Looking good when you are retired

Just because you don’t have to get dressed up for work everyday there is no reason why you shouldn’t still look good day to day when you are retired from a full time job.

Many people – both women and men in retirement, feel that they don’t need to bother about looking presentable every day and often just resort to wearing ‘comfortable’ items of clothing such as jogging bottoms, old, baggy trousers and tops that have seen better days. It’s true that if most of your time is spent in the garden then of course you won’t want to wear smart clothes. However, both for your own confidence and for the benefit of others, it’s important to look as put together as you can each day. Here are some ways that you can do that:

Colour Analysis

You may ask ‘Why do I need to ‘have my colours done’ when I’m retired? The answer to that is: because there’s still a lot of life left to be lived! Wearing the colours that flatter your skin, hair and eyes will make you look healthy, glowing and more youthful, which in turn will help you feel more confident about yourself and not fade into the background. 

Style Analysis

Knowing which clothes flatter your body and face shape, scale and proportions will give you a great boost when choosing clothes and accessories.

Make-up

You don’t have to have a face full of make-up but wearing a tinted moisturiser, emphasising your eyebrows and putting on lipstick each day (even when gardening or doing household jobs) all help you look great.

Hair

As we get older, our hair often tends to get thinner and finer so find a good hairdresser who can give you a hairstyle that will make your hair look thicker, is well cut and right for your face shape. Again, this will boost your confidence because if our hair feels good then so do we.

Teeth

I appreciate that when we get to retirement age – usually over 60, our teeth may not be as white or as beautiful as when we were younger. We may have silver fillings or have had extensive work done on our teeth but we can still look after them each day by brushing twice a day, flossing and visiting our dentist and hygienist twice a year for check-ups and scale and polishing.

Hands and Nails

If we do a lot of cleaning, gardening and other jobs, our hands and nails will suffer. Hands are a big give-away of our age, particularly the skin on the back of our hands. Our nails too may chip or break easily if we have them in water a lot. Keeping nails short but well-manicured and applying hand cream regularly goes a long way to help our hands look attractive. Of course, you can also go for regular professional manicures if you like.

Accessories

Adding accessories to what you wear each day will greatly lift it and give a focal point to your outfit. A watch, a necklace or bracelet and/or earrings add interest, as does a great bag.

Skincare

I can’t stress enough that, as we get older, we should look after our skin – both on our face and our body. Cleansing, toning and moisturising night and morning and applying sunscreen every morning (minimum factor 30) will do wonders for your skin.

All the above are simple ways to look great in retirement, add to your confidence and above all make you feel good about yourself. It’s never too late to start!