My mother is not what you would call a glamourpuss. She never had drawers full of cosmetics like my friends’ mothers. She had, and still has, a simple make up case with only clear mascara, black mascara, concealer, translucent powder and a chap stick. Needless to say I didn’t expect to get much beauty advice from Little Miss No Make Up. How wrong I was. Here’s what I learnt.
Don’t shave your legs.
I’ve shaved my legs maybe ten times in my life, and only in emergencies. I’ve waxed and/or epilated for fifteen years and my body hair just gets thinner and softer.
Choose light facial coverage, or none at all.
I’m pretty sure my mother has never owned foundation in her life. Neither have I. We stick to light tinted moisturisers or subtly applied concealers.
Moisturise. Twice. Every day.
My mother has done so every day since she was thirteen. As have I. People are shocked when my mother says she has a 27-year-old daughter. They are even more shocked when they realise that the 27-year-old is supposed to be me. It’s all about hydration. Also, I’m the only fish-belly white one of my very olive-skinned immediately family, so I added my own daily sunscreen caveat.
Fork out for a decent hair dresser.
My mother is a total tight arse with all beauty products, except those relating to her hair. It’s your crowning glory. Treat it as such.
Pedicures are good for your soul.
Even in winter, there’s something about bright berry toes that makes me smile.
What great and unexpected tips did you adopt from your mother? Let’s share the wisdom of our greater generations!
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19 Comments
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My mother taught me that not all lipstick shades will look good on me, and how to choose good ones.
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How do you choose good ones? That always stumps me!
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My mom taught me to always wash my face, to change my pillowcase to avoid break outs and to always take care of my nails. She’s got the best complexion of anyone I know.
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I got into changing my pillow case too! Makes so much sense.
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My grandmother said “Pain for Beauty”. My mother said “you are beautiful already”. Grandma swears by vaseline as a moisturizer and baby oil. Mom talks about sunscreen all the time!
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don’t wear makeup, always wear sunscreen and stand up straight. and the surprise bonus tip from my dad- metho kills pimples!
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Stand up straight! That was my Dad that did that for me. I had terrible sway back posture with this giant protuding tummy and he’d whisper ‘Deportment!’ at me to remind me to stand up straight. I also had a mad ballet teacher who spent a good portion of the early 90s tucking my tail bone under.
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What kind of epilator do you use? I’ve tried epilating a couple of time, but I always get ingrown hairs.
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I used to use an Emjoi but recently bought a pink Braun one. You need to exfoliate everyday to avoid ingrowns. I never get ingrowns on my legs but my bikini line has issues. Sometimes I get lazy but generally exfoliating helps. But I really like picking ingrowns so for me it’s a wee added bonus. 🙂
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ALWAYS wear sunscreen. Every day. Even when it’s raining!
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I had to invent that one myself. My mother was a coconut oil baby of the 70s. 🙂
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Love your blog! Its awesome to see fellow Goddesses with a passion for fashion ans beauty. You are such an inspiration! Let me inspire you! Check out my blog
http://www.Goddessofguidance.blogspot.com -
My Mum always said that “men like women who look the same in the morning as they did the night before” ie natural. But I wear the thickest MAC foundation money can buy!
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I like that. 🙂
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My Mum had several skin cancers removed when she was quite young, and laments about the state of her skin. She drilled into me from a very young age the importance of wearing suncreen every single day, especially on the backs of your hands.
I think that the other most important lesson that my mother taught me was to take good care of my teeth. “You only get one set”, is her catch-cry. I’m a total nazi when it comes to oral hygene, and even though my teeth are as crooked as a gangster, they’re super-healthy, with no cavities to be seen.-
We had hardcore teeth issues in my family because my brothers gums were all messed up and his teeth cost my parents thousands of dollars. Every time we had a punch up my mother would scream ‘Don’t touch those teeth!’
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I think my mum and yours must have been sisters! My mum has only ever washed her face with ordinary soap and water, and has used Nivea cream (the really thick original stuff) every day of her adult life – she easily looks 15 years younger than her age. I was lucky enough to inherit enough of the youth-factor to still look like a teenager at 32, but I’ve never been able to follow her skin regime: for whatever reason mine is superdry but hypersensitive and prone to dermatitis and crazy breakouts, and allergic to everything (lanolin, the key ingred in Nivea, being one!). She still sings it’s praises, but I’ve accepted I’m stuck with QV and Cetaphil. For Karmic balance, I got my Dad’s glorious tan colouring which never burns (unlike Mum’s pasty-white!). Oh, and my mum thinks painted toes make you look like a skanky whore – hence I’m never seen without them, even in winter – the brighter the better!
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