6 Grooming Mistakes To Avoid

Most good grooming is common sense. Careless mistakes can derail your appearance and impact your image in the blink of an eye. It’s easy to overlook these little details but they don’t go unnoticed and they’re speaking volumes about us so here are 6 grooming mistakes I try to avoid. I’m updating this post from a few years ago with a few new ideas.

Clean your eyeglasses every morning.

Clean your sunglasses as well. I use these generic prepackaged wipes from Target. I started with the name brand then switched to generic because they work just as well and why waste the money? My optometrist tells me a spray cleaner and a soft cloth just spreads the smudges around…which I found to be true. I also keep a few wipes in my car and handbag for that inevitable thumbprint that lands front and center in my field of vision.

Wipe the tops of your shoes.

Some people are so meticulous they wipe their shoes clean after each wearing. If you’re that person, skip this step and probably the rest of the list too. Gently clean suede shoes or boots with a suede brush. With leather, it can be as simple as using a paper towel. The point is to remove dust. Polishing shoes is more time intensive so a weekly, monthly or seasonal thing. I like to take my boots and leather shoes to a shoe repairman at the end of each season. He checks the soles for needed repairs and gives them a professional polishing. They come back looking like new.

Lint roll yourself.

Look for errant dog hair, dryer fuzz, shmutz (technical term) and general crud (ditto). Sometimes you can even remove fuzz pills from your sweaters…if you’re lucky. I roll across my shoulders, down my arms and legs, then get the backside. If wearing a coat, hat, and scarf, I give them the same treatment. In a pinch, a piece of tape will work.

 

Check for chipped nail polish.

This counts for toenails too, if they’re going to be seen. If the polish can be touched up to blend, fine. If not, remove what’s there. Bare nails make a better statement than chipped polish. Even the most beautiful hands look tacky with chipped nail polish. Especially if it’s colored.

 

Be sure your perfume is not overpowering.

A signature fragrance is wonderful, even preferable, but make sure it’s not too strong. After we wear a fragrance for weeks, months or years,  we can become desensitized to it. A light application is safest so we’re not suffocating people in elevators, restaurants, airplanes etc.

 

Buy and use a sweater shaver.

This simple little tool takes seconds to buzz off sweater pills which inevitably happen under arms, on the inside of your sleeves…anywhere a sweater is rubbed. Even the finest wool can pill, but a quick, careful shave makes your sweater look almost new. I got mine at Target.

 

What can you add to the list?

You may also enjoy 10 Things That Are Making You Look Older

Thanks for reading and remember to wear what makes you feel confident.