My Style And Makeup Fails That Make Me Look Older!

Is This You?

  • I have a favourite pair of jeans and top that I love wearing?
  • My wardrobe contains the same style clothes it did in my 20s?
  • Stuck in a style rut, buying the same thing over and over again?

It’s a style scenario many of us find ourselves in and just like our skin regimes, needs a refresh as you get older.

So how do you make sure your wardrobe boosts confidence and avoids some classic style disasters?

Note To self – Stop Clothes Hoarding

Clean out and refresh your wardrobe on a regular basis, if you haven’t worn that top you’ve been saving for a year then recycle or bin it!  – I’m very hasty in my decisions and once gave away a pair of trousers to a friend, then saw they were back on trend and asked her if she still had them! I now wear them again!!!!

We need to adapt and grow our wardrobe as we age. – I’ve a lot of impulse purchases that have hardly been worn, I could sell these and buy a few quality ‘classics’ that can be dressed up or down and accessorised.

Your wardrobe reveals aspects of your life story. –  I’ve had my days of working in London and my wardrobe complimented this, with sharp suits, macs and heels! The majority of my life I’ve worked in the hair industry and the uniform for many years was black, at the time I envied those colour wearing individuals! But now when I can wear whatever I want, my wardrobe remains colourless!

Accessories

We’re all guilty of having too many of these. Accessories are without a doubt the easiest way to pull together any look regardless of the vibe you want to achieve. – I often update jeans and a white t-shirt with a bold necklace, scarf around my neck and pair layered delicate jewellery with a dress for a more feminine feel. Then I have my ‘biker chick’ days and add a cool ear cuff or stacked rings for an instant edge.

Shoes can change an outfit instantly. When I put on heels or wedges with skinny jeans I instantly feel more confident, maybe it’s because it’s added 3 inches to my already 5’10” height! But when I wear vans,boots or pumps with them I feel more dowdy, nevertheless as I get older I still feel young inside!

Handbags are a must! I have a bum bag for running/dog walking, which the kids tell me is very uncool, but I also have a trendy clutch for the evening! Although my day bag tends to be more like ‘Mary Poppins’ full of unnecessary items and could do with the same treatment as my wardrobe!

Makeup

We all get complacent and stick to a makeup style we’re comfortable with, one we have been using for years. For me, I love the ‘smokey eyes’ look but whenever I try this I look like I’ve done 10 rounds with Frank Bruno! The times I’ve attempted the Amy Winehouse heavy eyeliner with flick up’s – one flicks up the other down! Colourful eye shadows come in trend so I give them a go! Unfortunately the results resemble an eye infection so I revert back as quickly as I tried! False eyelashes have always appealed to me as well, but one lands up and the other in my dinner later that evening!

Then there is the evening, where many of us over-embellish. I often think “I’m going all out tonight, I really want to look good”. So I apply my make-up and apply and apply and end up looking like a drag queen, which is instantly ageing!

Something we must do, which a lot of us neglect (me included)  is throw out old makeup as it carries bacteria, we should refresh our mascaras every 3 months.

Oh and where do I start with my cleansing routine! When time is of the essence don’t compromise your skin! – I’m in a hurry in the shower and having forgotten my ‘quick cleanser’- I think, why not use the shampoo to rub that all over my face?! Then I wonder why my skin feels like dried leather and soaks up the moisturiser like a sponge! In a state of time-conscious panic, I rush out the house to be informed about the toothpaste smudged around my mouth by my (thankfully) overly honest children. – Always allow a bit of time to give your skin the care it needs! I have some amazing face-masks, cleansers and toners that promise to make you feel younger but sadly I don’t ever seem to have the time to use them.

Never compromise on your hair routine because it’s easy! As a hairdresser by trade, I know how to look after my hair and have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most expensive and amazing products over the years – so why is it that I only brush it after washing and leave it to dry half the time? I normally have to stop the dinner from burning and chuck it in a clip!

2017 – My Year!

Oh my goodness! I’m going to turn 50 in 2017 and have decided that after putting all my fails down on paper I need to turn myself around! I already workout, probably doing the wrong thing, boxing is hardly feminine! So more yoga/pilates, while still running and trying to get more flexibility to my old muscles! I will make a conscious effort to take the time for a beauty regime which suits my age, for both face, body and hair and sort out my wardrobe! Now I need to enlist a buddy to do this with me!

Tracey

2019-01-23T17:04:52+00:00

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