Let's go fem for a bit

[Evilah 1]

i se bare escentuals too. I had given up makeup altogether, because I have decent skin and makeup would make me breakout. Bare escentuals is great as long as I wash it off with a gentle soap before bed. (I know they say you can wear it to bed, but if I do that more than once in a while, I breakout)

[Lucy 0]

Kiehl's makes a good cuticle cream. They also usually have sample packets of all of their products and are pretty nice about giving them to you if you ask.

*FYI, I really don't work for Kiehl's, I just happen to love them and use or have used all of their products at one point or another.

[Jachut 487]

Ooh, what are my cant live withouts?

I get my eybrows waxed regularly, I agree this is important.

I have had my hair permanently straightened before and will do it again when I can afford to, as its all grown out now, but for now I do straighten it when I style it, its fluffy, fine and frizzy, sort of curly in spots, but not all over, its really basically very ugly unless its professionally blow dried or unless I straighten it. My hair requires effort.

Acrylic nails are a must for me, I have shocking nails that break painfully below right down at the cuticles, peel, split and always ragged and stumpy. I've given up, nothing has ever worked on them, and I have nice hands, nice and slender and long nails make them look really lovely, they're one of my best features. I'd prefer natural nails but I can hardly function without acrylic or gel as the breaking, peeling and discomfort really gets to me. I keep them medium length and usually french, I'm not into long red talons.

Other than that I'm a simple girl. I like a natural look, a face full of make up and obviously coloured hair is not my thing. I think make up looks pretty gross unless its for evening under low lighting, full make up out in the daylight is awful.

I love to have a tan too but I fake it as its so dangerous and so aging.

I dont really use any expensive products, I just look after myself and exercise regularly and at 39 I think I look OK.

[Devana 0]

Thanks for all the good tips and ideas, everyone.

In my previous hippie-chick era the only thing I did was keep clean.

First came a haircut - bangs.

Then a bra.

Then my eyebrows.

Then perfume - Cinnabar.

Then eyeliner.

Then foundation.

Then the pedicures.

Then the lash tints.

On and on it goes.

Right now, I couldn't live without my eyeliner, tweezers and polish for my toes,

[Evilah 1]

my chi Iron. oh yeah my chi Iron.

give it to me! straight straight hair!

[Kat817 19]

Wheetsin, you mentioned Tea Tree Oil....I actually had a ENT tell me to get a bottle of saline nasal spray, and add 3 (NO MORE!) drops of tea tree oil to it, and use it twice a day. At the time I was getting sinus infection, and nose bleeds from the dry air---I am in desert country. I have never had another nose bleed, or sinus infection in over 4 years! I do know you have to be careful with it, it is powerful stuff!!! I used a plastic eye dropper to count my 3 drops, and it melted the plastic!!!! I got both the oil, and the saline spray at Walmart. Works wonders!

Another wierd fix, for those of you with ragged cuticles is a farm remedy. It is similar in texture to Vaseline, it is called Bag Balm. It is made for use on cows udders. But it is pretty commonly used now as a diaper rash ointment as well. I know here you can buy it in Walgreens in with the baby ointments. It comes in a green square tin can. I use it and just rub a bit into my cuticles, when I know I will not be having my hands near my face. It is too oily---and breaks me out. I keep mine sitting behind my computer monitor!!! When I need it, I rub it in, and I am typing so not doing anything that will rub it off. Then when I shower before bed, it removes any that has not absorbed. My niece that does my nails, (it is her profession) has never had to snip them, and says they are amazing (wooo hooo----amazing!!!).

The girl who cuts my hair knows to put me down for eyebrow waxing along with my trim when I call---they go hand in hand! I am not sure if it is age, something to do with my hysterectomy, or whether it is an after affect of the chemo I took, but I am not growing much hair any more at all! I shave once a month maybe....and that is only if I see a stray hair. Arm pits the same way. Pubic hair as well. I too have gone with some clean up and shaping through the years, well....thank goodness I left some, or I'd have none, because nothing is growing back! I worried for awhile following banding that I was going to need a wig, I lost so much hair, but that is pretty much settled down and growing back----for which I am SO happy!!! The chemo caused me to lose all my hair---everywhere, lashes, brows everything. The hair in my nose went away---I sneezed all the damn time! Everything grew back. But now, it just quit. I have no idea why! I do not however miss shaving!

I can't wear gloves to bed, makes me crazy. But once a week or so, I do my feet. I get up with DH at 5 AM---he leaves, and I go back to bed for an hour or 2. Before I go back to bed, I lotion up my feet real heavy, and put on a pair of footies, I keep just for that purpose. By the time I get up, it is soaked in. No cracked heals, and no need to trim my cuticles for my pedi either---I have heard horror stories of infection!

One of the best things I ever did was to figure out my best colors. It makes a huge difference!!! I like some colors, that just do nothing for me! I also pay attention to neck lines----boat necks, and round necks make me look like a linebacker. Deep V or deep scoop thin out my shape so much better!

Love reading all your suggestions and tips!!

Kat

[Ambrosia 1]

Great ideas everyone. Keep 'em coming. As the weight comes off, I am more conscience of my appearance and I am also becoming a girly-girl. These tips are very helpful.

[kyethra 0]

Wheetsin, you mentioned Tea Tree Oil....I actually had a ENT tell me to get a bottle of saline nasal spray, and add 3 (NO MORE!) drops of tea tree oil to it, and use it twice a day. At the time I was getting sinus infection, and nose bleeds from the dry air---I am in desert country. I have never had another nose bleed, or sinus infection in over 4 years! I do know you have to be careful with it, it is powerful stuff!!! I used a plastic eye dropper to count my 3 drops, and it melted the plastic!!!! I got both the oil, and the saline spray at Walmart. Works wonders!

The girl who cuts my hair knows to put me down for eyebrow waxing along with my trim when I call---they go hand in hand! I am not sure if it is age, something to do with my hysterectomy, or whether it is an after affect of the chemo I took, but I am not growing much hair any more at all! I shave once a month maybe....and that is only if I see a stray hair. Arm pits the same way. Pubic hair as well. I too have gone with some clean up and shaping through the years, well....thank goodness I left some, or I'd have none, because nothing is growing back! I worried for awhile following banding that I was going to need a wig, I lost so much hair, but that is pretty much settled down and growing back----for which I am SO happy!!! The chemo caused me to lose all my hair---everywhere, lashes, brows everything. The hair in my nose went away---I sneezed all the damn time! Everything grew back. But now, it just quit. I have no idea why! I do not however miss shaving!

I'll have to try tea tree oil. I have horrid allergies. On everything I can be on. A while back for chronic sinus infections I saw an ENT who actually did this acid cauterization stuff. Worked great. I could even smell some things slightly for a while (I've always had a really poor sense of smell, but that might also be related to a rare neurological disorder I have). The regular salt Water rinse doesn't do anything for me unless I have been around a ton of irritants like if I were taking horseback riding lessons, so I'm going to try the tea tree oil.

The hair thing is probably hormones. I went through a estrogen deficiency for a while due to birthcontrol stuff and my body hair stopped growing. I shaved my legs once- two months later, still smooth. My hair texture also changed. I've always had wavy hair but it went just plain straight and very dry. No more scalp oil-- I was only washing my hair once a week, dry skin, etc. Those hormones do all sorts of things!

[EVA 0]

Ok so this is my kinda thread and its good to see because Ive been a bit neglectfull of many of these things for some time.

Tips:

Nails:

-to make them harder eat lots of shellfish it really works also moisturize your nail bed.

-To make them whiter take a qtip and dip it into hydragen peroxide run it over and under your nails if long enough and then wash off takes away yellow tinge on nails.

-Wear sunscreen on your hands they get old looking like the neck.

- To soften skin use a cut lime and suger to scrub hands and nails.

Face

- pimples use a drop of tea tree oil on a qtip before bed I know it smells bad but I promis it works.

- witch hazel as a toner

- bare essentuals hides most flaws without looking cakey use the darker of the two shades under your jaw line and chin to thin out your face.

- for nude lipstick pick one that matches the inside of your cheeks pull your mouth open thats your best color and for blush pinch your cheeks thats the color you should look for when you abuy a blush.

Body- I use shea butter I have really dry skin so I use shea year round and after a bath I mix Vitamin e with a little Water and just kinda use it as a lotion

Toe nails - use pumice stone in tub every day and dab oil on cuticles softens them and works in a pinch when you havent had a manicure.

waxing/shaving - never shave above the knee it causes the hair to grow in darker. Long term waxing lightens the color and thickness of hair. If you shave pubes use deoderant to keep bumps away.

- use an old tooth brush to brush dead skin off your lips with a little olive oil while your at it put some olive oil in your hair and leave it in for like 20 minutes and then Shampoo it off.

- on a really hot day to cool off mix a few drops of tea tree oil with aloe vera gel cools like nothing I've ever found before

hrm thats the best I can come up with off the top of my head. But like I said Ive been neglecting doing these myself as of late but this thread makes me want to get back in the program.

Thank you Ladies.

Eva

Ps I promise the tea tree is probably the best thing Ive ever found for acne

[kyethra 0]

Lately I've been learning more. I discovered that diorshow makes their mascara in waterproof now. How perfect! Its mascara that I love-- it actually doesn't smudge on me when I rub my eyes unless its really hot out and I put a ton on, then after a while some of it might smudge. But its great stuff. Eyeliner-- I finally found eyeliner I can use! Lancome le crayon kohl. It goes on pretty smooth, its easy to correct oopses with a q tip and its not all smudgy. And normally I hate eyeliner and mascara, but I love those.

I also found some liquid foundation that matches my skin-- just for redheads. justforreadheads.com its a makeupline for redheads. Its really does match my skin tone great-- pale and pinkish. But it doesn't do anything to minimize my pore appearance. I'm going to see about prescriptives and their color match next. I have a good eyebrow pencil at the moment from lancome but I was excited to find just for redheads because do you know how hard it is to find a ginger eyebrow pencil?

I've also decided to grow my hair out. Its around bra strap length now and I have seven more inches before its waist length. While its been close to that before, its never reached it. So I figure that will take about a year. So ideally in a year from now I'll be at goal for hair and weight. To help out my hair (my hair is something I am vain about) I've started oiling the ends. It takes just a few drops of oil. I usually do it at night and then braid it. Any excess oil is absorbed. Its helps with dryness. I am also using just conditioner to wash it a lot of the time and I'm thinking about getting a heating cap for deep treatments. I don't use heat to style or dry my hair, and I only wash it two or three times a week.

Since I'm a hair idiot I've been learning how to style and braid my hair finally. I got some books on the subject. I'm finally learning how to do a french braid after all these years!