Things I Wish I'd Been Told

Tips & Tricks on "How Best to Be a Girl" -- a collaborative effort between myself and my female friends on Facebook. 

Clothes

• Before buying a bunch of different colored items, first consider where on the body you will wear it, and be certain it works with your color tones, hair color, etc. A skirt color may look fabulous on you, but that same color may wash out your face and/or hair as a blouse. 
• Once you find something that fits you comfortably and looks good on you, buy a bunch of different colors and patterns of that thing, because who knows when you will ever see it again?
• If you feel comfortable and attractive in it, you are attractive in it. If you love it, but it makes you feel uncomfortable, you're not going to be attractive in it the same way. 
• Try on clothes any time you can. If you can't, buy oversize and take it in. 
• Get someone else's opinion on clothes; you always see your faults first.
• There should be a mirror as far away as possible from where you usually get dressed. Everyone looks worse when a mirror is too close. Ideally, your mirrors should be set a little higher than you'd think, and angled slightly down.
• Ladies' pants sizing sucks and you will never get a consistent answer on what size you are, especially for jeans (curvy, straight, slimming, "boyfriend" cut, etc.). Try them all on, and once you find a size/style you like, buy several.
• The same goes with bras. The size you measure as may or may not actually correspond with a bra that fits your breasts.
• Don’t go cheap on underthings. Good, comfortable underwear & bras are worth the money.
• HAND WASH AND HANG DRY BRAS. It's almost impossible to find a truly comfortable one, good ones are very expensive, and bra hooks get hung on terry cloth towels, knits, etc.
• You can also use a lingerie bag to wash bras in a mixed load, but underwires still take a beating, so hand washing is preferable.
• Always bring more then one pair of pantyhose if you're going on a trip, because at some point they will rip.

Shoes

• Pointy-toe shoes (especially high heels) have a smaller toe box than round-toe shoes and are more likely to cause discomfort like bunions, so either size up or avoid them altogether. 
• Try on shoes in the evening when your feet are most swollen, so you won't be in agony at the end of the day.
• Wear shoes a few times for extended periods before the event. If you get blisters, wait until they heal and try again a few times before giving up.
• If pumps kill your feet or any other part of your body, wear flats. Seriously, unless you're on the red carpet, no one cares.
• Ballet flats are comfy and look nice with nearly anything, from jeans to fancy casual. 
• Always get real leather shoes. Leather conforms to your foot better, lasts longer/won't crack like plastic, and breathes, so your feet won't sweat or stink like they will when keeping them encased in plastic all day.

Makeup

• Whenever possible, put on your makeup under the same lighting conditions where you plan to be. What looks good under incandescent may look awful under fluorescent or natural light. 
• It’s always better to buy a full-coverage foundation and put on less, rather than buying a medium or sheer foundation and building it up.
• Apply a light oil-free moisturizer with sunscreen (like Neutrogena) before you apply liquid foundation. This will help your foundation cover more area without looking too heavy, plus it will moisturize and protect you from the sun.
• Always brush your teeth before, and never after, putting on your lipstick. 
• To prevent getting lipstick on your front teeth: pucker your lips after putting on lipstick/gloss, then put your index finger in your mouth, and pull your index finger out of your mouth. Any errant lipstick will come off on your index finger and not be on your teeth.
• If you are over 40, ignore every single bit of advice about what styles of makeup you should avoid. The list of things that women "can't do" to make themselves attractive over 40 is absolute BS.

Perfume

• When trying on fragrance, apply and walk away. Wait at least an hour or two to see if you like it then. Fragrances usually have three layers, and straight out of the bottle you're only getting the top one. 
• If you really like a fragrance, look up what notes are in it and you can search for recommendations based on that.
• Be careful with scented products. Sometimes a body lotion, a deodorant and a perfume (or even a dry shampoo or scented hair product) may clash and make for a gag-inducing fit for anyone who comes near you.

Hygiene/Beauty

• Apply deodorant or baby cornstarch around the bra line. Boob sweat is real.
• Tea tree oil-based powder is also good for combating boob sweat. It helps absorb the sweat, keeps the sweat bacteria that causes the stink at bay, and keeps the under-boob area healthy.
• Moisturize. Everything else you wear is replaceable, but not your skin. Moisturize and use sunscreen.
• Use a facial specific sunscreen on your face. 
• Wear large sunglasses to help prevent crow's feet.
• Always carry a stain treating stick, especially if you are busty, because you will end up spilling food on your chest a lot. 
• Nail / Hand care is essential. It’s overlooked often, but you never know when you will be shaking hands with someone or sharing a meal where you won’t be able to hide your hands. The same goes with feet if you wear open toe-shoes.
• Always carry something to put your hair up if you have long hair. The wind can come up, the humidity can change, you can get tired and sensory overload can kick in and that strand of hair that just won't get off your forehead can start driving you crazy. There are cheap and cute hair clips available everywhere and they will make you more comfortable, and therefore more attractive.
• Take the hair tie off of your wrist and put it in your pocket or purse. It’s juvenile and looks bad in pictures. 
• Develop a good day and night skin care routine. This is essential to putting “your best face forward”.
• Don’t forget your eyebrows. Have them shaped regularly and keep it up yourself. Also brush/comb them well after doing your makeup.