Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Looking Good All of the Time

Do you have an outfit (or several) that you just never seem to feel good in? For me that outfit consisted of at least 3 tee shirts and a few pairs of sweatpants. Although I love the "idea" of a white shirt and all the crisp, fresh, clean things I associate with them, they just don't look good on me. The white makes my skin look yellow and my freckles look muddy, and it makes me look, well....wide. The other two tee shirts were a light blue and a red one. Neither looked particularly good on me, but they were on sale. And I got them at The Gap which I considered to be very fancy indeed. I owned all of the above for about five years, until it finally dawned on me that I felt unattractive every time I wore them. In fact, I think the final straw was when I wore the red one with a pair of khakis to Target and couldn't figure out why I kept getting strange looks. It turned out it was because I was actually wearing the Target uniform! I'm sure everyone was wondering where my name tag was and why I wasn't being friendlier to the other customers! As for sweatpants--does anybody actually look good in them?


Once I realized why I felt so unattractive, I decided that I would just do the simple thing and throw them all away. I couldn't believe how easy it was! And I had just ensured that I wouldn't have to feel like a slob in public anymore! Empowered, I also threw away my baggy sweatpants. Then I had a radical idea. Why not move on to the rest of my wardrobe? Why not get rid of everything that didn't make me feel good, or that I knew wasn't in fashion (even if I secretly liked it just a bit).

I replaced all my tee shirts with nicely cut and fitted Merona ones from Target. In fact, I believe I have one in almost every color. Except white, of course! My ugly jeans with baggy knees have been replaced with always cute-and-sassy capri's. I have stocked up on yoga wear, which is nicely cut, nicely fitted, and looks so much more polished than slobby sweats. Now, no matter what I grab out of my closet, it's guaranteed to look nice.

I strongly suggest that you go through your own clothing, and with your most critical eye decide if something really looks good or not. If it doesn't, donate it and replace it with something nice. If you are on a budget, as I always am, it's still possible to replace what you need to. I think I purchased all of my new things for under $200, over a period of several paychecks. I have found most of my things from places like Target, Ross, Wal-Mart, and the like. The only item I can think of that cost more than $10 are my Levi capri pants!

As for shoes, my goodness! Get rid of the worn flip-flops and the graying sneakers! They have such lovely sandals these days that go with everything. Pick something up in a neutral color with a little heel. They take no more effort to put on than a pair of flip-flops, but they look a million times better.

Some people don't wear make-up, but I find it necessary to fool people into thinking that I don't have beady eyes! I have it down to an art and it takes no more than three minutes to put everything on. The first minute I do my foundation. I use a mineral makeup that L'Oreal recently put on the market. The second minute I do my eyes. A quick swipe of eye liner, some brown eye shadow on my lids and some pearl-pink to blend everything together and make it look nice. Then a little mascara. The last minute I use to apply some blush, bronzer, and my lip gloss. And I'm finished in less time than it takes to make popcorn.

As for hair, don't be afraid to try color (it will grow out!), a dramatically different cut (it will grow back!), or some new accessories (headbands are back in! Yay!). Last time I got a cut I asked the stylist for something above my shoulders, with layers around my face, and lots of movement all over. She gave me a perfect cut that I don't even have to blow dry. I'm sure your stylist can do the same if you ask for it.

Looking good, even all of the time, doesn't really take much effort if you plan. If you don't own any ugly clothes, you will never wear ugly clothes. If you have a good hair cut and a head band or pretty elastic, your hair will always look good. If you have just a little bit of make up, but know how to use it, you will always look fresh and well-rested.

And if I, a mother of three-under-four, sometimes single, never well-rested,
budget-minded, full-time student, frequently frazzled homemaker can look good darn near all of the time, you can too.

I promise!

12 comments:

Katie said...

Hello, I've just discovered your blog from a link somewhere and I love it.

I am guilty of hanging on to ucky clothes and sometimes even wearing them outside of my house! I am going to get rid of all the awful old stuff so I can never do it again!

~*This Mama*~ said...

Like the previous comment, I too found your blog through a link somewhere else and I love it too!

I am at a stage right now where nothing looks good on me. I'm almost 6.5 mths pregnant with my 5th child...and hardly any maternity clothes are either within my budget or modest enough or just to my liking. I tend to stick with low-waisted skirts, and I LOVE the new tiered skirt trend. I think I probably have a half dozen of them and I wear them all the time.

I am guilty of the wearing solid colored t-shirts all the time. Yes, they ARE at least the Target kind...Merona or Mossimo...but they just don't fit over an ever increasing belly.

I just cleaned out my closet yesterday in hopes to provide an aquaintance with some clothes. But I have to admit...my closet is frumpy. *sigh* Maybe in about 3 mths I can go back to being more hip. haha.

Like your blog alot!

Tammy said...

Hi! I hopped over here from Mrs. U's blog. =)

I so agree with you! This spring I was going through my spring/summer clothes and trying things on. Because of weight gain, a lot of the things didn't fit/haven't fit for several years. I was just going to put them all back in storage, and then the thought came to me that losing weight in order to get back into most of those clothes was not motivation to lose weight!!! I got rid of so much, saving only my favorites for when I do lose weight. Yes, when I lose weight I will have to buy some new clothes! But I won't have a bunch of junk hanging in my closet!

Great post, and I like your blog. =) Have a nice day!

theups said...

Good post!! I find it very important to look try to look good every day. I may not be a beauty queen (and heaven knows I'm far from "in style"!!), but I do make sure that I am ready to greet anyone that walks up to my door!!

My makeup doesn't take long, either. I think maybe 5 minutes, tops.

Clothes... unfortunately, I feel nothing looks good on me. I need to lose weight and feel "frumpy" most of the time. However, I HAVE gotten rid of many things that made me feel SUPER frumpy!! LOL!!!

Thank you for sharing this!!

His,
Mrs. U

Dawn said...

Being on a small military base, I see the 'frumpy white trash' look all the time. I see these ladies walking their dogs or taking their children for a walk and they are in a faded stained shirt, sweatpants and their hair which hasn't been brushed is some type of a pile on their heads...ugh... Seriously how hard would it be for them to throw on a pair of jeans, a clean shirt and brush their hair...2 minutes?
I wonder if that's what their husbands see every day when they walk thru the door from work...what a scary sight!

I do have a few frumpy dresses that I wear in the house when I am mopping, but I don't wear them out the door.
I;m not really into the whole fashion thing...don't cut or dye my hair or makeup, but that doesn't make me look ugly.
When my hubby gets home I make sure my dress is presentable and my headcovering isnt hanging off and just make myself nice for him.
I do the same when I go out...even if it's to the grocery store or post office. I am representing the Lord Jesus Christ and want to do a good job of it :)

Blessings!

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I came over from Mrs U's blog. This is a great reminder post for me. I do have a few pieces that make me feel unattractive every time I put them on.

It kills me to get rid of stuff it is still useful. But I sure would FEEL a lot better about myself without raggy, stained clothing:)

Take Care,

Trixie

Darcy said...

This is a great post....good, practical advice!

This summer I have decided to wear more skirts and sundresses as they have become so popular and there are so many affordable ones to choose from. I've loved wearing them. They are so comfortable, and feminine! I've also picked up a couple more sandals and a pair of ballet flats that have been fun to wear.

I will have to look into Loreal's mineral makeup line. I didn't know they carried one now.

Terri said...

Hi-

I have a question about the mineral makeup. Does it look really natural or can you tell that you're wearing it? I would like to try something which is light and natural looking but adds something to my complexion.

sheila from life @ #17 said...

okay :)

You just motivated me to put on a nice looking outfit & maybe a little powder on the face for when DH comes hom :)

I usually am pretty good about this, but in the middle of a hot & humid Georgia summer, sometimes I just drop that ball!

Linda said...

wow. What a great post. I am sooooo convicted. My daily attire is sweat pants and t-shirts. I do always put on make-up though. I am going to begin to go through my closet and try to let some things go. Thanks for the thought provoking post.
Blessings

Cottonista said...

Thanks for your truthful words! I just went through my closet as well--mostly out of necessity because we moved and our closet space was extremely downsized. It was so freeing to get rid of ugly old clothes. My husband helped me, and I was embarrassed to find out how many of my (favorite) things he hated. I couldn't understand it before I downsized, but now that I have fewer clothes, all of which I like and that fit well, I feel like I have more.

mamabeck said...

Preach it, sister!
;)

Found you last night through another blog, who had linked to you. SO glad I did. I like the way you write!

:D
beck