From Daggy to Dandy in No Time at all!
First of all let me be completely upfront. Kathy Marris does not look daggy – ever! And today she’s sharing 5 simple beauty tips about how to look great after 50 which she so effortlessly does.
But the title, ‘From daggy to dandy in no time at all,’ seemed so apt for the way many of us over 50s feel prior to, and after, paying our face and body a bit of attention before going out.
It seems to me a long time ago that I’d just drag a brush through my hair, and throw on whatever came to hand before I left the house for the day. But although these days
I find myself needing to make a bit more effort, sometimes it really is just a question of putting on something I feel good wearing, and a bit of lippy, to take me from feeling personally daggy to out and about dandy.
Kathy is a gorgeous 50-something woman who lives in Queensland, and we’ve been online friends for quite some years now. Kathy writes a fabulous blog called 50 Shades of Age which concentrates on travel, but includes humorous real life dilemmas we face as we get older too.
Today she shares her beauty routine which takes her from a natural outdoorsey look to ooh-la-la drop-dead-gorgeous.
Kathy’s 5 simple beauty tips
1. No matter where I go I always wear foundation with SPF 50 sunscreen. This not only evens out my skin tone and covers blemishes, but it protects my face from the harsh Queensland sun. I also always wear sunglasses outdoors to protect my eyes from the sun and from getting crows feet around my eyes.
2. Wherever I go I always wear lipstick. It brightens up my face and makes me feel like I’m at the very least wearing some makeup.
3. I have a regular 6 weekly visits to my hairdresser to keep the greys at bay, add some highlights to my hair and keep it styled. They do say that a woman’s hair is her crowning glory! Same goes for my eyebrows – I keep them groomed and tinted as well.
4. I like to keep my clothing fairly simple in mainly neutral colours and then accessorise with jewellery, scarves, clutch purses and good quality shoes. I don’t buy cheap and low quality clothing as it does look daggy. I prefer quality over quantity.
5. To keep my skin looking young I cleanse my face daily with an aveno exfoliating facial cleanser, I use Clinique moisturiser, Clinique primer and Clinique foundation (with 50+ SPF). Before bed I apply a Dermalogica night cream. For my hair I use Juice Shampoo and Conditioner that I purchase at the Hairdressers. Then I use Bhave styling cream prior to blowdrying my thick unruly hair.
From top to toe it takes me around one hour (if I need to wash and style my hair). Otherwise I can be out the door looking dandy in 45 minutes.
And oh my goodness – doesn’t she look gorgeous!
A big thanks to Kathy for agreeing to share her beauty tips with us.
If you’d like to take part in this series, I’d love to hear from you. Please shoot me a message via the contact form.
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Morning Routine Checklist – Leanne shares her 5 top tips.
I totally agree with the lipstick thing especially!! If I don’t have time for anything else, the lipstick is the focal point!
XOXO
Jodie
Yesss to a quick flick of lipstick Jodie! An immediate mood booster too 🙂
Love this! It’s true. Also, congratulations on your successes!
Some other thoughts…
It is possible to look great when you’re 50 but you have to put the effort in starting from now. Look after your body and skin with healthy food and lots of water. Lots of walking to keep you in shape. Don’t drink or smoke!
Thank you Marina. Yes, I agree. We can’t let up. Got to keep at it, every single day.
I think Kathy looks great – but in different ways – in both the “before” and “after” pics!
thanks for your fabulous quick tips Kathy. I too often rush out the door without doing anything much at all. Perhaps I should slow down and take more care and feel like I’m looking the best I can. Thanks Kathy.
I must start wearing lipstick… any make up at all… just to change things a little… it’s a habit to wear none and I could do with kicking myself up the bum a wee bit. And I looked in my wardrobe and saw that most of my clothes are stone colours, greys, a few greens but very little colour… yes I think of myself as a colourful person… hmmm… note to self for next shopping trip.
It’s easy to slip into rituals which don’t serve us, hey Seana. Like colours – I have lots of colours in my wardrobe, but this winter I’ve stuck to black and navy almost consistently. I need to break the habit.
I’m not sure why Kathy is being so bashful. It sounds to me she pays plenty of attention to looking her best and it shows.
Agree Jan 🙂 And as Kathy mentioned in a previous comment, I think general well-being ‘maintenance’ like moisturising our skin and getting regularly hair cuts pays off in the long run.
Thanks for making me look and sound good Jo! I spend most of my days in Lycra and then shorts and t shirts in summer. I know I really should make more effort. When I go out to meet friends for coffee or go shopping I do change into something more appropriate (like a little dress and sandals or jeans and blouse). I think it’s fairly simple to keep looking reasonable at my age. You just have to be prepared to protect and moisturise your skin and look after you hair.
Hi Kathy, and thanks again for a great feature 🙂 Yes, there’s a time and a place for comfy-womfy (like now as I sit on a cold day at home in front of the computer knowing I’ll see no one except the parrots which visit our garden!) and then there’s time for addressing the way we present when we’re out.
Kathy you’ve joined the fashion blogging club! Lovely to see you showing your style (and tips) and wasn’t it nice of Jo to give us a taste of a different style of blogging? 🙂
Well Leanne I’m not going to give up travel blogging just yet! Yes I do like to try and look presentable at my age and put some effort into my beauty routine. I could be more dedicated however. I’m about to read your feature now!
Lol, Leanne 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the new blogging style – more to come 🙂