Do you have a "polished" appearance?

[Tigger&Belle]

OK, this made me tear up. I'm such an emotional mess lately.

Please don't be so hard on yourself--you've been through so much!

 

[happybratpack]

Nope. Just a big, fat mess here and it makes me sad.

Hang in there...if there's one thing the DIS is great for it's the moral support from everyone. (as long as your not re-using mugs or pool hopping) My life has been one drama after another lately and the support & friends I've made here have helped me tremendously.

 

[Buckalew11]

I am not high maintanence but I wear a little makeup everyday, dress in things that make me feel good about myself and my hair is always perfect (LOL). I wear jewelry everyday but it is always the same simple stuff (gold hoops, MM gold necklace etc.)

As a hairdresser, I am thinking what fun we could have together doing new haircuts and makeup together.

 

[Muffin]

One word - eyebrows.

Since I started having my eyebrows professionally shaped, i feel like I look so much more polished, even if i'm wearing jeans, t-shirt and flip flops. Even when I don't wear makeup, I just feel like I look done.

And ever since I had a professional bra fitting, I feel like my clothes look much neater.

I hardly ever dress up and only wear powder, eye shadow and lip gloss, so my routine is pretty low maintenance, but I will always pay someone to do my brows.

 

[Stacey2grls]

I was actually reluctant to reply to this thread. I am a SAHM and I do a full makeup job, blow dry my hair into a style, and wear a picked out outfit everyday. I didn't want to seem like I was boasting, that is why I was reluctant. People always question me about this, for some reason some of my friends find this annoying. I just tell them that it makes me feel good to look my best, so for me it is worth it.

 

[MinnieM3]

I was when I was younger...20's early 30's.... but now, I'm looowwww maintenance, but happy! A smile can be your best asset!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

I'm slim and have nice work clothes and makeup etc., but I just am not good at putting myself together. I think I spend a fair amount of time on grooming etc. but I RARELY think I look polished, and would like to! I would love a makeover! Let's have a makeover party!

 

[Pop Daddy]

I am a animal

 

[bigbabyblues]

Oh boy, this is going to get long. I'm low-maintenance, not polished by any means, but I do try. I don't spend a lot of time getting ready, but I do put on a little makeup most days I almost always blow-dry my hair, but it's pitifully thin and straight and it won't do much. I did color it and I feel better about it now. I wear some jewelry everyday, but it's just basic and the same stuff all the time.

I'm thin to the point of almost too skinny (I don't like being this thin, but I just can't gain, never have been able to) and I like clothes that look good on me, but our dress code at work is so crappy that I can't wear hardly anything that I can fit into. Does that make sense? Can't wear short tops to work (don't have to be tucked in, but can't be belly-button length either), tops can't be t-shirt like, no open toed or open back shoes, we are required to wear socks or stockings, no bare legs or feet, no sleeveless, no tank tops or cap-sleeves (is that what they're called?), skirts have to be two inches above the knee and no shorter (yes, my boss has a ruler and she knows how to use it, lol), no jeans and no capris, and when you wear a size 1, it's just hard to find stuff that is allowed that I can afford.

I hate dresses because I have chicken legs, and I have a horrible time finding shoes that are stylish yet comfortable enough to work in (I do have a desk job but I have leg problems and have to wear a lift in my left shoe to top it all off) that look right with the dress AND my chicken legs.

The one thing that has made me feel SSSOOOOO much better about myself is getting braces on my teeth. They've been off for almost two years, and the difference is amazing. I have a confidence from that I didn't know was possible.

I'm certainly not polished by any means!

 

[JVL1018]

Trust me, I totally understand! I have REALLY curly hair but I just stopped blow drying and straightening it and I am SO much happier now. It took me about 35 years to realize that I was just investing too much time on getting my hair to look like someone else's and that I was better off just working with what I have.

I like curly hair..if I had that, I'd go with it, but my hair is just..as DD says... "puffy". LOL
Not curly, not straight..I LOVE it straight, but since it has gotten a little bit longer(few inches past my shoulders) I have left it natural a few times, coaxing a curl out(and tamping down on the volume LOL) with product and it's not bad. I still like it straight better, but have come to like this as well when I need to hurry things along.

I have found that if my hair looks good, I feel great, if my hair looks bad, I feel bad. I know, silly, but that's the way it is.


I agree with whomever said to start with a good haircut, maybe highlights/color, it can really put a spring in your step.

 

[Cindyluwho]

One word - eyebrows.

And ever since I had a professional bra fitting, I feel like my clothes look much neater.

That is so important!!! Having the correct fitting bra can make such a huge difference. It helps define your waist, etc. Besides, you said you'd gained some weight, I'm guessing some of it went to your ahem, bra area. Gals pay big money for those things, lady-show those tatas off

 

[happybratpack]

That is so important!!! Having the correct fitting bra can make such a huge difference. It helps define your waist, etc. Besides, you said you'd gained some weight, I'm guessing some of it went to your ahem, bra area. Gals pay big money for those things, lady-show those tatas off

My tata's are looking sad lately...where does one even go for a bra fitting? I'm so clueless.

 

[Muffin]

My tata's are looking sad lately...where does one even go for a bra fitting? I'm so clueless.

Our Dillards has them every so often. They always have an ad in the paper in advance so you can call and make an appointment. That's where I went. Penneys does it as well.

Do it. You'll be so glad you did.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

Of course! I always look like my "Queen for a day" photo!

No, seriously, I just ran errands in sweat pants and no makeup.

 

[Mercy]

Well when I was younger I was always "polished". Everything had to be so-so, hair, makeup, clothes. Now that I've gained some weight, I don't feel very good about myself and so I really don't put as much effort into my appearance.

I'm very short, not even 5 foot, so even the least amount of extra weight makes me look heavy, I think. I hate carrying this extra weight, but I just can't seem to get my mind around losing it either. I really hate how I've "let myself go", not just the weight, but my appearance in general.

 

[Cindyluwho]

My tata's are looking sad lately...where does one even go for a bra fitting? I'm so clueless.

Nordstrom & Macy's are both good bets. I think Nordstrom has someone there at all times for fittings, you may have to call ahead for Macy's.
It's worth the effort - you'll look and feel fantastic! I have a dear friend who was very obese before her gastric bypass. We took her to Nordies and she couldn't get over the difference. She kept saying "Look at me! I've got a bustline, waistline and hips!" Even if you're larger it doesn't mean you can have a "figure".

 

[Marseeya]

Nope, I'm not the least bit polished and I don't care to be. I'd be just as happy going out in jeans and a tee shirt, even when DH is dressed up from being at work. I just don't care.

Even when I try to be polished, I never am. My hair is very curly and unruly. I would have to use a ton of styling products on it and I don't like them. Messy hair alone can be a big part of looking unpolished, so I've got a huge strike against me. Makeup, I can take it or leave it. Since I've been a college student for the past 10 years, I dress for pure comfort. When I do dress up, something always goes wrong to make it look sloppy -- something spills on it, I get a snag or small rip, things like that.

I figure if people can't accept me for who I am, I want nothing to do with them anyway.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Nope, I'm not the least bit polished and I don't care to be. I'd be just as happy going out in jeans and a tee shirt, even when DH is dressed up from being at work. I just don't care.

Even when I try to be polished, I never am. My hair is very curly and unruly. I would have to use a ton of styling products on it and I don't like them. Messy hair alone can be a big part of looking unpolished, so I've got a huge strike against me. Makeup, I can take it or leave it. Since I've been a college student for the past 10 years, I dress for pure comfort. When I do dress up, something always goes wrong to make it look sloppy -- something spills on it, I get a snag or small rip, things like that.

I figure if people can't accept me for who I am, I want nothing to do with them anyway.

I knew I liked you for a reason! I think we might get along! Except my hair is only curly because of the perm, but it still has issues even when it's straight.

 

[LiteBrite]

I've never been a very girly girl, and comfort is definitely a lifestyle for me, but at the same time, I like feeling good about the way I look. I lead a very casual lifestyle. I am a combination housewife/piano teacher (I teach lessons in my home). My church is casual, so I can, and mostly do, wear jeans there. Actually, I'd guess I wear jeans 9 of every 10 days in the winter, and capris 9 of every 10 days in the summer. My hair is naturally curly, and I usually just let it air dry. I wear a minimum of makeup - usually mascara, eyebrow color, eyeliner, and a little bit of something to cover up some red patches on my chin and nose (lately I've been using the new mineral makeup that Physician's Formula has put out, and I really like that!). I keep a couple of dresses and nice slacks outfits for weddings, funerals, and shows, but I really hate dressing up.

Even so, I do find that I feel better about myself if I think I look good, casual or not. There are plenty of clothes that are comfortable but still look good. I weigh the most now I ever have, and I'm trying to lose weight, but I still think it's better to buy things that fit so I don't have to feel ashamed in public. I figure when I lose weight, it'll just be an excuse to buy more new stuff, and I'll enjoy that too

I agree with the poster who brought up the eyebrows - I do my own, but keeping them shaped up nicely makes an amazing difference to your whole face. A good haircut that works well with your hair texture and face shape is also a big morale booster. I wear my curly hair roughly shoulder length with some long layers, and I find my level of morale dips more easily if it's starting to lose its shape.

It's all about finding a balance, and knowing what makes you look and feel your best, whatever size you are, whether you're high maintenance or low, girly girl, funky, or casual - if you like the way you look, you're going to have a better day.

 

[Marseeya]

I knew I liked you for a reason! I think we might get along! Except my hair is only curly because of the perm, but it still has issues even when it's straight.

What is it with hair? We always want what we can't have. I'd kill to have straight hair and then there are women getting perms.

I can appreciate someone who does take the time to put themselves together and takes pride in their appearance. But I've known people like that who feel superior because of it. One of the younger college students got an earful in class the other night because of it, but I don't think she meant anything by it. Lesson learned, I guess.

Anyway, this girl always looks nice, even when she's wearing jeans. Her hair is perfect, her makeup well done, her clothes match (shoes & purse too). She's just all around cute. We were doing some kind of classroom activity and they were doing some kind of skit to teach diversity sensitivity. In the skit, this girl was teasing someone about her "Walmart jeans" and how her clothes don't match and how poor she was. It was just a skit!

After the skit was over, an older student in her 40s went OFF! She said, "I've got more money in my checking account right now than you'll see all year, but I'm wearing Walmart jeans and there's nothing wrong with that." She kept going on about how you can't judge a book by its cover and such. The rest of us were just nothing to see here folks!

Right message, wrong time for it.