View Full Version : How high maintenance are you?
Sad Eyed Lady
5-17-11, 10:16pm
I feel like I am fairly low maintenance, but was just sitting here thinking that I have a hair cut appointment coming up, am buying new makeup after tossing the old due to an eye infection etc. I do wear some mascara or eye liner at times, not all the time, and at times a bit of blush, but otherwise don't bother with make up. So, thinking along the lines of personal upkeep: how high maintenance are you?
Ultra low maintenance. Just shower using plain soap, shampoo, then sunscreen and usually no make-up except if I'm going out on the town. Being blonde I don't have to shave my legs much and have straight long hair (usually in a pony tail) which sis cuts maybe once a year or so. Never even been to a salon in my life. don't do my nails, just keep them short, and just very basic clothes - shorts, tee shirts and tennis shoes on most day.
domestic goddess
5-17-11, 11:16pm
I used to think I was pretty low-maintenance, but medical issues have kind of changed my mind. Although what I am doing now is taking care of years of neglecting medical issues to begin with, I hope it doesn't continue to be this time sucking issue. My fault, though, because if I had taken care of things earlier, I wouldn't be in this position of having to do it all now that I have no insurance. Still, if you are talking purely about cosmetic things, then no, I am very low maintenance. No cosmetics, so coloring of hair, no fancy haircuts,etc. However, one day I hope to get a new pair of glasses, so I don't have to keep taping this one together.
Ultra low maintenance here. :) Aside from my nails (which I keep long and meticulously shaped) everything else comes natural for me. P.S. Shalom. Love your new avatar! You too Spartana!
Pretty low. No makeup unless a job interview is up. Simple clothing, either jeans & t's or sweaters. For dress, simple silk pants or skirt with sweater. Personal stuff is basic - no fussy routines... long hair my DH trims, short nails, etc. I can get ready for work in about 15 minutes, though I prefer 1-2 hours to leisurely read the news & etc. while I drink my morning coffee.
Domestic Goddess. P.S. Hoping you get a new pair of glasses soon. Sometimes it's the smallest of things that help bump-up ones spirits. :)
Redfox. Love your idea on getting ready in the mornings while you enjoy your coffee!
Very low-maintenance. No hair-style (get it cut by DBF or at the school once/year), I never blow it dry, just go out wet, no make-up, no manicures or pedicures. I shave my legs once/week or less. Never shave the pits. No colored-hair.
I laugh at the gym every day. I shower, get dressed, brush my hair and leave. Meanwhile every single other woman is blow-drying her hair and slapping on make-up. One woman even uses curlers in her hair! I do my entire routine in the time it takes most of them just to style/dry their hair. Ugh - why bother with all that crap? I just don't get it. Glad to find the like-minded here - sometimes it feels like a lonely road.
I had a woman at the gym say to me once, "You aren't going to work like that, are you? With wet hair?" I didn't even know how to respond.
Maybe I'm TOO low maintenance. I was with my husband, DD25 and her boyfriend, and DS26 and DD says "Let's go around and decide what kind of dog each of us would be! When it came to me DD's boyfriend said French Poodle--and my family jumped on him saying "WHAT? She's not a French Poodle! She doesn't care about her hair, or her nails, she's not frou-frou..." The intensity of their disagreement really made me take stock a little--so what am I--a bedraggled little mutt like my own little terrier/lab/border collie mix?
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5733153151_3f6d45384d_s.jpg
LOL catherine. I am pretty low maintenance also so I guess that makes me a mutt too!
I'm very low-maintenance in some ways but those could be seen as high maintenance by some people.
For instance, I prefer all my household items to be unscented, and I prefer a whole foods diet. Both of these can be seen as fussy by some people when we are traveling, for example, when trying to choose a restaurant that the majority of people would like.
Medium maintenance. I get my hair cut and highlighted about every 6 weeks. The style though is wash and go. The color is because my natural hair color made me look washed out. I wear some make up - powder and lip stick. My clothes are inexpensive and basic. I am ready for work in about 25 minutes. That includes a shower.
Maybe I'm TOO low maintenance. I was with my husband, DD25 and her boyfriend, and DS26 and DD says "Let's go around and decide what kind of dog each of us would be! When it came to me DD's boyfriend said French Poodle--and my family jumped on him saying "WHAT? She's not a French Poodle! She doesn't care about her hair, or her nails, she's not frou-frou..." The intensity of their disagreement really made me take stock a little--so what am I--a bedraggled little mutt like my own little terrier/lab/border collie mix?
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5064/5733153151_3f6d45384d_s.jpg
You can let them know that French Poodles are actually hardly 'frou-frou', they are a part of the Working Breeds group, are naturally beautiful, prefer to be swimming or running outdoors, and are one of the smartest breeds around. And they don't shed. Hah!
treehugger
5-18-11, 12:46pm
Well, I'm low maintenance compared to most of the people in my life, but medium maintenance compared to most here. :) And I'm OK with that.
What's funny to me is that I am suddenly, after 20 years together, higher maintenance than my husband. He has always taken longer to get ready than I. But he had a hair epiphany and finally started getting a hair cut that worked with his hair instead of against it, so, now he doesn't need to use gel or do any styling. I can no longer smugly wait for him to finish getting ready when we are going somewhere together. ;)
Kara
catherine
5-18-11, 12:50pm
You can let them know that French Poodles are actually hardly 'frou-frou', they are a part of the Working Breeds group, are naturally beautiful, prefer to be swimming or running outdoors, and are one of the smartest breeds around. And they don't shed. Hah!
Thanks, redfox!!
Signed,
Proud to be a Poodle
:D
jennipurrr
5-18-11, 3:24pm
Fairly low maintenance. I put on moisturizer in the morning and that's it. I don't wear makeup unless I have to go to some sort of event...wedding, job interview, etc. From 2004 - 2010 I didn't color my hair at all and I just got tired of it. My hair is sort of between brown and blonde and its pretty blah. It was bland and I was starting to get little grays...so now I have been highlighting. I don't like the added expense, but I like the look so who knows if I will keep it up. I get it cut and highlighted about every 3 months. In the summer I get a couple of pedicures. Sometimes when I have an ingrown toe I get a pedicure too because they do the same thing the dr would do, and my feet look better! I shave me legs about once a week in the summer and rarely in the winter. So, I figure I am still in the realm of low maintenance.
Mighty Frugal
5-18-11, 5:15pm
I'm pretty high maintenance. Go to 'fancy' salon for cuts/colours-the place that will bring you coffee/tea and you wear a smock that will occasionally expose your bra-better make sure you're wearing a posh bra..no ratty one at the salon! ;).
I also get professionally waxed (eyebrows and Brazilians ;)) monthly too. Get pedicures and the occasionally manicure. Go for facials, botox, Juverderm.....I wear make up every day. Wear heels pretty much every day. Have a great wardrobe and love to shop for clothing. Dh and I shop at vintage shops and I usually wear 60s/70s dresses or business casual outfits. Buying something on sale at Banana Republic gets me positively euphoric.
I do my hair-either straighten it with my straightening iron OR curl it with a big barrel curling iron Or fluff it with big round brushes and my hair dryer-phew....it's exhausting being me..now I need a nap!:|(
Gardenarian
5-18-11, 5:32pm
Like others, cosmetically low maintenance (no make-up, long hair in a barrette) but I am fussy about having things the way I want them. I have a couple of chronic health problems so I need to be fairly vigilant about exercise, food, and sleep.
Holy smokes, Mighty Frugal! I want to take a nap just reading all that! :)
I am pretty low maintenance - thought I have becomes slightly more high-maintenance as I reach my mid-thirties. Now I often put a little bit of makeup in the morning for sun protection, and so I don't look so darn tired all the time. I have never been waxed or had a manicure. I have absolutely NO skill when it comes to styling my hair, so I often just comb it and let it dry however it wants to - somewhere between curly and wavy.
I'm pretty high maintenance. Go to 'fancy' salon for cuts/colours-the place that will bring you coffee/tea and you wear a smock that will occasionally expose your bra-better make sure you're wearing a posh bra..no ratty one at the salon! ;).
I also get professionally waxed (eyebrows and Brazilians ;)) monthly too. Get pedicures and the occasionally manicure. Go for facials, botox, Juverderm.....I wear make up every day. Wear heels pretty much every day. Have a great wardrobe and love to shop for clothing. Dh and I shop at vintage shops and I usually wear 60s/70s dresses or business casual outfits. Buying something on sale at Banana Republic gets me positively euphoric.
I do my hair-either straighten it with my straightening iron OR curl it with a big barrel curling iron Or fluff it with big round brushes and my hair dryer-phew....it's exhausting being me..now I need a nap!:|(
Wow FM -I'm tired too ;-)! But you probably look great were as I look like Catherine scruffy mongrel pup. But I have thought about getting some cosmetic rejuvenation done on my face as I look pretty young from a distance but have sun damage from being out doors all the time. Not wrinkled but just rougher looking then I's like. How much does that kind of thing cost? How much downtime if any? Can you go out in the sun afterwards? Any bad side effects like scarring or discoloration?
Grrr! When I had long hair (as of last week), it was fairly low maintenance ~ the most time I took with it was trying to comb out the tangles in the shower every morning. Fast forward after a week of my new short "do" and I have decided I wish now that I had only gotten three inches cut off instead of it all. I now have to blow-dry and style my hair every morning and put "stuff" on it to make it behave. I think I will start the growing out process again! What I really hate is the in-between stage, which it will by by August. The other thing that I am having a hard time with is feeling really exposed ~ I miss my curtain to hide behind! I'm just not quite comfortable with the new look yet and am having slight regrets about it.
I guess I am fairly high maintenance; I need to wear some make-up to cover up acne scars and then I use a little mascara to make my eyes pop but I absolutely hate lipstick and won't wear it.
Grrr! When I had long hair (as of last week), it was fairly low maintenance ~ the most time I took with it was trying to comb out the tangles in the shower every morning. Fast forward after a week of my new short "do" and I have decided I wish now that I had only gotten three inches cut off instead of it all. I now have to blow-dry and style my hair every morning and put "stuff" on it....
yup
while psychologically I'm now ready to shed my locks, I know that with short hair I'd have to to go Greatclips regularly. I've not been to one of those places for 32 years. I just trim my hair myself and pull it back or pile it on top of my head.
I don't do salons. I don't have nails.
I used to, when it mattered and I had boyfriends and was cute, pride myself on getting out of the shower as fast as the current bf did. Same for using the ladies room, in and out baby. Low maintenance.
Yeah I'm in the "people my age shouldn't have long hair" catagory - as is my sister). We both vehmently rebel against it. We both have great hair (and Redfox - your hair ROCKS!!) and it's easy. No cutting for now. But I did do a meg ryan kind of wild unbrushed hair cut for a while and it was super easy - until it started to grow out. Then I actually had to brush it occasionally.
Mighty Frugal
5-19-11, 12:31pm
Wow FM -I'm tired too ;-)! But you probably look great were as I look like Catherine scruffy mongrel pup. But I have thought about getting some cosmetic rejuvenation done on my face as I look pretty young from a distance but have sun damage from being out doors all the time. Not wrinkled but just rougher looking then I's like. How much does that kind of thing cost? How much downtime if any? Can you go out in the sun afterwards? Any bad side effects like scarring or discoloration?
No downtime whatsoever. Botox is an injectable in the forehead. Not only does it smooth out the forehead lines-the vertical ones (they call them the '11s') but it also gently 'lifts' your eyebrows. So you look more 'awake' but not like a deer in the headlight. Just use sparingly so it's subtle and not 'plastic'
Juvederm is also an injectable but it's a filler. They put it in your cheeks to lift your saggy skin and to give more definition to an aging face. I don't want to look 'different' I just want o look like 'me'. Well, that's a lie, if I had the time and spare $$ I'd get a nose job.
Costs: Botox runs me about 400 bucks a time. I get it once a year but may up that to twice a year.
Juvederm costs me 1200 bucks. I get it once a year. Not sure if I am going to continue with it, maybe just do more botox-cheaper and no where near as painful!
If your skin isn't saggy you should ask your doctor for a script for Retina A' You do need to avoid the sun while using it. It's a cream and it exfoliates the top rough layer of your skin....great stuff-I use that too when I remember!
I'm 45 but every one says I look about 35. One woman last year told me she thought I was 25-haha. I think it's because I am short and super immature!
Even my family doctor told me I look 37 at the most. I know it's the 'tweaks' but my youthful look is also the result of tons of sleep all my life, avoiding the sun (the sun has not touched my face since I was 28) and eating relatively healthy, not smoking, not really drinking. I tell people I was a nerd in high school. I find people who were nerds in high school look younger in their middle ages.
I am very low maintenace.
Short greyish hair cut ever 5 weeks for $25
No makeup because of ocular rosacea.
Moisturizer every day and brush teeth and find something clean that fits.
That is about it.
I am definitely low maintenance. Clean and presentable is more or less my goal.
Gee, after reading previous posts I may be higher maintenance than I thought. Now that I take better care of my skin I do spend more time on it, but having a routine makes it easier. I have a 'spa night' on Mondays, where in addition to my face washing and shower I also exfoliate and mask my face and salt scrub my body and slough my feet. Now that my hair is longer I've had to learn how to style it (sectioning, redirecting, hot/cold air) but I can sleep on it and it's good to go another day. Instead of shaving my legs I use an epilator, which lasts much longer. My makeup routine is pretty easy but lasts throughout the day with the use of primer. Work clothes are all black; everyday clothes are basic. Since my nails have to be super short for my job, I've been giving myself manicures and my strong but large-knuckled hands look much nicer. I hardly ever take advantage of the spa services where I work and am in desperate need of a massage. I don't require much but like to look neat and polished.
Gosh, am I EVER loving reading all these! :)
No downtime whatsoever. Botox is an injectable in the forehead. Not only does it smooth out the forehead lines-the vertical ones (they call them the '11s') but it also gently 'lifts' your eyebrows. So you look more 'awake' but not like a deer in the headlight. Just use sparingly so it's subtle and not 'plastic'
Juvederm is also an injectable but it's a filler. They put it in your cheeks to lift your saggy skin and to give more definition to an aging face. I don't want to look 'different' I just want o look like 'me'. Well, that's a lie, if I had the time and spare $$ I'd get a nose job.
Costs: Botox runs me about 400 bucks a time. I get it once a year but may up that to twice a year.
Juvederm costs me 1200 bucks. I get it once a year. Not sure if I am going to continue with it, maybe just do more botox-cheaper and no where near as painful!
If your skin isn't saggy you should ask your doctor for a script for Retina A' You do need to avoid the sun while using it. It's a cream and it exfoliates the top rough layer of your skin....great stuff-I use that too when I remember!
I'm 45 but every one says I look about 35. One woman last year told me she thought I was 25-haha. I think it's because I am short and super immature!
Even my family doctor told me I look 37 at the most. I know it's the 'tweaks' but my youthful look is also the result of tons of sleep all my life, avoiding the sun (the sun has not touched my face since I was 28) and eating relatively healthy, not smoking, not really drinking. I tell people I was a nerd in high school. I find people who were nerds in high school look younger in their middle ages.
Thanks for all the info. I'm not too saggy or wrinkled (yet :-)!) just around the eyes when I smile. But probably could use retin-A. I thought the rejuvederm was like a newer version of the old chemical peels and dermabrasion but I guess not. What do they use now for that - lasers? It does sound like all those things require you to stay out of the sun permenently - something I won't do since I play sports and do activities outdoors everyday. Thank god for sunscreen!! Looks like I'll need alot of it.
Wildflower
5-21-11, 6:00pm
I'm very low maintenance. In and out of the shower kind of girl - that's me. :) I have past the shoulders, dark blonde hair that is greying. I like it, don't plan to ever color it. I get a good trim about 2 to 3 times a year at Great Clips. No make-up, but I am lucky that I have lots of natural color, dark eyelashes, olive complexion. The most I do is wear lipgloss and curl my eyelashes when I go out. I do wear moisturizer daily and use a good shampoo/conditioner for dry hair. I live in casual clothing now that I'm no longer in the work force. Denim or khaki capris, tee tops, sandals in the summer, jeans with sweaters or sweatshirts and boots in the wintertime. In my opinion, my lifestyle keeps me looking good. I eat well, don't smoke, rarely drink, get plenty of sleep and exercise, a healthy love life with my man, all these things keep me looking good these days as I age....
I think we are all VERY HIGH maintenance. I take at most, 20 minutes in the bathroom to get ready each morning - shower/shave/teeth/etc.
BUT, when you think of everything we need to do in our lives to maintain ourselves:
SLEEP
FOOD
Clothing, Washing Clothing
Gym Memberships
Working to Pay for Shelter/Food/HealthCare
Transportation to all those obligations.
Relax and Unwind from all the chores of maintenance.
I MEAN, C'MON, how much time do you actually GET to just live and be yourself????????
I have mid-back length brown hair that I don't dye (I used to occasionally but it always faded to some weird color that I don't like). I only wear makeup when going out. I shower daily, put my hair up to dry, put on a little lotion, deodorant, brush teeth. I wear jeans and a t-shirt to work, and wear pajama pants after work. I dress up for church on Sundays though, and I make sure I get plenty of rest and eat well, etc. I have face masks, foot soaks, etc. but I only use them about once per month if that. I have beautiful long, thick nails, but I rarely paint them and lately have just been keeping them short. I don't have a lot of clothes or accessories; just some basics.
I thought I was low maintenance, and to look at me, you'd think I was low maintenance, but . . . . I had a weird allergic reaction to some product I use on my face. When my doctor asked me to list the products that come in contact with my face, I was embarrassed to discover my allergy could have been to no fewer than twenty-one products -- anything from my contact lens solution to horse hair make up brushes. Turns out it was the lavender eye shadow (and anything its dust had landed on).
Low maintenance, cosmetically. Never wear makeup, wear the same simple jewelry everyday at work (and rarely at home). DH buzzes my hair down to 3/4" or 1" a couple of times over the summer, and then I just let it grow out. Shampoo used to double as shower gel, but I've found that what works for my hair doesn't work so well on my skin during the summer, so I've had to buy different shower gel. Prefer natural products on my skin (I have some allergies).
Healthwise I'm high maintenance - tests, medication, doctors, massages (for pain), etc. And I must get sufficient sleep and eat well. But I can live without pedicures, fancy shoes (can't wear 'em anyway), loads of new clothes, etc. Not a morning person, so my morning routine has to be *very* streamlined.
Originally posted by Grendel.
and to look at me, you'd think I was low maintenanceI thought anything but. When I first seen your avatar pic I thought, "we have a corporate executive in our presence". You look impeccable! Both in dress and in appearance. A true polished look.
folkypoet
5-23-11, 10:45am
Cosmetically, I'm ridiculously low maintenance. I use baking soda and vinegar to wash my hair. I use water to wash my face (though, once a month, or so, I wash with honey). I don't wear makeup. I don't use anything on my hair (no products, no drying or curling, etc.). I don't paint my nails. For a long while, I was using baking soda and salt as a tooth powder, but I was given a Sonic toothbrush for xmas, so I switched to fluoride-free, SLS-free toothpaste (because the tooth powder would just be too harsh with an electric toothbrush). Usually, I wear a t-shirt and jeans/capris or a long, Indian skirt in the summer. In the winter, my wardrobe is a little more high maintenance, though. I *love* linen. I layer it like cake. And, I love accessories - hats and scarves, mostly, but I have a few necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc. Still, I'm not big on ironing, so I tend not to. I'm just very good at hanging things back up. Eventually, I'll break down and iron. I do it a little more frequently now, though, since I've switched to using a beautiful antique iron and ironing board. Ironing often makes me smile just a little bit these days. :o)
jennipurrr
5-23-11, 5:34pm
Fairly low maintenance. I put on moisturizer in the morning and that's it. I don't wear makeup unless I have to go to some sort of event...wedding, job interview, etc. From 2004 - 2010 I didn't color my hair at all and I just got tired of it. My hair is sort of between brown and blonde and its pretty blah. It was bland and I was starting to get little grays...so now I have been highlighting. I don't like the added expense, but I like the look so who knows if I will keep it up. I get it cut and highlighted about every 3 months. In the summer I get a couple of pedicures. Sometimes when I have an ingrown toe I get a pedicure too because they do the same thing the dr would do, and my feet look better! I shave me legs about once a week in the summer and rarely in the winter. So, I figure I am still in the realm of low maintenance.
I've been thinking about this and my maintenance level is creeping up! I forgot I get my eyebrows waxed when I get my hair cut. I would pluck (I guess that is high maintenance too) but I cry at each hair I pull out so its better to just rip them all out and have the tears for a short time.
HappyHiker
5-30-11, 10:37am
Gosh, I do believe I'm extraordinarily low-maintenance--in some areas. I do my own hair, including cut and color, do my own toenails and fingernails, and my wardrobe (except for shoes and undies) comes from one of our many wonderful consignment or thrift shops. I rarely go to the doctor and am healthy so medical bills are very low. Wear little make-up so it lasts a long time.
However, I do keep a gym membership--and use it--and am at the age where I'm having to replace old fillings so my dental bills have not been making me too happy of late.
All in all, except for the dental stuff, I'm a low-m woman!
My DH & I decided that I am low maintenance verging on deferred maintenance! This would be the gardening hands 'n' nails. I don't care to look anything other than clean, well rested, decently nourished & dressed.
We were at a wedding yesterday, and hardly any of the women were wearing make-up, most had on sensible shoes and nice but unremarkable clothing. Simple designs and fabrics, nothing fancy or high fashion. My kind of event. Now, back to the garden!
Somewhere towards lower maintenance. I can get shower/legs shaved/dried off/make-up on/hair dried and 3 spots curled before my husband has even turned off the water on his shower. I paint my own toenails (love sandals and......I like my toes). My hands are always a mess because of the studio. I've been growing my hair out again (probably 2-3" below my shoulders; longer if I take time to straighten it) and it is nice to just clip part of it up or throw on a headband. Its blonde but going thru a strange darkening as the grey comes in so I've added highlights myself maybe twice a year. Most of my clothes are from the thrift shop and refashioned. I love clarke shoes (I'll spend money on those) and purses (lots of good deals at thrift shops).
I'm pretty high maintenance. I have my hair dyed every 6 weeks, although I'm going to try to do it myself at home next (wish me luck). I blow dry it and flat iron it after washing. I'm comfortable without makeup, but on an average work day I wear mascara, eyeliner, powder, lipgloss, and curl my lashes. For going out I add eyeshadow and lip stain. Luckily my body hair is platinum blonde so I only shave once a week or so. I generally do my nails at home, although I do like manicures. I wear contacts, whiten my teeth occasionally, even use sunless tanner once in a blue moon. I'm not sure why I bother with all this stuff, I'm a single old maid who nobody wants to look at anyway!
loosechickens
5-30-11, 8:54pm
I used to be pretty much NO maintenance to speak of, until I cut my very long hair......went from more than twenty years without stepping into a salon to several times a year for haircuts and perms, so hair doesn't just lie there limply.......
but other than that.......no makeup ever, don't even own any........no nail polish, etc., have never had a manicure or pedicure, just clip my toenails when needed, and use an emery board on fingernails when rough or broken.......haven't shaved legs or underarms for thirty years or more (don't have a lot of body hair anyway, and since I've gotten older, you probably can't even see whether I do or not, I guess).
my total toiletries expense for a year might be one container of sunscreen, some hand lotion (unscented, that I also use when needed as a moisturizer when I'm in the desert), some kind of generic shampoo (when we are here at the spot where we are this summer, I just use the liquid soap in the dispensers in the showers for body and hair, too), don't use deodorant (sometimes use baking soda when it's hot).
I have a little hair dryer that my sweetie used once or twice when defrosting the fridge, but I don't think I've ever used it on my hair. Just wash it, comb it and let it dry by itself.
We have friends that will take a half hour or more to get themselves ready to go to the grocery store. I could probably get ready to go to dinner at the White House in five minutes or less. Just can't imagine spending time on these "beauty" routine things.
I'm low maintenance in terms of product usage but high maintenance in terms of fussiness! My hair has to be a certain way for me to be satisfied with it. It's a pretty unreasonable expectation.
I wear a smudge of concealer every day and on special occasions I might break out the mascara and eyeliner. I don't carry makeup around with me (I'm apparently an anomaly within my age group).
Don't dye my hair specifically because it's too much hassle
Only shave my legs when I'm going to wear a skirt or something
Don't bother with nail polish and all that jazz
Cut my own hair maybe once a year
Rarely wear jewellery
Try to keep myself healthy naturally and not use medicines like painkillers for headache, muscle ache etc.
My favourite products/items of clothing are those that are multipurpose - e.g. clothes that can be dressed up or down, oils that can be used on skin and hair, etc. I HATE having lots of stuff around so I need to be low maintenance in order to preserve my sanity.
I do spend maybe half an hour once a week or so scrutinising my face in a magnifying mirror though - isn't that awful? I pluck out stray/dark hairs and get rid of dry patches of skin.
I am getting to be higher maintenance than I used to be. I am in a phase in my life with a bunch of little kids at home that I feel like I could easily slide into frumpsville if I wasn't careful.
Chickadee
6-23-11, 11:39pm
What a fun thread.
I guess after reading the posts I am in the medium-to-high maintenance category. I am high maintenance in that I shower, shave my legs, pluck eyebrows, blow dry & curl/style my hair, put on makeup so I don't look like a ghost, etc. every single day. I wouldn't be caught dead going without being put together for the day but can streamline the process dramatically when necessary. :)
I am low maintenance in that I cut and highlight my own hair (took me years to get up the nerve), purchase my cosmetics with coupons (mainstream brands, nothing expensive), and give myself my own french manicures, pedicures, etc. I get compliments on my hair all the time so I guess I am doing something right. I just got fed up with paying so much to go to the salon. But my nails are typically cut short; a manicure only lasts several days before I break a nail or chip the polish. Grr.
Jewelry is somewhat simplified because I am allergic to almost everything that isn't sterling silver. So I have a few favorite pieces I switch off with.
All my clothing comes from thrift stores. I find great items but have a body that works well with many styles. I alter the clothing items as needed or make something new from them.
I absolutely ~love~ to dress up in elegant clothing but that mostly gets saved for church on Sundays because a) I am always freezing to death and dressing up, while fun, is generally means being colder and b) the rest of the week I am busy being working around the house and it wouldn't be practical, or am out in the field and dressed like a farmhand. It is so nice to have cute clothing to dress up in though. I'm a girly girl. :)
crunchycon
6-23-11, 11:47pm
Hmm..higher maintenance than most here, I believe. I work in an office in a pretty public job, so it's makeup every day I'm at work, next to none on days off, unless I'm going out for some reason. Hair is a chin-length bob and is washed weekly with BS and ACV, rinsed and blown dry other days of the week. Polish wreaks havoc on my fingernails, so they get clipped and shaped with a daily dose of Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, but I do like a classic red polish on my toes.
madgeylou
6-24-11, 12:26am
i'm going through a more high-maintenance phase right now, i think. i keep playing with makeup and finding new fun things to do. i don't wear it every day, but i am probably wearing it more days than not lately. oh, eyeliner, how i love you!!
besides makeup, though, and liking to wear cute dresses, i'm pretty low maintenance. i take a bath and wash my hair and brush and floss and moisturize and shave ... which sounds like a lot listed out like that! but it all feels pretty standard and not excessive. i am too lazy to be full-on high maintenance! i'm just a dilettante. :)
This is interesting. I had a discussion a while back about "high maintenance". There were two schools of thought, one being that "high maintenance" is about how much fussing/spending you do over your bodily needs and wants, and the other being that "high maintenance" means the impact your needs and wants make on other people. If for example you go to someone else's house and ask for a special salad because you don't do arugula, and then spend 40 minutes reapplying your lipstick while making everyone else late, ask for a special towel because the ones in the bathroom are too rough for your face, and then insist that you can't go to Disneyland anyway because it will mess up your hair, that would be high maintenance. Looks like the definition here is simply how much time and money and effort is spent.
By definition 2 I try really hard to be low maintenance and not impact other people with my preferences. By definition 1, I guess I'm pretty high maintenance, I have certain beliefs and ways of doing things and products and vitamins and creams and so on that I swear by. Always looking for less, but on the other hand loathe to give up what seems to be working.
I am getting to be higher maintenance than I used to be. I am in a phase in my life with a bunch of little kids at home that I feel like I could easily slide into frumpsville if I wasn't careful.
That would be me and the same reason to be higher maintenance. I am fine with it, it is so nice to take a little time to make myself look nice. I looked over years of old photos and just saw so many where nothing I had fit well and my hair wasn't cared for and all that. It was enough of being mommy martyr. So in my more career focus as kids are older I am doing more but still can do it in 30-45 minutes, including packing a lunch or getting my work bag together.
Hmm, I HAVE to do the entire process of product, hair dry, curl on my hair daily. It is so fine and can be limp without some work. I just got it cut a little shorter for summer and am using the hot curlers which is super cute. I dye it every month and have a cut every 6 weeks from my favorite hairdresser who has been doing our families hair for 15 years. When i have time and money i really like getting my nails done but most of the time it is too much work for the type of work I do. And I wear makeup, use great lotions, and cute clothes most every day. it isn't expensive as I find good deals and know what is quality. Honestly I can still dress cute when we go on field trips with 80 kids with a little work. The upside of all this is the last person who guessed my age honestly said abotu 8-9 years younger than my actual age. Most people say about 6 years younger, different if they know how old my children are. It makes up for all the years that I got the evil eye for looking so young with my kids or when I was a young manager and people thought I was too young. My goal is to be able to sit on teh floor and play with the kids but still have a parent know that I am in charge when they walk in the room.
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