On How To Look Good Like Me Part 1: Skin and Hair

I had a thought this morning as I got myself ready for the day. That thought was I look pretty damn awesome for 30. I wondered if you folks would like to know my tips for how to look awesome like me, so I thought I’d share them with you. This will be a two part blog as it involves a lot of complicated stuff. Today’s main focus is how to look young. Follow these easy tips and people will mistake your face for a baby’s arse.

Firstly: the skin.
I have pretty awesome skin aging-wise. I still get ID’d at bars and at supermarkets sometimes. It’s the only reason I have a license. Having skin like this doesn’t come easy. It takes hard work, sacrifice and a stringent routine. The hard work part is remembering the routine, and the sacrifice is looking like a grown up person. Also it takes good genes. Make sure your mum and dad don't look like raisins at 30. I don't know how you can pick your parents, but work it out - it's a must have item in the wardrobe of your face.

I have extreme white person skin. This means that I have to work extra hard to make sure I don’t get cancer or old people skin. My skin is like my mum and Grandma's, which means it reacts to stuff (clearly not enough effort spent in parent picking). And I’m a cheap arse, so I only buy products that cost less than going to the cinema. I use Olay for sensitive skin as my daily moisturiser. It’s cheap, it comes from the supermarket, and my skin doesn’t react to it. I use a Dove cleanser/toner also from the supermarket. My night and my eye cream come from Avon. The eye cream is the most expensive beauty type thing I own, but I can see that now I’m 30, if I don’t do something that area is going to wrinkle.

My routine is this: Morning – Wash face with cleanser/toner. Moisurise with a moisturiser that is also SPF15+. Put on special eye moisturiser stuff. Put on lip balm.
Night – Wash face again. Put on night time moisturiser. Put on lip balm.
Every day – Use sunscreen – especially on the décolletage area.
On occasion – Use a face mask thingee. This is just for fun.

Now on to applying make-up. I own some. I got mascara and some eye liners and some tester lipsticks from when I was an Avon lady (hilarious move), but I only use them for special occasions. I don’t even own a foundation. The only make-up I use on a daily basis is eyebrow pencil. This is just because I haven’t really got proper eyebrows, so I feel the need to draw some on. If you have eyebrows, this part of my routine is unnecessary for you. Aside from this, not wearing make-up means you can get ready for work quicker, and people think you are younger cos if you get pimples then people can see them. TV teaches us that only teenagers have pimples, therefore you must look younger if you aren’t wearing make-up.

Secondly: the hair. Getting hair like mine takes real skill. Part of that skill entails having no skills; never learning how to use a hair dryer, hair curlers or straighteners is a must. The other part is realising that hair is just hair and it grows back. This realisation enables you to cut your own hair into styles only you could achieve (cos hairdressers lack the creative vision let you leave a salon looking like that.)

You have to have the confidence to wear whatever the outcome with pride. Trust me, I've pulled off some amazingly bad haircuts. I once accidentally cut one of my sideburns off. On a short style so it was completely visible. So I fixed it by shaving it off totally, then shaving off the other side to match. Totally good solution apart from looking like I meant to do it so it looked like a hipster cut. And then it was fashion, so really, an accidental win for all.

For keeping your hair in the fab condition mine is in I recommend: a) Shampooing and conditioning with stuff that you aren't allergic to (I use Sunsilk) about three times a week
b) Regular homestyled haircuts (6 weekly minimum)
c) Not using hair dye
d) Some kind of keratin based product for super shine.

It's also good to have some tools on hand, but the best tools are the basics: a sharp pair of scissors, some bobby clips a comb and a mirror. I choose to cut my hair in styles that are low maintenance, and morph into new styles when you apply zero maintenance. If I sleep on my hair wet I'll get an afro style. If I damp and pin my hair a little it straightens it. Versatility is good.

The best thing about spending almost nothing on the upkeep of your hair, and next to nothing on make-up is that you can spend it on other things. Not having haircuts can save you up to $480 a year. Not dying your hair (based on home dyeing) saves you around $100 a year. Not buying make-up could save you some amount I don't know cos I never used it, but probably around $300. That's almost $900! That's at least enough for a tiny holiday, like a three day in Wellington holiday. Or a bunch of fun things like wine tours on Waiheke and fancy dinners and swanky dates in hotels. These things are important cos less stress means less wrinkles and prettier hair. And also maybe staying in a hotel.

So that concludes Part 1 of How To Look Good Like Me. Next time I'll share my tips on fashion, dressing yourself and perfecting 'The Walk'.