems (low self-esteem being the main one).

I need to diet, get hair cut, sort out flattering clothes and ditch fugly stuff, stop biting my nails!, get pedicure, keep up to date on fake-tanning... all that.

Does anyone want to join in? If we were very brave we could post "Before" photos in our profiles then invent a month-long makeover plan, then do "After" pictures, but that might be a bit scary.

We need to ge up earlier and prioritise doing our make-up! And do a beauty treatment three times a week (body scrub, face pack, hair conditioning treatment, etc) just to nourish our Inner Temptresses.

I know it's non-PC to long to look gorgeous, but I'm fed up looking fat and frumpy and desperately need to reinvent myself! am i alone in feeling like this?

I know the awful irony of having a vain log-in name and posting this message, btw.

I would like to
but I dont want to post before or after pictures to keep my anonymity

I am a long term depressive having trouble showering and brushing teeth, hair, let alone beauty therapies

Yes, the Before and after pictures are a bad idea, let's not do that. But we'll need to definitely post updates on what we're doing.

I've battled with clinical depression for years, and I know the dressing-gown syndrome. but even though this is rather lightweight and fluffy, I do think that working on how we look will lift our spirits in a very positive way.

I was just googling "makeovers" and found this section on Glamor.com which gives you a 30-day makeover to do. Does this seem the right type of thing? If not, we could collate our best tips and write them here. Things to do once a week, every day, etc.

I hope I'm making sense... this is very much still an idea-in-profress.

profess?? progress

Anyone else feeing hideous? I know it's bad to wish a feeling of fugliness on anyone, but I can't be the only person on MN who feels "bleurgh", can I?

I just signed up for the Glamor Makeover thing, and basically it gives you 30 tips to improve your appearance, from eyebrow shaping, to exercises to tone your tummy, mistake-proofing your wardrobe, and even (Trinity) ways to train your brain to feel happier.

ok. me.

have been pondering this for some time, and have recently been motivated enough to start decluttering the house, (largely motivated by necessity) so now it must be my turn... had been pondering starting a few threads asking for advice on diff stuff on this theme, so why not?

i can't link to that glamour thing though - it wants me to log in.

a 30 day something or other sounds good though...

current thoughts - i've just left work as we are moving in august, and having had to keep my hair long to tie it up, for the first time since 1991 i can now do what i like with it - help! what can i do?! for the last 18 years i have been ruled by having to have it long enough to tie up?!

currently - i need to lose a stone and a half (but toning the flab would allow some sense of confidence to seep in lol). i am a whiter shade of pale (put self tan on once at half term, but then came down with noro and haven't done it since) and spend most of my life digging through the ironing pile/s for the only jeans i can get into...
38, 5'2'",

i have just had a tax refund so am reasonably solvent. i can do something but i don't know what...

i'm pondering about booking a make-up lesson (with who? help!) as at 38 i wear make-up, oooo, once a year? and every single time panic as i haven't a clue where to start... so i might need a bit of help before the getting up early to do make-up thing lol! am loving the idea of nourishing my Inner Temptress 3xweekly though - i think that would be brilliant for self-esteem ishoos too.

the hair is the key for me i suspect. think early celine dion in brunette with grey streaks (or the wicked witch of the north with frizz) and you'll be close-ish...

so, beautiful, you appear to be In Charge. my extreme makeover is down to you

i have booked a shopping trip on 11 july. by then i need to feel good enough about myself to shop clever for some new wardrobe bits (and also to have mastered the whole hair saga...) lots of the stuff i have now is pretty good tbh - it just doesn't get worn as i'm always two steps behind where i need to be - i need to get it together and organise the laundry situation so my clothes are flat rather than somewhere in a basket...

where to start?

Okay, I've just booked a haircut for two weeks time.

I'm going to do an excercise DVD most nights.

Need to buy a semi hair dye later as my hair is a bit two tone a the mo.

Back later.

Help, is this another one of my Stepford Recruitment threads? We are not doing this to make our DHs leap on us, we are doing it to make ourselves feel better.

I need to sort out my hair
I was dyed very blonde and then I decided tog deep violet which was lovely and I really liked it but the clue in the dye eventually wears out and leaves the red which on my very bleached hair now looks orangey pinky, red YUCK

I tried to bleach it again and it 'ttok' on the roots so I have dark brown roots, very bleached blode top bit and then icky skany pinky oprage
I want my blonde back

I can spell honest....seems I juct CANNOT type

Forget my last message -- I have recruits! Hurrah!

Yes, the Glamor thing requires registration but the ideas are only very general. how about I organise ideas into a 30-day format that we can all do?

Haircuts are ESSENTIAL to ensure maximum inner-tempress foxiness, I'd say. in fact, why don't we start at the top and work down?

Day 1: Book haircut 9or hair consultation [think thee are free]) if you don't know what to do. Apply deep-conditioning hair treatment tonight. Use a hair-pack if you have one, or olive oil applied to dry hair & wrapped in clingfilm for 3 minutes, then shampooed out.

Day 2: Sort eyebrows out. I'll find an online guide to tweezing like a pro.

Day 3: Pore-strips on nose, or just deep facepack.

Day 4: Ways to whiten teeth.

Does this work?

lol beautiful - i did recognise you as that poster...

i'm definitely doing this for me lol - i'm sure dh is bound to benefit along the way as hopefully i won't be such a bad-tempered rat bag, but essentially this is to straighten out my self esteem lol!

so, the hair. wtf?

anyone got any ideas?

i can do exercise dvd. it's been waving at me from the shelf for about 2 weeks now - so that will be reasonably easy to dust off action.

that looks good to start with.

have also been pondering eyebrows of late lol. are you spying on me?

ok - how do you find a hairdresser (for a consultation lol) that you can trust?

having long frizzy/ curly witch type mop i have found a number of probelms with this... most of them look faintly horrified when i walk in, ignore what i say about it getting curlier when they dry it, and then looked even more shocked when they turn me into a poodle.

tis an ongoing theme in my quest for a hairdresser...

find a friend with similar hair that looks fab, and ask where they go? That's what i'd do. i have also been known to corner people on the street and ask them which hairdresser they go to. they are always v friendly, flatered and helpful. Could you try that?

The consultation would be good way of finding hairdresser that knows what they're talking about.

could you afford to spend quite a LOT on this transformation cut? By choosing either big local posh salon, or one of the ones in london like Trevor Sorbie, and paying £150-odd to get the top-person to do it?

I am totally up for this ...

need to lose weight, sort out hair which is like frizzy cotton wool...new makeup.. get fit and then transoform wardrobe.. 30 days you say we need - I am IN!

Am checking out glamour and will read all posts..this sounds like a great idea...

Im totally up for this as well, i need to lose just under a stone, fake tan, teeth whiter, hair back into good nick!

I've got all the stuff to do it, just not had much time until now (college finished woo woo).

Am 33 but feel 63 some days, so enough sleep also top of the agenda!

Yay! More temptresses-in-training!

OK, you ALL have to do something hair-related today:

• Ideally, book a cut (I have just booked one for Wednesday, she said smugly);
• Or -- if you are lacking inspiration like lovely MadWomanInTheAttic, Google different hairstyles to see what you fancy. Or buy one of those dodgy hairstyle magazines in the newsagents;
• Apply a hair-conditioning treatment;
• Just wash it, if things are getting very bad and we're starting from scratch.

And we need to establish a FlyLady-type list of "daily beautifiers" which we can fit into our busy lives until they become habitual. I'm suggesting:

• Get up 15 mins' earlier to apply make-up in morning. MadWoman: you are let off this one, until you have taken your lovely self along to a local big Boots or department store and let a saleswoman give you a free make-up lesson. You can also look up make-up lessons on t'internet, there are LOTS on YouTube.

• Cleanse/tone/moisturise morning and night, NO EXCUSES. I've just splurged on no.7 Protect & Perfect range so will be smothering self in that. What are you going to use?

• Lay out nice clothes for next day every evening. This is ripped-off from FlyLady, I did it for a week and it was life-changing. Make it part of your routine -- doing it straight after kids go to bed seems to be best time.

• Drink 4 glasses of water every day.

• Incorporate 60 minutes' exercise into the day. I know, eek, but we've only got a month. This can be walking kids to school, plus exerise vid in evening, or three lots of 20 minutes' jogging round the house.

Later on, we can discuss the weekly ways of Nourishing Inner Temptresses.

Do you have facepacks, pore-strips and teeth-whiteners in the bathroom cabinet ready for later in the week? If not, get them in. Who can recommend any teeth-whiteners? Are the shop-bought ones any use, or do we have to spend £100 and get the kit from the dentist?

Do stop me if I get too carried away. i'm hopeless for launching myself into over-the-top time-consuming life-missions which I only do for two days.

Im in too...but only til July 2nd cause Im going on hols! Which is great incentive to get a move on, really.

Just had dds father over for a weekend and he told me off for not making the most of myself.

I dont wear make up but my skin is dull and spotty
I havent had my hair cut in 11 months
Im slightly overweight
I wear comfy clothes, but I might dress up a bit more if I had more confidence.

Its my 25th bithday next Monday, and my mum asked last night what I wanted...been mulling over:

1. Hair cut and highlights
2. Eyebrows reshaped
3. Skin consultation (free but expected to buy products, Id imagine!)
4. Drink more water
5. Eat more veg and fruit
6. Few new clothes - capsule wardrobe stuff
7. Get back into walking with sleeping mindees in pram, and ease myself back into tae bo dvd.

Good luck to everyone joining in the challenge! Will be back for a nosey this evening, and read through the Glamour stuff

Oh, and we need to get 8 hours' sleep evey night. I'm going to shoot any of you who are Mumsnetting after 10pm.

OK, how can we lose a stone in a month? Shall we just do SlimFast for brakfast/lunch then have vegetable/salad-laden dinners, like grilled fish or meat? Or shall we vow to eat 6 pieces fruit/veg every day, thereby filling-up on good things instead of cake?

I have just given up sugar in coffee.

I wish I'd planned this out a bit before posting. Maybe we should break the month down into weeks? First week: hair. Cut, colour, conditioning, etc.

Second week: skin/make-up. Sorting out skin with treatments, buying new make-up, getting free lesson at counter.

Third week: body/massage/fake-tan/exfoliation, etc. Finding new sport we're into? Joining keep-fit class?

Fourth week: clothes. Clearing out old and treating selves to few new pieces.

Shit, I'm going to get so bogged-down in trying to work out best way to do this that I'll still be minging at the end of the month, but with a new, very complicated, Makeover Spreadsheet all printed out.

Mousey, I'd get your Mum to buy you a haircut and colour for your birthday. That will immediately make you feel more "Oooh, check me!" which will affect the clothes you choose, how much you eat, and how you feel.

right, oh leader.

i've booked a hair consultation for next monday, but will at least spend this week conditioning and attempting to de-frizz what i've currently got... fortunately (for them) none of my friends have got hair like mine lol, but i'll try to canvas a bit of opinion on what to do with it now i'm not constrained by work i fear that accosting strange women in the street may lead to me being arrested under 'lucky heather?' type connotations...

the same place as hair consultation also does make-up lessons

have got all manner of exfoliation type products gathering dust, and a nearly empty box of pore strips, so will stick some on shopping list over the next couple of days... have fake tan. can do water.

i don't think i can bear slimfast tbh i'll probably just stick to special k or somesuch in the morning with some fruit, and cut out snacks... if it isn't having the desired effect after the first week (ie scale visit less fraught) i'll rethink.

i'm happiest leaving clothes until last week - hopefully by then i'll be feeling more self-confident, if not skinny, and so will be able to reassess what i actually own in light of what i really look ike in it, rather than feeling generally lumpy and daggy...

have ordered on tinternet the only products that have ever stopped me from looking like a wash in chip fat (ironically, yes, an oil based product lol) but they might take 7-14 days to arrive... send 'faster' vibes please!

hmm, teeth whitening...

i'm still a bit confoozled though - are we doing 3xweekly skin thingy? or concentrated week2 skin thingy?