STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

Personal Upkeep

Boots · Gucci

I'm 38 and don't know if I do anything too special to maintain. I use anti-aging moisturizers/treatments from Neutrogena in the AM and PM. I religiously apply 30SPF sunblock every AM and I use Clinque's new brown spot correcting serum to get rid of the sunspots I do have. I also started using the Mia to clean my face at night and I do think it's helped considerably with my skin care. In fact, I've gotten better results with the Mia than I did with seeing a derm for over a year (then again, I didn't have a great derm to begin with anyway.)

I use self tanning moisturizer on my legs during the summer for a touch of color so I don't scare/blind small children. Also during the Spring/Summer I get maybe 2 or 3 pedis and maintain them myself in between. I never get manis (I've had exactly one for a brother's wedding 9 years ago.) I am not careful enough to keep a mani looking nice so I just trim and buff my nails myself.

I'm considering getting a massage this year after my busy season (I work for accountants so it's crazy right now.) But it seems like a lot of money to spend so I'm hesitant.

I get my hair cut when I need it, so maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I dye the grays out myself when I need it as well, every 6-7 weeks.

I exercise 5 days a week, try to eat healthy and get enough sleep at night. I think these three things do more for me over all than anything else.

Kelly · Hermes

I was just thinking about this the other day. Sometimes I feel like personal upkeep could be a full time job if I let it, there's always something I feel like I'm slacking on!

Here's what I do. I'm 24.

Facial hair - I pluck/wax my eyebrows myself (I pluck underneath, and for shaping, but for just standard de-fuzzing above my brows I use cold wax strips). I also shave my face now and then. I know it sounds nuts - I don't really have problems with facial hair (other than a little upper lip stuff) but you know that light, fine, hair everybody has? I've read that shaving that off helps makeup go on smoother. I'll admit I feel a little weird about it and I would die if anyone ever saw me doing it (but I'm willing to admit it on the internet?

), but I do think it helps makeup.

Body hair - I shave my legs/bikini area 1-2x a week (sometimes more in the summer). I shave my armpits every day. I epilate or pluck "happy trail" sort of hairs whenever the need arises.

Hair - I get it cut about every 2 months. My hair is also dyed every 2 months - I try to alternate between professional coloring and doing at-home Level 2 color to try to keep the cost down. I have the experience to know that I can't totally rely on myself because after about 6 months my hair becomes a disaster. But I only go a few shades darker so it feels like a waste not doing it on my own *some* of the time.

Manicures/Pedicures - I don't do it. I paint my nails now and then but normally I'm polish-free just because it's easier. I think I've gone to a professional like twice.

Spray tanning - nope! I like being disgustingly pale.

Facials - I've never had one but I want to. Sometimes I just feel like my skin is awful and I don't even know what's wrong, so I hope that a facial will be some sort of magic fix. But I just can't stomach the cost.

Massages - I LOVE them. I get massages about 3-4x a year. I wish it were more but they're expensive! Now that I get emails from Groupon and LivingSocial I'm hoping I'll be able to do it more often, because massages seem to come up fairly frequently on those sites.

Anti-aging - I don't do much outside of picking anti-aging goop for my face. Secretly I wish I went to a derm for "help" because I think I have more wrinkles than I should at 24, but I keep telling myself that 24 is too young to start on that.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

I'm often thinking about this issue a lot lately because I feel like I don't keep up with a lot of this stuff like I should (or in comparison to other women). It's funny to see it here because I just got back from a pedicure and brow/lip threading appointments this afternoon.

Age: 35

HAIR

I've been blessed with fair skin and dark-a** hair, so this subtopic is a touchy one for me. Once I realized that I can get threading done and don't have to stop using my BHA solution on my face, I have been going more regularly. My hair grows fast, so I have to go about every 4-5 weeks. I don't see the point of plucking in betweenk, so I let my brows grow. It's amazing how much more rested and polished I look after having my brows done!

I am lazy when it comes to legs and underarms. I'll let my leg hair go longer than it should (poor DH), but shaving is such a pain. It's not rewarding either. I can feel stubble within 24 hours. I still haven't figured out the bikini line. I usually just shave it when I need to (which is more often now that I've been in Miami). I got waxed (bikini and upper legs) on Jan 13, and I had to shave somewhere around the weekend of Jan 28th!

I tweeze other places as soon as possible. Sometimes the other places get a little long. I pluck my chin pretty much every day or so. I would love to hide out for a month and just let it grow so I could get it ripped out all at once.

Arms: I just let em go. When the hair gets too dark, I'll bleach it. I don't like the feeling of trimmed arm hair.

One trick for making shaving MUCH easier: I slather on a fair amount of a 10% AHA body lotion on my legs and underarms right before I get in the shower. I wash my hair and face, and then I shave. The AHA softens the hair so well that I rarely get any razor burn. Don't put AHA lotion on after you shave. Ouch!

HAIR ON HEAD

I have short hair, so I have to get it cut every 5 weeks, or else I start looking like Tom Jones. I haven't colored my hair in years. I am lucky because grays have not been a problem yet. I have one little white patch behind my right ear, but I kinda like it.

I don't get manicures. I just keep my nails trimmed and clean.

Pedicures: I'm really bad about keeping up with them. I have thick toenails (genetic, I think), and I have a complex about them. It's hard to go to the salon to get them done because I'm embarrassed. That said, it HAS to be done. So, I go whenever I just can't stand it anymore - - more often in the summer.

TANNING

No spray or lotion tanning here. I wear sunscreen when I'm outside at the pool or being active, but I'm not diehard about it.

FACIALS

Ever since I got my skin in shape with Paula Begoun's recommendations and some of her products, I have had no need, no desire for facials. I enjoy them as a fun way to pamper occasionally.

MASSAGES

I think--for my well-being--it would be good for me to get massages regularly, but I just never think of getting them. I enjoy them, but I haven't had a real massage in years.

ANTIAGING

My skin is on the oily side, and I have been lucky that wrinkles aren't overtaking my face. Wrinkles--in my family--come in the form of the jowles-effect. I'm going to look like a freakin marionette when I get older. I imagine that I'll soon begin working with topical antiagers (retinol, skin lightening) that are more serious than the stuff I use now. Right now, I use BHA for exfoliation, toner and moisturizer loaded with ceramides, antioxidants, an antioxidant serum, a gentle foaming cleanser, and a gentle moisturizer. Everything I use on my face is 100% fragrance free.

EXERCISE

This is a huge stumbling block for me. I have very low energy, and it is hard for me to get up and go. DH and I do some yoga in the morning, and I try to at least walk every day. Sometimes I don't even do that.

FOOD

I've been trying to eat better, and I have been successful. I try to keep the carbs low. It is the thing that helps the most. I sleep better and have at least a tiny bit more energy when I eat right. I love sugar and pastries though. It's tough.

Suasoria · Chanel

I realized a couple of years ago that aging is expensive. Unfortunately I have SO little spending money right now that I want to cry. Anyhoodle...

I am really low maintenance in comparison to most women I know, or at least I think I am.

I'll be 40 years old this year, w00t

HAIR (head)
I don't get it cut - I cut it myself and I do an OK job. My hair's fine and straight and simple. Long story but going to a salon to get a "real" haircut is something I always say I'm going to do, and then I don't. I also cut my husband's hair and even my stepdad's from time to time.

I don't color it. The last year or two, I've started to get some grays, finally. My brother is 30 and has way more than me, and my mom had a lot of gray at my age. I like them and I won't color them. Once or twice a year I have to pluck one out because it's annoying - they are of course more wiry and if it won't stay where I want it to go I just yank it. Maybe one day I'll have enough gray not to get carded.

HAIR (other)
Shave underarms daily, shave legs every other day, maybe every 3-4 days in winter. It doesn't grow that fast, so day 2 is almost as smooth as day 1. It would never occur to me to do anything about my arm hair. It just is.

I do love brow waxes but I haven't wanted to spend the moneys in a long time. Realizing that the thin brow look is potentially adding years, I'm letting them grow thicker, and just tweezing the hairs that are clearly out of bounds. Plucking/grooming my eyebrows has been like a hobby to me since I was a teenager, so this is hard but I'm surviving.

I have 2-3 dark hairs under my jaw that I must pluck as soon as I notice them.

I have to bleach my upper lip at least every two weeks, and I do that myself too. If money was no object I would laser that off like 1-2-3. I sometimes pluck a few dark hairs out in between bleaches if I can't stand it. Painful.

Bikini: I use electric clippers and buzz it all off every few weeks. I don't wear bathing suits in public so this is not a concern, but if I knew I had to, I'd just shave and go.

NAILS

No manicures ever. 95% of the time they are short and I try to keep clear polish on them. I have large hands and my nails grow really fast, so I feel like I look like I have transvestite hands when my nails are polished. The only exception is I like the look of short dark nails.

Pedicures - I really don't like other people touching my feet. I've had a few pedis and I just don't love it. I keep them up myself.

TANNING
Heavens no. I make pale look so chic, why would I do this to my skin?

FACIALS
NO and I need to do something. Dermatology or something. I have a rash or dry skin or something going on and I am so upset about it right now.

MASSAGES
YES as often as possible. I have a friend who is a massage therapist and he will give me a rubdown cheap if i make him dinner. I would get massages 2-3 times a week if I had time. Once a month if I can schedule it.

ANTIAGING
I'm still experimenting with products...another long story but I'm very particular about ingredients etc.

EXERCISE
Yoga and lots of it. Again if I only had time I'd do 1-2 hours of yoga a day. I'm lucky if I have 2 hours a week. I don't like other kinds of exercise.

FOOD
Yeah I eat healthy but I need to snack better. I need to eat more fruits and nuts and less pretzels. Less gluten in general. Less salt.

WATER
Lots and lots. I don't drink anything else but water, tea, wine and a few cups of coffee a week. But I drink lots of water. And I pee a lot.

SLEEP
Other than phases during which I have trouble falling asleep, I am good about getting 8-9 hours.

NCshopper · Hermes

Ooh, I like this topic! I love hearing what everyone else does.

Age: 30 as of a few weeks ago!

HAIR
I'm totally lazy when it comes to shaving my legs and underarms--I do it as infrequently as I can get away with, so maybe like 2x per week. Should do it much more frequently, but in the winter it just doesn't happen. In the summer I'm much better about it. For bikini line, I use the Bliss Bikini Perfect epilator. For facial hair and eyebrows, I'm going to try threading this weekend and we'll see how that goes.

Arms: Never given it a second thought. Should I? I really don't want to add one more thing to the routine and it doesn't bother me at all.

HAIR ON HEAD
I'm growing my hair out, so I'm getting it cut about every 10 weeks or so. I probably don't need to do it that often, but I love having a scalp massage and having it trimmed up and looking really shiny and pretty for a few days afterwards. I need to get better about using a weekly conditioning treatment--I love the way my hair feels after one and I haven't done it in awhile.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
I usually take care of this myself and maybe once a year or so have a pro do it. I've just recently quit biting my nails and should paint them more often.

TANNING
Nada. I've never tanned or gotten sprayed. I've tried doing it myself with anything from terrible to passable results, but nothing spectacularly good. I think my face looks dirty when it gets tan, so I just stick to sunscreen and hope that it pays off when I get older.

FACIALS
I don't really get facials. I just got a Clarisonic Mia for my birthday and that's made a great improvement in my skin already. Between daily use of that and weekly masks, I don't really feel the need for regular facials.

MASSAGES
I get them pretty much only when something's wrong. I absolutely love getting a massage, but I find it really hard to justify the cost. Maybe I should rethink this approach...

ANTIAGING
Haven't gotten into Botox or anything like that yet. I used Retin-A a bit to combat acne in the past, but haven't used it in years. I just try to keep my face out of the sun and take good care of my skin and hope that I won't need more serious anti-aging treatments for awhile.

EXERCISE
I try to work out regularly and was really good about it until 2010 when I fell off the wagon hugely. I'm working on getting back on the wagon though.

FOOD
See: exercise. Doing the low-carb/high-protein thing got me in great shape a few years ago and I need to just get back on that plan. I don't know what's stopping me, other than my love for sugar. Bah!

Metric · Gucci

I will be 32 in about a month and a half

HAIR
Under arms I shave every shower. I hate under arm hair. Legs I get lazy in the winter, in the summer I shave more often. I get waxed as frequently as I can afford.

HAIR ON HEAD
I color it every 4-6 weeks at home. I cut it every 6 months or so, I'm constantly trying to grow it out, cut it, grow it out.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
I wear gels and get a fill every 2 weeks. I love my gels, I don't care what anyone says. I keep them short and I think they always look really tidy and professional.
Pedis are a vacation/special event treat.

TANNING
I used to tan daily. Now I don't because I thought it was slowly killing me, SO quit smoking so I quit tanning. I miss it though. If it wasn't horrible for you I'd still do it.

FACIALS
I don't get facials. I do use Dermalogica Microfoliant scrub daily and its amazing. Its really make a big improvement to my skin. I want a Clarisonic for my birthday though.

MASSAGES
I absolutely love getting a massage. My benefits cover $500 worth a year so that's about 1 every 2 months.

ANTIAGING
Just antiaging goop in my lotion- Korres Quecertin and Oak antiaging night cream

EXERCISE
I was working with a trainer in 2010 and LOVED it. Then my sessions ended and I couldn't afford more (its expensive as f#&k) I miss it and I've been so bad about going on my own. In 2 months of being off I'm back to my pre-training weight :( So I really need to make an effort in the next few months.

FOOD
I was eating really well when I trained. Now I'm eating crap. Starting March 1 SO and I are healthy eating and working out every day.

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Metric wrote:

MASSAGES
I absolutely love getting a massage. My benefits cover $500 worth a year so that's about 1 every 2 months.

Wow! Nice. Is it under the regular plan or a supplemental/promotional kind of thing?

I think the trainer is a huge deal. I've never worked with one, but I bet doing so would help me immensely. Working with a trainer seems like a better route than hiring someone to kidnap me and force me into the gym to work out.

jrhampt · Kenneth Cole

33, also way losing patience for maintenance. I try to do things efficiently, both time and money wise.

HAIR
Under arms I shave every morning. I go for months without shaving my legs until probably
around May - Sept when I shave them every couple of weeks, depending on how often I wear a skirt.

HAIR ON HEAD
I get it highlighted every 8-10 weeks in an attempt to blend blond with grey. Cut every 6 months maybe. This is probably my largest expense.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
No.

TANNING
No.

FACIALS
No.

MASSAGES
Very occasionally. We do have a masseuse at work who's pretty inexpensive.

ANTIAGING
Sunscreen in my powder foundation during the winter, heavier on the sunscreen in the summer when I actually go outside, retin-a for years (love it), dysport every 4-5 months around eyes/forehead. Second largest expense. Ive also been using a generic version of latisse (careprost) lately which is awesome, although not strictly anti-aging. Will probably eventually get some capillaries zapped but haven't gotten around to it yet.

EXERCISE
At least 5 hours a week, mostly cardio due to a neck injury a year or so ago. Will eventually go back to yoga and weights too. Do a lot of biking during the summer.

wicked · Coach

I'm 34

HAIR
I shave my legs about 2x a wk in Winter and every other day in Summer. I had my brows done by a professional once 6 or 7 years ago and i've been maintaining their shape ever since. I shave bikini area as needed.

HAIR ON HEAD
i haven't had a haircut since last May. Before that I would go for a trim 2x a year. My hair is super long. I don't normally color my hair. I put henna in it about a year and a half ago and would like to do it again (I love the red shades!), but it's a total pain and I need my mom to help me. I may do it again the next time I visit her. I am getting grey, but it doesn't bother me.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
I paint my nails when I feel like it, which isn't too often. I just painted them today for the first time since last Spring. I splurge on a pedi 1x every Summer

TANNING
I've never used a tanning booth, gotten sprayed or used any lotions. My skin tans easily though and I usually get a nice one from spending time outdoors.

FACIALS
I've never had a facial.

MASSAGES
I've only had a massage once a couple years ago and it was at a school that only charged $25. The students did an awesome job, but I moved soon afterwards. I need to keep my eye out for another school with a similar setup.

ANTIAGING
I wear eye cream and face cream with SPF.

EXERCISE
I walk 1-2 hrs a day. A bit less in the Winter. This reminds me I have a pair of dumbbells I need to reacquaint myself with too.

FOOD

I'm mostly vegetarian. 2 or 3 times a year i'll give in to a primal urge for meat during PMS. I don't eat much dairy except for yogurt. I need to be careful about sweets. I love sugar and have a hard time controlling myself. If I open a bag of candy I will finish it within the course of a day. Every month or so I resolve to stop buying it, but then I go to the grocery store hungry and my resolve is out the window.

I treat myself to chocolate everyday and i'm better at rationing it, than I am with sugary candy. I also try to follow Michael Pollan's rules of not eating anything with more than 5 ingredients, anything with ingredients your grandparents wouldn't recognize as food, ingredients you can't pronounce etc and I only drink alcohol a few times a year.

XtinaStyles · Marc Jacobs

I'm 28.

HAIR
Legs get shaved 1x a week or more often in warmer weather; underarms 2x or so. I get regular bikini waxes and pluck brows and any randoms as neccessary (like once a month?)

HAIR ON HEAD
Highlights approx 3x a year and haircuts every few months with some manual trims in between. There's nothing I love more than snipping away at split ends.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
I prefer to do my own manicures about once per week but splurge on a pedi maybe once a month. I hate doing my own feet.

TANNING
Lately, I've been doing organic spray tans for special occasions and vacations. The boost in confidence and improvement in pictures makes the $ well worth it!

FACIALS
I've had a few but find that my skin gets clogged 2 days later and is back to square one. What is the point?

MASSAGES
I will only splurge if I have a major knot that needs working on. Maybe 1-2x a year.

ANTIAGING
I don't do enough of this, if anything.

TheLovelyLady71 · Hermes

WOW, this INDEED is a good one, so I'll play! LOL

Age: 39, my LAST YEAR as a member of Club 30s! LOL

HAIR
I'm STRAIGHT UP lazy when it comes to shaving my legs and underarms (sometimes). In the Spring/Summer months I'm much better about it. For facial hair, I'm CHEAP, I just shave it off w/a razor & shaving cream! LMAO!

HAIR ON HEAD
I get my hair PERMED every 8-9weeks. I USED TO wash & condition it weekly, got lazy. NOW I may do it every 2wks., IF I'm again - NOT LAZY! LOL I blow dry it, then put more hair care stuff in it, then flat iron it.

MANICURES/PEDICURES
I've only had ONE pedi' my entire life, wow. My ex would do my toes for me, now I do them myself. NEVER had a mani', but that might soon change.

FACIALS/MASSAGES
Last time I had a PROFESSIONAL massage was when I was in a car accident back in 2002, and had to go to PT. THAT'S.IT.! LOL Wow, I'm pretty LOW KEY, geez! Or FRUGAL! LOL No facials, but I may look into that as well. Seems like NOW that I'm almost 40, and slowed down on the clubbing, ppl think I'm, well, that I "LOOK" like I'm in my late 20s (27-29)! LOVE IT!

ANTIAGING
I use Olay anti-aging products (foaming face wash), or products that keep the PIMPLES down, ugh!

EXERCISE
I'm NOT the track star I used to be in HS (lol), but I do like to go walking/ LITE-slow jogging thru my neighborhood maybe 2-3x's a week. And I do lil' things here & there, and I can TELL the difference.

FOOD
I try to eat pretty healthy Mon.-Fri., then JUST HAVE FUN (eat crazy!) Sat./Sun. Really depends on my mood! LOL

-- Edited by TheLovelyLady71 on Wednesday 2nd of March 2011 11:08:19 AM

atlgirl · Gucci

I'm 43.

HAIR
I wax bikini and lip at home with the Bliss Poetic Wax. It's fairly painless and lots cheaper than going somewhere. Brows get addressed when necessary, but mostly I can keep the shape by tweezing.

Arms - I have never worried about the hair on my arms. Underarms get shaved regularly.

Legs - I sometimes go for more than a week in winter, and then I get grossed out and have to shave it off. In summer it's several times a week.

HAIR ON HEAD
It's short, it's fine, and it's not getting any better as I age. I have had grays since I was sixteen. I used to do a single process "wash" of color but after a while it felt too dark, so now I am a double process girl. Highlights about every two months, and cuts about the same. I keep my hair shoulder-length in summer, so I can put it up, and shorter in the winter because I wear hats and it looks cuter under a hat when it's shorter. I am lucky to trade jewelry for color and cut, so no expense there.

FACE:
I have had facials in the past, but don't keep up with them regularly...though as I get older I really feel like I should. I started using the Clarisonic last fall and though I do not see a big improvement, I feel one. My skin feels softer and smoother than before. At this point I don't have to worry about breakouts too much, but I feel that my skin is unevenly colored and don't feel like I can leave the house without foundation. I have a derm and I think the next thing to talk to her about is peels or lasers...

MANI/PEDI:
With my job, there is no point in doing manicures. The only time I ever do is if I'm taking a vacation for a few days...and that's not often. I don't like color on my nails so normally I just have them buffed if I'm going somewhere. Pedis are a few-times-a-year treat; mostly I just do them at home.

TANNING:
I wear sunscreen every day. I was dx with skin cancer in 2009 and had to have surgery which left me with a visible scar on my chest. I hadn't tanned for years before that, but apparently my misspent youth came back to haunt me. I am pretty pale and have done spray tanning before, and am considering adding that to my regular schedule. I do not have very good success with self- tanners, unfortunately.

MASSAGE:
I also trade jewelry for massage...but I STILL can't get there very often. I run my own business and when I'm not traveling for it, it keeps me here at home way too much. I do love the benefits though. We swap jewelry for 90 minute massage sessions so it's really a treat when I can go.

EXERCISE:
Currently 4x a week - 30 minutes of running, plus strength work. I am not a gym bunny and I hate to run - but love the effects - so I do this all at home. I have a mini trampoline and just blast my iPod. And then a bit of free weights and pushups, stretches, etc. When it gets warmer / nicer weather, I like to in-line skate. It's a better belly / inner thigh workout. But I have to have something for the cold / nasty weather months, or I'll just slack off. So running it is.

FOOD:
I have an unrelenting love of sweets which I try not to indulge often. And my strict rule is that I don't buy any crap to bring home (chocolate bars, cookies, etc) because I WILL eat it if it's here...but I am too lazy to drive anywhere to get it when the urge strikes. Fortunately DH has no sweet tooth, so we don't have it in the house. At home I eat pretty well - minimal breakfast, minimal lunch, couple of snacks between, minimal dinner. I am a social drinker so as long as I'm not being social I'm fine...but the going out stuff wrecks my calorie watching. Fortunately between the recession and my lack of time away from work both keep me from being as social as I'd like!

ANTI-AGING:
Aside from sunscreen daily, I don't really do anything; never have. I try to eat well, exercise, take basic good care of my body / face, and that's it. I have some light wrinkles, forehead and around the eyes a little, but dude I'm 43! It would be odd not to. And I really don't pay much attention to them. A good foundation and what I call my "glowtion" - a light-reflecting base that I occasionally add to my foundation work well enough for now. :)