Frump to Fab 2016 - Lets make it AWESOME!!!

Ellsbel

Nice to "see" you rummer
Thanks for the suggestion maddie - I had one of those bobble shavers years ago but didn't know you could still them - I'll see if I can get hold of one:)

sweetcheeks33

Hello all....

Found my way back to the thread tonight... Hope there is space for one more? Have been trying to catch up but wanted to say hello.

I have fallen well & truly off the wagon so to speak. I did go from 10st 11lbs to 10st 7lbs and I've stuck there. I seem to be getting up later & later and tieing up my barely long enough hair in a ponytail and not bothering with any make up etc.

I'm starting to look fairly shabby at work and when I'm coming home I'm straight in my pj's and dressing gown... To the point oh asked me if the ones I was wearing the other day were my favourite ones. I need to real kick up bottom.

I went back to the gym last week and got a new programme made up and hopefully this will give me energy to get up earlier in morning yo get yo work - so I'm not working late every night. Still working two jobs and really don't seems to be getting out the bit. I have decided that will trace every expenditure and try eat out the freezer & cupboards.

Sorry for beng a moaning pants but I'm 40 next year and I have decided that Inhave 13 months to pull it together and stop being a slob!!

I like the idea of some of the lounging wear ladies to get out the dressing gown too 😀

Managed to get some matching chest of drawers cheap of gum tree to do a little box room up so slowly starting to tidy up the house to...


Hope everyone is well ... I am reading posts...

LL - oh does mackerel in foil so yes I know what you mean about stinky fish lol!!

sweetcheeks33

Mirror test complete.... Forgot your two tests LL!!

Slouching and round shoulders and belly jutting right out!! How on earth do we not notice these things until we stop!! Jeez...

Thanks for the reminder LL..

Shower & body lotion completed for tonight... It's a start ��

coppers

Hi Fabbers, Hope everyone's had a fab day & feeling fab. Saturday night & Im not feeling fab, I've been to work & the shops, I'm worn out & nursing a cold tonight wearing my pjs, hoody & the dreaded dressing gown instead of being blamed up on a night out.

On the subject of hair & make up I'm definitely a fuss free, low maintenance, minimalist.
Make up wise it's moisturiser, I'd never wear foundation/tinted moisturiser. I love lip balm/gloss/stick & due to fabbers I've started wearing a sweep of eyeshadow & eyeliner. I'd like to be able to wear an under eye concealer but feel I can never get away with it. I do like to keep my eyebrows in check too. I really like the idea of a signature scent too but I like bargin hunting too much.
I've got a short pixie cut, hardly ever use any product on my hair, I keep thinking I should grow my hair but I hate how hot & sweaty it feels when it's longer so it ends up staying short, Some people mistake me for a boy, not even a man but a boy,I'm mid forties & I wear an F cup bra! I can only think it's stereotyping??
I think for me feeling fab isn't just about being glammed up, I'm hopeless with all the girly techniques & skiils you need. I would never be able to curl my hair & I'd feel like my skin couldn't breathe, never mind the mismatched colours & streaks I'd get wearing a base, I'm not even going to think about fake tans & bronzes or contouring. I need to feel comfortable & do the best I can manage with my lack of girliness.
I'm not even going to start on fabbing the house, I'm a fly baby, I'm going to have a look at Kondoing as that seems popular too. I like reading A slob comes clean blog page on Facebook too, that might appeal to some of you too.
Well I think I've ranted enough for one night, sorry for the eye strain I've given you, I can only put it down to tiredness = grumpy coppers. Goodnight everyone.

lessonlearned

Good morning lovely ladies.

Grey and miserable here so am having a "kitchen sorting" day - just having a little break.......I cleaned the oven the other day and today I'm re-organising the kitchen cupboards.....it's a big job. I'm going to do a food inventory at the same time and make March a use up month. I've already noticed that I've got loads of duplicates and little stockpiles. The freezer is also pretty full so hopefully I can make March a low spend month.

I need to after restocking my wardrobe........:rotfl:

I worked out that I soent roughly £300 on clothes. However that included two posh dresses (wedding), two cardigan coats, one boyfriend cardigan, two tee shirt, one blouse, a jacket, one clutch bag and a pair of shoes,

I think that's pretty good going because a lot of the traditional mother of the groom type outfits in department stores and even online seem to be anything between £250 to £400 and that's not counting accessories.

So although I have spent a lot I feel that I e got my money's worth:rotfl: I mentioned it to DS2 saying I had spent £300 and he just laughed and said I had done really well because he works with girls who spend that every month, often on just a couple of items.

Anyway back to the kitchen.

I'm going to put all my baking stuff together. Yesterday DS2 made some really nice blueberry scones using spelt flour and He couldn't find things very easily so I'm going to reorganise everything.

I had a quick go at my bedroom but didn't do much in the way of kondoing, I wasn't in the mood. I'll wait now until we are more into spring/summer wear and will have a good session then. Hopefully I'll be able to get rid of some of the larger size stuff too. Anyway it's neat and tidy for now.

Not sure about the Aldi caviar cream......think it's a bit too strong for my skin. I'll give it a day or two. I won't throw it away if I can't use it on my face because it seems fine on my neck and d!collet! so it won't go to waste.

Have a lovely day. Ps I'm wearing multi coloured lounge trousers and a black top, cosy and comfortable.

lessonlearned

Copper.......is that mutiny I hear.......:rotfl:

Actually I'm not a "girly girl" by any means. I don't do frills or flounces, I don't wear fussy clothes - I hardly ever wear patterns, I prefer tailored clothes in block co,ours and I tend to stick to quite a narrow palette of colours so I can mix and match.

I don't wear lashings of make up, in fact because I take reasonable good care of my skin I can get away without foundation - I just wear a bit of bronzer or blusher in winter because I can look a bit pale and washed out. I never could manage false eyelashes and I don't wear false nails. I tend to keep my finger nails short and most of the time I don't bother with nail polish, when I do I wear "nude" colours.

I don't like the idea of fake tans........apart from the fact I think they can look very harsh and false I am very conscious of the chemicals in them and I have concerns about their long term safety. In fact I like to use natural products whenever I can, often making my own body lotions etc.

I don't think you need to be "girly" to make the best of yourself. Being girly and "glammed" isn't really what fabbing is about.

It's about taking care of ourselves and looking as good on the outside as we feel on the inside. And if we don't feel good on the inside then sometimes "fabbing" helps us Improve the way we do actually feel.

I have always used "fabbing" as a way of "dealing with stuff" - from having to put on a good professional front when I was Corporate Woman to trying to look good to psyche myself up when having to visit my OH in hospitals and nursing homes. I often did it for his sake because I knew how much he would worry about me if he thought that I was "letting myself go"

Of course, having said all that, it is nice to get the glad rags out and get all dolled up now and again.

Just do what makes you happy.

Ultimately that's what this thread is all about. It's about us - reclaiming our selves and being happy.

Floss

Coppers, you don't need lots of techniques to be fab. I wouldn't say that I am a girlie girl (or woman at nearly 52!). I can't cut or straighten my hair and had to ask my old hairdresser to show me how to blow dry it properly. I don't do tanning whether sun or false. I have a minimal makeup routine and regular shellac on my nails to keep them smart (and hide the semi-permanent grime from my allotment!). Moisturiser & serum daily along with thoroughly cleansing at night always help too, as does a squirt of perfume (one of four: Dolce Vita, Dune, Miss Dior and Armani Elle) at least once a day.

My wardrobe for work is smart & simple, but I need to tidy up for out of work when not digging & planting. We tend to walk to most places or to the station so no heels but will wear Cat boots or Salomon walking shoes with tidy jeans. Tops need some attention, although I did invest in 2 nice merino-mix drapey cardigans from N3xt on Friday in deep blue and aqua. I also picked up some nice v-neck t-shirts in M@talan too.

shandyclover

It must be the time of year or something, I thing a few of us are struggling with feeling a bit down and/or overwhelmed by things.

We have had non-stop visitors, or people staying over for the past month (8 people in all I counted) and while its lovely to re-connect with family and friends it does wreck havoc in my food and exercise routines, set me behind in my OU studies, take its toll on the house tidiness and even though we only entertained at home effects the budget. I am struggling to get back into my routines and catch up with the wagon that I fell off!

I went into the card factory on my lunch break to try and find a mothers day card, I usually buy one for my granny as well as my mum, as she was such a part of my life growing up. It's odd how grief hits you again out of the blue, I was trying to choose a card when it suddenly dawned on me, I don't have a granny anymore. The feeling was so strong, and so unexpected I had to stumble out of the shop fighting tears.

Copper, I also am not a 'girly-girl'. I take comfort in the fact both my brother and hubby have confided in me they think the most attractive women are the ones who take care of themselves, but have a touch of tomboyishness about them as well. According to them the biggest turn off is a woman who is constantly worried about ruining her hair/nails/make up.

I'm lucky in that one of my daughters is a make up artist, as well as a designer. She gives me tips on how to make the best of my looks. She did my eyebrows which are starting to look a bit sparse the other day - the difference was quite incredible. I decided its something I must learn to do for myself. I also watch Lisa Eldridge videos on youtube, for tips particularly older women. Many of her videos she uses very high end products I can't afford/wouldn't know where to get but this video she uses all high street products...http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/27345/fresh-in-a-flash-without-splashing-the-cash/#.VsmylOajBjk I love her natural looks.

I never used to use foundation (I have had some bought for me, I just don't like the feel of it) but I have begun using BB cream over a serum. The idea of a cream that does it all appeals to the laziness in me. It gives a thin coverage that blends with no marks as well as spf protection and is very inexpensive. In summer I use a summer skin type gradual tan for the face which gives me a bit of colour, I tried bronzing/contouring once and everything just ended up muddy looking, but the bit of gradual tan thing works fine. I also never curl/straighten my shoulder blade length hair, though daughters have done it for me, for special occasions. I wear it up and off my face much of the time in a bun or french twist. I have very bad nails and nothing I do seems to make a difference. They split and tear easily so I leave them bare. Very occasionally I will paint them with a nude colour, but even then I chip it within hours. I tend to make up for it in summer when I can finally get my toes out I wear all kinds of wild and glittery colours!

Kondoing is my next challenge. My hubby is an entreneaur/inventor, one of my daughter is an artist/designer = much stuff. I'd be interested in how people kondo while living with people who automatically collect.

Ellsbel

I agree with all that's been said - fabbing, imo, is whatever little steps make each of us, personally, feel good/better about ourselves.
So in my case, it's taking the extra bit of time to moisturise my body and not just my face each day, putting on perfume, and a little make up, even if it's just mascara and blusher on "lazy" days, because I look so washed out without it!.
It's also about trying to look after my health, seeking to learn new things - basically looking after myself as well as I look after my loved ones:D
But we've all got different ideas of what it means for us I think...which is just fine:)
Having said all that, I had an unexpected visit from a permanently fabbed, always self confident, and very together female relative yesterday - on the ONE day all week that I hadn't done any fabbing and was in full slob mode!:rotfl:
That'll teach me!

sugarbaby125

I made a real effort on the first 3 days of last week with my clothes and accessories, but by Thursday my chesty cough had got so bad, that I made the most minimal effort on Thursday and Friday . I have finally turned the corner and I am hoping I will not cough too much on my 1st day back at work after the half term break.

I have lost another 2lbs so I am looking forward to reaching my 1 stone lost milestone. I will be going for a meal with my 23 year old daughter when I reach that milestone. I bought the Groupon restaurant meal voucher in anticipation as I got a 2 course meal for 2 with a glass of wine, bottle of beer or soft drink for only £12.75 :T