Ladies, tell me about your standard hair and beauty routine and how long it takes.

[Jennyrosity]

Mods, not sure where the best place for this was, so please move if necessary!

Inspired by this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=599000&page=2), which I haven't participated in, partly because only male opinions are sought, and partly because I tend to agree with the women claiming that men do notice, but don't know they notice, I got to wondering about what is a "normal" amount of effort to put into hair and make up. I get the impression that some men seem to think we're slaves to some inordinately complex beauty routine, but with the exception of one woman who regularly resembles a tiny little drag queen, that just isn't the case with the women I know.

So - and in the full knowledge that the Dope isn't entirely representative of all womankind and a lot of you don't really have one as such - what is your standard hair/make-up/beauty routine? (I'm not asking about shoes as I think the high heels debate has been done to death!) I mean the stuff you do generally most days, rather than for special occasions.

This is mine:

Hair: Shoulder-length, naturally curly. Gets a trim and a semi-permanent colour (to hide the grey) once every 3 months or so.
Gets washed and conditioned about 3 times a week. When freshly washed, I scrunch a curl cream through it and leave it to air-dry - end result looks like this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/jennyrosity/MadMc.jpg). This takes about 10-15 mins - most of that time being taken up with detangling the curls. When it hasn't just been washed, it gets bundled up on my head with kirby grips, with a few curls left down to frame my face - like so. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/jennyrosity/11jenny.jpg) This takes about 2 mins. Neither of these seems like an excessive use of time to me.

Make-up: Always foundation or tinted moisturiser, brow pencil, blusher and mascara, sometimes lipstick/gloss or a bit of eyeliner. Either way it takes no more than 10 mins to do. I'm wearing make-up in all of the photos above - by comparison, I'm not in this one (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/jennyrosity/DSC00538.jpg), but I have do a tan (and a tortoise!) which I think makes the difference. The tan, not the tortoise.

Beauty: I shower daily, take off my makeup with basic wipes before bed, and use an eye cream and an anti-aging cream every morning. Total time, maybe 15-20 mins. Once a week I try and exfoliate face and body - about 10 mins - and moisturise all over afterwards - another 5 mins. I rarely paint my fingernails, but I do keep them neatly filed and buffed - which takes maybe 5-10 mins once a week, usually done whilst watching TV. Toenails get trimmed once a week (2 mins), and painted weekly or thereabouts in the summer - 10 mins, maybe. Lastly, I shave legs and other hairy bits every other day in summer (10 mins), less frequently in winter.

Writing it all down like that it seems like more time than I'd realised, but not too much time, bearing in mind I'd feel unattractive and lacking in confidence if I didn't do it. The point is I've never done any of that stuff thinking men might notice it - it's just basic grooming and it makes me feel good. For a date, or to impress someone special, yes, I'd make even more of an effort (whether they'd notice it or not!) - I'm not trying to claim I don't like male attention - but the day-to-day stuff, that's just for me.

I'll be interested to see how I compare with the rest of you!

[Kyla]

My hair is straight and has no gray yet - I get it cut whenever I notice it's getting really ratty. Usually every three or four months or so. I shower and wash and condition my hair every day. I don't put any product in it when I'm done.

When it's warm enough to wear sandals and I'm in the US, I like to get a pedicure about every six weeks too, but it doesn't always happen. I don't often get a manicure; when I do, I get my nails buffed. I don't like to wear polish on my fingernails.

I have pretty serious eyebrows and ideally I get them threaded or waxed every three weeks (this totally doesn't always happen), or they begin to take over my face.

I usually don't wear makeup, but that thread inspired me to do so! I used to wear it regularly but then I stopped working and went to grad school a lot of my routine went by the wayside. Wearing makeup seemed silly when I was wearing jeans and sneakers as opposed to nice slacks and heels like I used to in the office.

[Dung Beetle]

Hair: Long and layered, gets cut maybe three times a year at a cost of about $35 bucks each time. Washed and conditioned daily. Takes literally one minute to style; I hit the bangs with a blow dryer and run a comb through it. Sometimes I remember to brush it later, but generally not. Oh, and sometimes I use anti-frizz serum, to little effect.

Makeup: Eyeliner, shadow, concealer, powder. Blush if I’m looking sickly. Less than ten minutes.

Nails: No polish, ever. I can grow them to extreme lengths, but usually keep them short, neat, and clean.

Beauty: I wash my face morning and night, shave pits daily, legs almost daily. Moisturize as needed.

It’s always my goal to be low-maintenance, although playing with makeup is fun. I don’t wear any jewelry beyond my wedding ring either, except for special occasions.

[Freudian Slit]

Hair: A few times a week I blow dry. If I have a late morning (I'm a student and work part-time but have a lot of days that start late), sometimes I'll blow dry it before I go out and then wash it the evening of the next day. Otherwise I'll do it the night before. Then when I wake up the next day it's just brush and it basically just looks good on its own. Blow drying takes about 20-30 minutes. (Twenty mins is more the minimum.)

Makeup: Moisturizer, eyeliner, foundation, lip gloss. About four or five minutes.

Beauty: I get my body hair waxed off. (Eyebrows every two weeks, underarms every 2 weeks, arm/leg every three weeks.)

[Glory]

Hair - I have very long, thick, coarse, frizzy, kind of curly but not pretty curly, graying hair, which I hate. I get it colored every 5 weeks (would do it every 4 weeks, except trying to save money). I wash it 2-3 times a week. For work (or going out), I flat iron it. With the blow dry and the flat ironing, it takes about 45 minutes (I have a LOT of hair). Flat ironed hair lasts 2-3 days. When I can't be bothered, I just twist it up and put a clip on it (5 minutes, tops).

Eyebrows - not too bad, get them professionally done every couple of months, do touch ups myself.

Make up - none, unless it's some super fancy occasion. I hate applying it, so if it's a really fancy occasion, I get my make up done. When I have to do it myself, I just do eyeliner, mascara and lip stuff (I can never make blush look right, so I give up).

Body hair - very little body hair, shave legs/under arms once a week.

Nails - fingernails trimmed as needed, toemails get a pretty pedicure every 6 weeks or so (I live in San Diego, so I wear a lot of sandals).

I have pretty dry skin, so I use a lot of moisturizer.

[TheMerchandise]

Hair: Short. I get it cut and highlighted every eight weeks or so. I have a stylist I always see. I shower, shampoo and condition every morning. Out of the shower, I use a leave-in conditioner and some gel. Total average time: 20 minutes.

Makeup: Usually, powder foundation and blush. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll use liquid foundation, blush and powder. I tweeze my eyebrows at home. Usually, I do eyeshadow and liquid liner. Gloss on lips. Total average time: 25 minutes.

Nails: Always longish and shaped, but rarely polished.

Beauty: I shave legs and pits every other day. I moisturize and wash my face daily daily. I exfoliate once a week. Once and awhile, I'll buy a face or hair mask and have an evening wearing the goop.

I sound a lot more high-maintenance than some other people. I didn't use to be this way until I moved to New York City.

[saje]

I'm pretty low maintenance.

Hair: Very long & thick (below my waist currently, time to get 4 or 5 inches lopped off.) A bit of grey if you look closely, I''m calling them highlights :p Never had it colored. It usually stays braided, though I'll leave it down if we're going out somewhere casual. Wash at night, braid, sleep on it, brush out next day. 10 min, usually less.

Makeup: I don't wear it, don't own it. Slap on some moisturizer and I'm good to go. 2 min.

Nails: clean but short an unpolished. I do a lot with horses, nails get in the way and I hate the feeling of polish on them anyway. That goes for both fingers and toes.

Misc: Shower most evenings before bed, hair washed every other day, except in the real summer heat when it has to be at least rinsed daily. Shave as necessary depending on season and current plans.

[Scubaqueen]

Hair: shoulder-length, naturally curly, blonde to hide premature gray dating from my late teens/early 20s. Every five to six weeks the hair is either colored and trimmed/cut, or just colored.

I used to color it brunette (my original hair color), but as I’ve always had phenomenally-fast hair growth, and coupled with bleaching my hair for a stage role some years ago, I just left it blonde after that. I quickly found out it was much easier on my finances, extending the life of the color job considerably.

If I do the whole wash, blow-dry, and straighten thing all at the same time, that’s a good hour and a half to two hours of work, even using a professional flatiron. Expensive but worth every penny when you have this kind of thick, curly hair and the best investment I ever made for maintaining my appearance.

I usually only wash my hair about every two or three days, since it tends to dryness. Twice a month I pack a goop called Cholesterol on dry hair and put a plastic cap over it for about 30 minutes or so while I’m in the tub. The dry hair sucks up the cholesterol (better than applying it to wet hair), and becomes less brittle and more resistant to heat damage from a blow dryer, etc. Reduces breakage and frizz, too.

If it’s a morning where I need to do just a touch-up of overnight bed hair with the flat iron, that’s maybe ten minutes. If it’s a case where I didn’t want to bother with the straightening business and went to bed with a wet head the night before, I just re-wet the hair, scrunch it with curling foam and slow-dry it. Maybe 20 minutes tops.

Makeup: Eyeliner, shadow, a spot or two of concealer if warranted that day, mascara, powder. No foundation unless it’s for a formal evening event. Blush always, otherwise I look like an extra from The Walking Dead. Less than fifteen minutes.

Nails: No polish, ever on fingernails. The nails are too thin and flat, making even clear polish an exercise in futility. File and buff regularly to eliminate snags and tears. Toenails are professionally manicured and polished year-round, every three to four weeks if I’m conscientious about it. An hour or so of me time at a salon.

I wash my face twice a day, shave the important stuff daily in the shower or bath. Exfoliate once a week and moisturize after. If I’m really on my game I slap on some eye cream as well.

[Sattua]

My morning routine, from the time I step into the shower till the time I'm ready to go, takes about 30 minutes.

Hair: just past shoulder length, straight. Gets washed, conditioned, and blow-dried every day, gets cut once every six weeks. I shave my armpits and my legs to above the knee every day; I do the rest of my legs and my arms about once a week. I use Dove moisturizing bodywash to do this, and it moisturizes so well that I don't ever need lotion.

Makeup: a minimum of eyebrow gel, mascara, perfume, and long-wearing lipstick. Usually wear eyeliner and shadow too. Use Proactiv products but no foundation or powder on my face.

Nails: short and unpolished. I spend 30 second cutting them about once every two weeks. I would have a French manicure on them, but they're weak and begin to peel when they're polished. I do get my toenails pedicured once a month from May through October, that takes about 45 minutes

Miscellaneous: I do a round of Crest Whitestrips once a year, and often spend a few minutes before bed tweezing my eyebrows, squeezing out pores, etc.

[DeepLiquid]

Hair: Short. Get it cut about once a month. Graying near my temples but still mostly brown with red highlights. Wash it daily, hit it with a blow dryer for a minute, done. No product and I don't color.

Makeup: None, ever (well except for that one prom night 33 years ago :D).

Nails:Trimmed, no polish, ever. I do get a mani now and then to shape them up.

Beauty: I shave legs and pits a couple of times a week. I moisturize daily.

I'm an old school lesbian in a 21 year relationship so I haven't thought about what men like to look at in a very long time... I'm pretty sure it's not me. ;)

[MLS]

Hair is long, mostly gray now. I wash it every other day and let it dry naturally. I wear it loose if it's not in my way. From glances in the mirror I think it looks nice in the back, flowing all silver like a river. If necessary I twist it up and slip a hairclip in the back. On a typical workday I wait until I am at work and dab on eyebrow pencil and a bit of lipstick. That's about it.

For special occasions I will use mascara and/or eyeliner and go to a salon for a hairdo. The last time I did that was about 3 years ago for my daughter's wedding.

Yeah, I'm low maintenance.

[KarlGrenze]

Hair: Trimmed 2-4 times a year, depending on how fast it grows. Right now is the longest it's been, in part as a request from my SO. I'll get it snipped again as soon as the weather hits consistently above 80°F. I don't brush it, except sometimes in the shower. I shampoo and condition it 2-4 times per week, on a weird schedule, with different products. I let it air dry. When I wake up in the mornins, I either make a pony tail, put a headband, or both. My sister gave me one of those weird elastic headbands that pull the hair to the back and snap, and I prefer those.

Make-up: Sometimes I remember to wear lip-stick. I use gloss and lip balm when it gets cold and my lips are cracking. When I go out, I may put on base, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick. I fail at blush. I can occasionally use concealer for some zits or dark eyes.

Polish: Starting... Oh, about 2 years ago, more or less, I've been better about putting on nail polish. It helps with the nail-biting. ;) And it makes me feel pretty. I do it more so over the past year, since my SO likes it. I wish I could get mani-pedis more often, but the cost of that is cost that can be used for food or drinks (food-oriented person here).

Beauty: I tweeze eyebrows (and stray facial hairs) about once a week or so. I shave under knees once or twice a week, legs above knee about once a month, and shave other areas on an "as needed" basis. Underarm gets shaved every 2-3 days, without fail.

I shower usually once daily, at night. I like to go sleep smelling pretty.

[kushiel]

Hair: Short, air dry, little bit of pomade to counteract fluff. < 2 minutes. I hate hate hate blow drying and straightening my hair, it's hot and takes too long, so I can't have long hair. Well, long hair that I like.

Makeup: Dots of concealer if needed.

Nails: Cut 'em when I feel like it.

Beauty: Shave legs when I feel like it, will go back to waxing in summer. Swipe the armpits with a razor when needed. Shower every other day in winter, every day in summer.

Yeah, my beauty routine is about 20 minutes a day if I have a shower, and most of that is just showering. I'm lazy. I'm lucky in that my skin is pretty good.

[overlyverbose]

I get my hair cut and foiled when I'm starting to notice a lot of greys and split ends, usually once every 4 months or so.

My morning get-ready routine looks like this:

Shower (5-10 mins)
Dry off, moisturize comb hair, run product through and scrunch hair (5 mins)
Put on clothes (1 min - I pick them out the night before)
Put on foundation (1 min)
Brush teeth (2 mins)
Maybe scrunch hair again (1 min)

Total time is around 20-25 minutes, maybe 30 minutes if I wash my hair. I used to wash it every day, but now I rinse it most days and wash about 3 times per week. I usually start at 6:12 and end 6:35-ish.

[OpalCat]

I wash my hair twice a week and let it dry naturally. I shave bikini, pits, and legs about 3 times a week, which takes about 20 minutes. Days when I work I brush my hair and put on eyeliner and mascara, which takes maybe 5 minutes.

I get my hair cut and foiled about every 4 months which takes a couple of hours.

[Renee]

I though the whole "we're slaves to our beauty regiments" thing was overstated in that thread.

I spent what feels like 5-10 minutes (haven't timed it) on my daily getting pretty.

I wash my hair with cheap shampoo every night, air dry. Brush it in the morning, 1 min. tops. Makeup if I'm leaving the house, concealer, base, lip stick, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, all this goes on in 5 minutes. I use an epilator on my legs every couple of weeks in the winter, more often in the summer. This while I'm watching tv. I dye my roots at home every 4-5 weeks, costs about $3 each time, and I cut it myself about twice a year, when it feels like it's too long.

The result (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TDuTlPcqTaI/AAAAAAAADTI/amJFxYJ8oyM/s640/IMG_0738.JPG)(I'm the redhead).

It's just not that big a deal.

[Jennyrosity]

Wow. I really am high-maintenance compared to a lot of you!

[DiosaBellissima]

Hair- Long, down to my bra strap in the back. Dark brown, dyed with a little lowlight/highlight action going on. I get my hair trimmed and colored about every 6 weeks or so. My hair is naturally very wavy and downright curly on the bottom.

I wash my hair 2-3 times per week, depending on what I did that week. "Normal" is shampoo and conditioner, though every other shower I do a deep conditioning treatment of some sort (I like the Henna and Placenta stuff best and it's cheap!). I get out, blow dry (with some blow dry lotion in it to smooth/ protect from the heat, as well as root lifter), and then I need to flat iron if I'm straightening or curl if I'm curling. I also tease my hair a bit using Big Sexy Hair's What a Tease backcombing spray and a teasing comb. From start to finish-- wash to finish flat ironing/teasing- my hair probably takes

Makeup: On a normal work day when I'm meeting with clients, I'll do concealer, my Mac Studio Fix powder (which is powder/foundation in one), a few neutral/gold eyeshadows, eyeliner, mascara, blush, and a highligher. Oh, bronzer, too. Lipstick/lipgloss, depending on the day.

Nails- I've got glittery, ridiculous acrylics. I love them. Plus, nail polish slides off my real nails, so fake nails guarantee I don't wake up the morning of an appointment and have to flip out and paint my nails super fast (which, let's be honest: that never ever works out well for anyone).

Beauty- I get a Brazilian wax (every 3-4 weeks) and do my underarms, too. I get my eyebrows threaded (every 2-3 weeks). I shave my arms and legs (few times a week, depending on if anyone will be touching them).

So, I'm big on beauty. Do I do it for men? Absolutely not. I do it because I like these things. When I get sick of getting my nails done (happens every so often), I take them off and just make sure my real nails are nice and clean. Today, for instance, I was feeling lazy, so I'm not wearing a lick of makeup. On the whole, though, I find beauty stuff fun, so I do it for me :).

[Daerlyn]

Hair - I have very long, thick, coarse, frizzy, kind of curly but not pretty curly, graying hair, which I hate. I get it colored every 5 weeks (would do it every 4 weeks, except trying to save money). I wash it 2-3 times a week. For work (or going out), I flat iron it. With the blow dry and the flat ironing, it takes about 45 minutes (I have a LOT of hair). Flat ironed hair lasts 2-3 days. When I can't be bothered, I just twist it up and put a clip on it (5 minutes, tops).


Your hair sounds pretty much like mine, aside from length (I got it chopped to shoulder length a few months back). If you're at all interested in working with the almost-curl instead of trying to iron it out, can I recommend Herbal Essence's Tousle Me Softly (http://www.herbalessences.com/en-US/hair-products/wavy-hair) line? I wash my hair with it, and then use the spray gel and I end up with a nice bouncy shiny curl, rather than the poofy-wave-fro that's my standard issue. No blow drying required, either! YMMV on that last bit due to length, but it worked really well for my previously unmanageable hair.

My routine in the morning is brush teeth, shower, wash face, moisturise moisturise moisturise, clothes, hair (the routine mentioned above). I shave maybe once or twice a week right now, because it's bloody cold out and no one's seeing my leghair but me and the boyfriend anyways. In summer I up the shave routine to 'whenever I plan to wear shorts'.

I'm working on adding makeup back into the routine, but there's a big pile of crap (I just moved) blocking easy access to my vanity right now. When I do wear everyday makeup, it's facial primer, hair (to give the primer time to set or soak in, or whatever it does), eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick/gloss.

I trim my nails once a week or so. My hair gets cut . . . whenever it starts driving me nuts. Before the last chop in November, I think I got it cut about two years prior. I've never been good at the seasonal trim.

[Dung Beetle]

Wow. I really am high-maintenance compared to a lot of you!

At least you're no Diosa. ;)

[DiosaBellissima]

From start to finish-- wash to finish flat ironing/teasing- my hair probably takes

It probably takes 25 minutes, is what I was trying to say. It takes forever to blow dry my hair, because it is a sponge naturally.

Makeup takes me 5 minutes. Though if I'm in a play with makeup mood, I can spend an hour-- though that's wearing a lot more war paint than my day to day (contouring, heavy, difficult eyes, etc).


At least you're no Diosa. ;)

Rude! ;)

[Dung Beetle]

Don't mind me, I'm having a bad hair day. :D

[gallows fodder]

It's hard for me to gauge how long my beauty routine actually takes, because I'm always half-awake in the morning when I do it. I spend many wasted minutes just staring into space. It takes me about 30 minutes to do it all, but I bet it would take 15-20 if I were more alert and didn't dawdle.

Hair: This is the most annoying part. I often curl my hair overnight (yeah, in curlers -- I'm single so I've got no one to impress at night :)), so brushing it out in the morning, clipping it up, taking it out, deciding it looks better clipped up, etc. can take about 10 minutes. On the days when I don't curl it, I just comb it and clip what used to be my bangs to one side. I dye it once a month to cover greys. I get it cut maybe every 3 months or so. I wash it every other night. Setting my hair in curls can take 15 minutes to over an hour, depending on how I set it and if I do pincurls (which I hardly ever do because it takes so damn long).

Makeup: Moisturizer, foundation, concealer, blush, eyeliner, curl eyelashes, mascara, lip balm. Takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on how bad my undereye circles are, if there are any blemishes I need to conceal, how many times I drop my eyeliner in sleep-deprived clumsiness, etc.

Beauty: I wash my face every night, shave legs every 2 to 90 days :p, file my nails a couple of times a week, clip and paint toenails every weekend or so...



None of this feels like a burden or inconvenience (well, except curling my hair, but I do that because I'm concealing a haircut I don't like). Otherwise, it's just part of the normal daily grooming routine.

[gallows fodder]

One more thing, because I've been thinking about this and this seems like the best place to put it --

It drives me nuts when people on this board laugh at women who use makeup and then use the following story to illustrate why women shouldn't wear makeup -- "I have a coworker who wears tons of makeup! Once in a while, she'll come to work without any on and everyone will ask her if she's sick! HA HA HA"

I don't understand this thinking at all.

1) If you see someone who usually wears makeup without any on, you're probably now seeing blotchy skin and dark circles that are usually concealed. Hence the appearance of sickness.

2) If you see someone who usually wears makeup without any on, you probably subconsciously assume something must have happened to cause her to forgo her usual grooming that morning. Maybe she overslept...or maybe she's sick.

3) (Hold onto your butts -- this one might be a surprise) If she looks sick without makeup, is it any wonder she wears makeup?

[kushiel]

My friends can spend, depending on how quickly they want to move, 30-60 minutes blow drying and straightening their hair. It only bothers me if I've slept over and I'm ready to go go go for the day while they're primping (quite often, because of distance, there's 3 or 4 of us in staying over in one place, so multiply the time). Oh well, I usually grab another hour or two of sleep. :D

[Glory]

Your hair sounds pretty much like mine, aside from length (I got it chopped to shoulder length a few months back). If you're at all interested in working with the almost-curl instead of trying to iron it out, can I recommend Herbal Essence's Tousle Me Softly (http://www.herbalessences.com/en-US/hair-products/wavy-hair) line? I wash my hair with it, and then use the spray gel and I end up with a nice bouncy shiny curl, rather than the poofy-wave-fro that's my standard issue. No blow drying required, either! YMMV on that last bit due to length, but it worked really well for my previously unmanageable hair.
.

I'm willing to try it - but under the sink is a product graveyard, filled with all the products that have not turned my coarse frizzy ugly curly hair into soft curls. I have spent a lot of time/money trying to embrace the curl! I've used all the special shampoos/conditioners/frizz serums. I've gone without shampooing, I've air dried, I've diffused.

My hair is a hot mess in its natural state. I basically have poofy frizzy triangle hair like that chick (http://www.dilbert.com/strips/2011-02-18/)from the Dilbert cartoons.

[DeepLiquid]

One more thing, because I've been thinking about this and this seems like the best place to put it --

It drives me nuts when people on this board laugh at women who use makeup and then use the following story to illustrate why women shouldn't wear makeup -- "I have a coworker who wears tons of makeup! Once in a while, she'll come to work without any on and everyone will ask her if she's sick! HA HA HA"

I don't understand this thinking at all.

1) If you see someone who usually wears makeup without any on, you're probably now seeing blotchy skin and dark circles that are usually concealed. Hence the appearance of sickness.

2) If you see someone who usually wears makeup without any on, you probably subconsciously assume something must have happened to cause her to forgo her usual grooming that morning. Maybe she overslept...or maybe she's sick.

3) (Hold onto your butts -- this one might be a surprise) If she looks sick without makeup, is it any wonder she wears makeup?

I've always liked "you would be so much prettier if you'd just wear makeup".

[Daerlyn]

I'm willing to try it - but under the sink is a product graveyard, filled with all the products that have not turned my coarse frizzy ugly curly hair into soft curls. I have spent a lot of time/money trying to embrace the curl! I've used all the special shampoos/conditioners/frizz serums. I've gone without shampooing, I've air dried, I've diffused.

My hair is a hot mess in its natural state. I basically have poofy frizzy triangle hair like that chick (http://www.dilbert.com/strips/2011-02-18/)from the Dilbert cartoons.

Yup, sounds more and more like my hair every time. I had a giant fluffy waist-length mane. With the shorter cut, if I don't use this stuff I still get triangle-head.

[Achren]

Hair: Very long & thick (below my waist currently, time to get 4 or 5 inches lopped off.)
I also have very thick hair and I gotta ask - does having it so long affect you? When mine gets longer than mid-back, I get these head and neck aches from the weight (my hair's not currently layered).

[amijane]

Hair: Short and sassy. Cut every 6 weeks to keep it short and sassy. It's washed every morning as I get oily psoriasis on my scalp so it needs to be kept clean. I apply a small amount of product and blast it with the drier for a minute or two max. Then it's on with a knitted cap for five minutes as it cools and while I get dressed, because my hair's default state is 80s Big Bouffy Hair and a five-minute hat session successfully squishes it down for the day.

Skin/cosmetics: Problems with psoriasis and eczema mean I have to moisturise heavily, which clogs my pores but I'd rather be bumpy than flaky. I dust over the top with a mineral powder foundation to cut down redness (regular cosmetics make the eczema worse), apply brown non-lengthening mascara to disguise blonde eyelashes so they'll match my eyebrows, and slap on some lip balm if my lips are dry. It all takes maybe two minutes?

Beauty: Nails are kept clipped short and are polish-free. I wax and dye my eyebrows once a month or whenever I notice that they're taking over my forehead. Body hair is usually left to its own devices, although I do trim back the Growler every month or so when it's threatening to swamp my knees. My husband couldn't give a crap if I wax/shave/whatever, and I like it natural.

I've discovered that the older I get, the sexier I feel if I butch it up a little. It's seriously cut down on my beauty routine, which used to take at least half an hour most mornings for my face alone. I'm pretty much a permanent cross-dresser these days and everyone agrees it suits me much more than pretending to be a girlie girl ever did. I do keep my toenails bright screaming fuck-me scarlet, though. I like to have pretty feet. I have no idea why that's the one thing I can't/won't give up.

[gallows fodder]

I've always liked "you would be so much prettier if you'd just wear makeup".
Well, that's dumb, too. No one should be mocking anyone for wearing or not wearing cosmetics.

[Freudian Slit]

One more thing, because I've been thinking about this and this seems like the best place to put it --

It drives me nuts when people on this board laugh at women who use makeup and then use the following story to illustrate why women shouldn't wear makeup -- "I have a coworker who wears tons of makeup! Once in a while, she'll come to work without any on and everyone will ask her if she's sick! HA HA HA"

I don't understand this thinking at all.


Why is this a way of thinking that women shouldn't wear makeup? Isn't it basically saying that women look better with it?

[FairyChatMom]

After I shower, I put a moisturizer on my face. And I comb my hair. So, 2 minutes?

[TheChileanBlob]

I'm nearly no-maintenance.
My hair is shoulder length, layered. I gave up coloring it a couple of years ago; now it's steadily graying. I "wash" it with baking soda and water once or twice a week. It's semi-curly, so I only brush it right before I wash it, otherwise I just run my fingers through it to get the tangles out and fluff it up. On special occasions, I put some scrunchy spray in it, otherwise I just wash and go. I cut it myself or get my daughter to do it or occasionally go to Walmart's salon when I can't stand it anymore.
I take what my husband calls a "ho bath" every day (wash my face and underarms and hoohoo), and scrub all over in the shower the aforementioned couple times a week.
I shave my legs/underarms once a week in shorts weather (9 months a year here in the south) and not at all in the winter. I keep my fingernails short and unpolished, but I do paint my toenails in the summer. I don't wear makeup at all, haven't in years.
Good thing I'm already married, eh?

[Rachellelogram]

I take a shower every morning before work, brush my teeth, put on deodorant and a light misting of body spray. Comb wet hair, put in a ponytail, and go. About every other night I put lotion on my feet right before I go to bed. I get haircuts once or twice a year. I might shave my pits once every couple weeks. I don't shave my legs except for job interviews and I've had the same job for 2.5 years now, so...

I am blessed with eyebrows that don't need plucking. And I don't wear makeup.

[kapri]

Hair: I wash my hair only twice a week now (from what recently used to be every two days) because it's so dry/damaged. I color it every four weeks (roots). It's really thick and just past my shoulders, and it takes me about one minute to wash/condition and maybe two minutes to rinse in the shower. It takes about 5 minutes to blow dry and about three minutes to smooth using a flatiron. On an average day when I don't wash it, I might spend 5 minutes at the most on my hair, usually less time than that.

Makeup: I use concealer, eye liner, and mascara. It takes about 5 minutes, tops, to put on my makeup. I also wear lipstick, but I just put that on when I'm driving and so on. I wash my face with water only most of the time, but I do moisturize twice a day, and at night fairly heavily.

Other: Hmmm. I give myself a pedicure about every two weeks. I shave my legs etc. usually every other day. The most time I spend on my appearance is when I exercise, which I do religiously for about an hour most days.

[Dangerosa]

Age 45 (which means some grey)
Professional (i.e. I can get by without makeup, but its better if I wear it)

Hair short. Cut every eight weeks or so - a few times a year at an expensive salon, cost cutters for the in between trips. Foiled (highlights and lowlights) on a every 4-5 months schedule. Wash every other day - wet down and blowdry - five minutes for the blowdry. Somedays its another 2 minutes with a straightening iron to get rid of weird waves.

Makeup - five minutes on workdays. Mineral base, blush, eyeshadow, liner, mascara, lips (sometimes gloss, sometimes stick). Goes fast. Good moisterizer down morning and evening.

Nails. Keep emery board at my desk. Painted sometimes. (not now). I love getting regular manicures, but it isn't something I'm making time for right now.

Shave. Mostly in summer

Have eyebrows threaded every six weeks and touch up with a tweezer when I do moisterizer at bedtime.

Perfume (Chanel no 5), Jewelry and clothes.

More high maintenance than many of you - I wasn't that high maintenance in my twenties and didn't start regularly wearing makeup or establishing a real hair routine until sometime after 40 when I got a promotion at work and it started to look like I should pay attention. Plus my kids got older around then, and I didn't have the excuse of "toddlers at home."

[olivesmarch4th]

It drives me nuts when people on this board laugh at women who use makeup and then use the following story to illustrate why women shouldn't wear makeup -- "I have a coworker who wears tons of makeup! Once in a while, she'll come to work without any on and everyone will ask her if she's sick! HA HA HA"

Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way. ''You look so pale... are you okay? Do you need to lie down?'' Jeez.

I've become a little more high-maintenance with time, but I still think I'm relatively low key.

Hair cut every three months (long layers.) Sometimes I do highlights, but lately I've been feeling the natural vibe.

Shower daily, shampoo and conditioner. Brush teeth and floss. Apply face lotion to avoid dry skin. Apply deodorant.

Spray wet hair with heat-protectant, blow-dry using diffuser.

Foundation, powder, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick.

That's it. Takes about 30 minutes start to finish. I think most people would describe me as having the natural look. I tend to use mattes and neutrals for lipstick and eye-shadow.

[gallows fodder]

Why is this a way of thinking that women shouldn't wear makeup? Isn't it basically saying that women look better with it?
I know! I mean...I don't know! Except that I've seen people post things like that whenever we get to talking about makeup, and it boggles my mind. I guess the thinking is, "The poor dear...she's so dependent on cosmetics that she's assumed to be ill without them" or something. Next time I see a post like that, I'll ask the poster to explain themselves. :)

[needscoffee]

Wash and air dry and/or blow dry (a little longer than shoulder-length layered) hair, using a little gel or spray for root lift - every 2 or 3 days. One day a week I go to the pool, so that's one of the days. Root touch-up at home every 3 or 4 weeks. Normally no makeup, but for a dress-up occasion, eye liner, mascara, maybe lipstick. Eye makeup is kind of a pain because of poor close-up vision without my glasses, so I rarely bother. Eyebrows don't need tweezing. Haircut every two or three months.

So normally, I get up, brush my hair if I remember, and I'm done.

Hmm - this thread started making me feel self-conscious about the no makeup thing, so I just went and put on a little eyeliner. I glanced in the mirror as I walked past it, and I looked about 10 years older. Sheesh. So I took it off.

[needscoffee]

I think not using makeup is like the bare legs thing. If we stop using it, it will look strange at first, but soon it will look normal.

[even sven]

I shower (wash and condition) daily, with a pretty good shave and lots of good-smelling-stuff 20 min.

Lotion, face-wash, moisturizer and teeth brushing, maybe 3 minutes.

I use concealer, foundation, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lip color. It takes maybe 10 minutes.

I have shoulder-length permed hair, so it is curly at the ends, I may put on some leave-in conditioner but otherwise don't do much with it. This doesn't really take any time.

It takes me about 10-15 minutes to put together my outfit and accessorize. I have a lot of clothes and tend to be disorganized, so I can never find what I'm looking for.

I keep my nails polished and hate chips, so I mess with them every 2-4 days. I pluck my eyebrows and do a deep-hair conditioner maybe once a week.

All in all, it's not a ton of time, but it is a fair amount of mental energy.

[olivesmarch4th]

I think not using makeup is like the bare legs thing. If we stop using it, it will look strange at first, but soon it will look normal.
Honestly I don't pay attention to whether a woman is wearing makeup or not.

I do wear make-up every day, but it's kind of a psychological/self-care thing. I used to not care how I looked because I was too depressed to care. Now every morning when I put on my make-up, it's like a statement about how far I've come - I care about my life.

[rhubarbarin]

Hair: Varying lengths past shoulder, and curly. I've cut my own hair since 2002, and before that my mom cut it. I do not brush my curly hair ever. I wet it down every day or every other. Shampoo sporadically. Every time it gets wet I squeeze in some conditioner and put a little gel on the top layer of my hair to keep the frizz smoothed down. Always air dry. Don't own a straightener, curler, or blow dryer.

Makeup: None 95% of the time. A little eye makeup if I'm in the mood. Light neutrals only, people very rarely notice when I do wear it.

General: I usually brush my teeth twice per day. I wash my face once or twice. I shower almost every day, and put on deodorant in the morning. Put lotion on my arms and legs nearly every day. I shave my legs and pits on a regular basis, and my pubes semi-regular. Sometimes I shape and paint my nails - that's a new thing.

ETA: Part of the reason I wear makeup is because I like to 'look like myself' with no effort. For example my sister and two close friends have light eyelashes (as do I) and always wear black mascara. On the rare occasions I have seen them without mascara, it's shocking - their eyes look naked and goofy, and their whole face is changed. It's not that they look so much better with mascara - it's just that they look different, and one becomes accustomed. My light eyelashes don't look naked and goofy without mascara every day. When I have put on black mascara, I look ridiculous to myself and everyone says something about it (the mascara I own, and use rarely, is medium brown and not a big difference from my normal lashes).

[Troubles]

Don't have one. I do wash and condition my hair every other day, but hell - my brother does that, too.

[anu-la1979]

Hair: curly, just past shoulders. It's longer when it's straightened. I'm growing it out. I get it cut every 6 weeks at an expensive salon. I only shampoo it once or twice a week, otherwise I just condition it. Usually I end up blowdrying it with a diffuser, but my preference is to let it air dry. If I'm going out I'll make an effort to flat iron or blow dry it straight or something, but even at the length it's at, it takes an hour.

Makeup: I don't really wear makeup at school unless I have a recruiting activity going on. But makeup always includes foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush and lipgloss. I don't particularly care for eyeshadow, so the difference between going out makeup and work makeup is generally the colours of blush and lipstick and the type of eyeliner-I wear wand application kohl for that extra sultry look when going out with friends, but it's messy and runs all over the place, so I don't bother at work (plus, it's too much). I'm a total makeup whore, though partly I'm forced into premium brands because drugstore makeup is rarely formulated for consumers with yellow skintones.

When I lived in California I used to get manicures, but I don't bother these days. I'm thinking of giving myself one this weekend.

Other Beauty Regimens: well, I am from the pelt belt, so hair removal has been part of my life since teendom! I'm very adept at waxing myself, do my own brows and most everything. I outsource the Brazilian, though I'm thinking of learning how to do it myself. Personally, I am heavily ooged out by the double-dipping of the wax stick at salons, and I go to really high-end places.

I'm also a religious Clarisonic-er and take obsessive care of my skin, even though I don't bother wearing makeup to school unless necessary.

[MeanOldLady]

Hair: Short and straight. I typically wear it straight down with bangs, pin it behind my ears, or wear a head-band. Nothing fancy. I get a relaxer retouch and a trim every six weeks. My daily routine consists of brushing, and not much else. I wash once weekly.

Make up: Usually just foundation, concealer if I'm not wearing glasses, and maybe lip gloss.

Beauty: I shave my legs, I wash my make up off when I get home, and wash my face before applying make up. I use an exfoliating scrub in the morning, and wash my face with a regular bar of Ambi or Neutrogena, or whatever bar is on sale when removing my make up in the evening.

Nails: I either wear no nail polish, or I paint them black. That sounds gothy, I guess, but really black just goes with everything.

[HazelNutCoffee]

I used to be a lot more high-maintenance than I am now, believe it or not.

Hair - Short and curly - I've been getting it permed every few months. I like my short curls but the chemical smell lingers for a couple weeks, which sucks. Shampoo/conditioner every day; I alternate between Dove and Body Shop stuff.

Make up - Concealer, foundation, blush, powder, eyebrow pencil (I have no eyebrows to speak of), eyeshadow, eyeliner. I always put makeup on before leaving the house, unless I'm going to the shop or something.

Beauty - Shave regularly, use foam cleanser and moisturizing things every night. Occasionally I'll use a scrub or a face mask. I used to get regular manicures and pedicures, but I'm trying to save money. I'll probably start getting pedicures again once summer comes around, though.

[Lasciel]

Age (between 25-35) :p

Hair - Naturally very fine and ramrod straight. Currently shoulder-length, half highlighted caramel color, and half grown-out "well, it's really too boring to be actually ugly" brown. (There was supposed to be a cut/color/foiling session about 6 months ago which was counterindicated by extreme brokeitude. It bothers me a lot to have it half-done, which is weird, as it's only been colored for about a year. Bets are currently on as to whether any of the color will be left when my penny pile gets big enough to get it done again.)

Hair routine: In shower, shampoo everything, condition ends only. Out of shower, comb through, fluff with fingers, air-dry in car. Once a week or so, clip up with a claw, or put in a fun barrette or set of clips. No other products. About 10 minutes total, at most.

Face routine: Wash face in shower. Once at work, I use eyebrow pencil/powder, pencil eyeliner, eyeshadows, and usually lipstick(s). Takes about 5 minutes.

Random not-daily stuff:
-While in shower, shave and groom body hair about every two or three days, daily in summer if I am wearing sleeveless stuff. Less than 5 minutes.
-Trim nails once a weekish, buff fingernails about once every two weeks (they're too thin to do more often). Less than 5 minutes. Finger buffing often happens at work while bored.
-Pluck random migratory eyebrow hairs about once a weekish. About 30 seconds.
-Facial masks/body lotions/foot lotions about once a month when I feel the need for a pampering evening. One entire evening of ME! Often includes fingernail polish.

So overall, I think I'm pretty firmly in the less-maintenance camp.

[twickster]

Moved MPSIMS --> IMHO

twicks, who's way at the far extreme of low-maintenance

[Moonlitherial]

Age: 43

Hair: Couple of inches past shoulder length, basically straight. Because I live in the frosty north and I don't blowdry my hair I shower/bathe at night. I wash my hair with sulfate free shampoo (New favorite, Burts Bees pomegranate) about 3 times a week. I have my hair long because I require change and it must be easy, so my hair is either in a pony tail, hanging straight, in a barrette, in a clip or held back with a headband. I try to colour about every 6 weeks to cover the gray (currently at almost 3 months), although the kid gave me henna for Christmas so I really should try that this time.

I have never plucked my eyebrows, they're pretty thin so I figure I'm better off not messing with them. I did have laser hair removal about 8 years ago so I have about 3 dozen hairs on each calf and a few dozen in each armpit that get shaved off a couple times a week. I actually have bought time at a place to go in for the touchup on that but I just can't find the time to schedule it.

I don't currently wear makeup but that's an on again off again thing with me.

I used to do my nails every weekend and have someone else do them for me every couple of months but 3 weeks ago my life was changed. I had shellac put on my nails and now 20 days later they're still shiny and perfect. Not a single chip. If it wasn't for the fact that my darn nails grow so fast this could be a once a month thing but I'm at about the limit right now of growth gap.

Night time routine - just to get clean - about 15 mins/night. I generally add lay back and relax in the tub time a couple times a week though so that adds another 30-60 mins depending on how bad my day was.

Morning routine - I'm out of bed, teeth brushed, hair brushed, moisturizer, dogs fed and let outside, dressed and ready to head out the door 25 mins after the alarm goes off. My sleep is precious and will not be wasted on a longer morning routine :)

I'm actually working to add more pamper me time into my routine.

[salinqmind]

This is the kind of thing that I run down the battery on my laptop reading.

Hair: I just got it trimmed, it's in a medium shag (my stylist just came back from a hair show and said the shag, with some updates, is coming back. I say, the shag never went away!!!) It has some natural curl, so I just let it air dry, and reluctantly haul out the curling iron for A Big Occasion. I'm not ready to go gray, so it's a dark blond with a reddish undertone (why fight it?), and I'm saving up to have highlights put on in 8 weeks.

Nails: awful. They're not all shaped the same and curve under, really ugly, so I keep them fairly short and unpolished.

Makeup: lucky in that I look much younger than my actual age, though in bright light up close I see very fine wrinkles...arrgh, look away! Moisturizer, mousse foundation, set with old-lady translucent loose powder with a big brush. I use a fine brush and dark eyeshadow of various colors for eyeliner. Eyeshadow, always! - a cool pale silvery, or a pale gold. Sometimes mascara. (I'm wearing eyeglasses now, so I often don't bother). Lipstick - gold/tan/bronze family OR pink/rose/wine family. I like putting on makeup, I feel 'dressed up' - all winter I haven't bothered, but on sunny days now I get the urge to take some pains and make myself look purdy.

Shower/shampoo/shave pits every couple of days, though I wash bits on an as-needed basis. Wash face as I always have, Neutrogena soap and a washcloth, followed by moisturizer. I use a facial scrub about once a week.

A spritz of favorite perfume down the front of my shirt and I'm good to go!

[congodwarf]

Hair - Naturally red, never colored. Naturally straight. Naturally insanely healthy. No gray. There might be some white but since I've had white highlights since birth, there will have to be a huge amount of them before anyone will notice. Currently a bit below my shoulders, all one length. I just had 3" cut off because the ends, while not being split, were looking raggedy. My upkeep typically involves washing and conditioning 4-5 times a week. I'm sorry to say that I don't brush it that often. I typically towel dry and then put it in a knot without brushing (which is probably why it gets raggedy). I never blow dry or use products. If I'm feeling fancy, I might french braid it or actually brush it before putting it in a knot. I will usually grow it until it's long enough to donate. Then I cut it to shoulder length or shorter, donate the cut hair, and start the process over.

Nails - I am incapable of growing long nails. Once every 5 years or so I'll wear acrylics for a few months but even then, I have them short (just past the fingertip) and with only clear nail polish.

Feet - If I can afford it, I'll get the occasional manicure but mostly I try to moisturize my heels, keep toenails trimmed and clean.

Eyebrows - My eyebrows are naturally upkeep-less. The shape is good enough that I've been asked many times who does my plucking. The color nearly a perfect match to my hair.

Makeup - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Um...no. I long ago gave up trying to find makeup that didn't look completely idiotic on me. I know they make stuff for redheads with bluish skin but I honestly don't care enough to look for it or take the time to wear it. On the extremely rare occurrence that I want to look fancy, I might curl my lashes (they're quite long but very straight and are light red so they kinda blend and make me look lash less).

Cleanliness - I will generally shower 4-5 times a week. If I'm not going anywhere or having visitors, I typically don't even bother getting out of my pajamas (though I do change them before bed - I don't know why).

Teeth - Brush in the morning. Brush, floss, mouthwash at night. I used to use mouthwash in the morning but at the moment I'm on a strict teeth maintenance program from my hygienist so I only do what she told me to do.

Perfume - never.

[congodwarf]

I forgot the time part. Showering and dealing with my hair takes me under 10 minutes, and that includes the time to dry off. It actually takes me more time to deal with my teeth at night.

[SciFiSam]

Hair - I'm both lucky and unlucky with my hair (brown, curly/wavy, short bob): the maintenance for it is an ordinary wash twice a week, and running my fingers through it every day (brushing makes it frizzy). And it looks fine. But it doesn't look fine in any other style and will never look stylish. My ex used to trim it for me and now I go to hairdresser every six months or so.

Nails - I paint them every so often. Next week I'm going for my first ever pedicure and manicure.

Make up - cover-up stick and lipstick. If I'm going somewhere posher I'll put mascara on. I would like to experiment more with nice eyeshadow, though.

Skin - moisuriser morning and night . Exfoliating wash twice a week. Shaving legs and underarms twice a week or so. I use the occasional face mask, and I even have a face steamer; it's fun to have the occasional 'pampering' night with my daughter. I had my first ever facial a couple of months ago and I definitely would do that more often if I could.

Most of this stuff can be done while sitting on the sofa watching TV so it doesn't add any extra time at all.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

Hair: Shaggy, gets washed and conditioned about every other day. "Styling" = blow-drying and tousling it with some hairspray or gum-stuff.

Make-up: No foundation, honestly believe I look better without. Just a bit of moisturiser. But would not leave the house with eyeliner. Usually also eye-shadow and brow pencil. Lip-stick occasionally.

Skin: Make-up taken off at night. Moisturiser during the day. Both as cheap as possible.

Body hair. I shave my pits and bikini line once every three days or so. Legs much less. I'm don't have much hair on my legs. For ages I didn't shave them at all.
Anecdote: I told my then BF of two years that I didn't shave my legs. He was shocked at this, even if he had never noticed anything amiss. So I decided, without telling him, to give shaving a go. Asked him if he noticed anything about me and he had no idea what I was on about. So it's barely worth the effort, but I shave/epilate occasionally now - not sure why really.

I do pluck eyebrows and that makes a noticeable difference.

Fingernails are bitten and uncoloured. Long nails don't work anyway, because I play the harp. Toenails are in better shape, though, and often coloured.

Perfume is an obsession. I have many different ones to suit styles and moods. And I *really* notice that in a love interest too.

[lorene]

Yup, sounds more and more like my hair every time. I had a giant fluffy waist-length mane. With the shorter cut, if I don't use this stuff I still get triangle-head.

I call it "the Christmas Tree". I get it, too. One of my best moves was to go to someone who specializes in curly cuts.

It doesn't take me a long time to do the shower/makeup/etc thing. Those of you who don't have to moisturize after a shower have my envy, though. I've never met a shower wash rich enough that I didn't still have to use super heavy-duty moisturizers afterwards.

My hair, now that it's curly, is basically just curl cream and go. Diffuser if it's freezing out. Someday I'll bust out the flatiron again just to see, but that took forever and I always ended up giving up and putting my hair in a ponytail.

What I hate is taking my makeup off at the end of the day. I've yet to find a makeup remover that really gets all the mascara off. I spend more time the following morning cleaning up the traces of raccoon eyes than I do putting new makeup on.

[Dung Beetle]

I never wear perfume because I have no sense of smell. I'm always trying hard to smell clean, though!

[Jennyrosity]

Ooh, I love perfume, and have several. Last year I became the proud owner of a limited edition bottle of Van Cleef & Arpels scent called Cologne Noir. It is the most wonderful smell outside of nature that I've ever experienced and was jaw-droppingly expensive, but my lovely in-laws kindly clubbed together and got it for my birthday. Just wearing it makes me feel happier (and sexier!)

I'm posting this from the hairdressers, actually, where I'm getting cut and coloured. Going for a more red shade colour-wise, but just a tidy up of the style.

[Chapulin]

Well I wash it, part it on the right side, blow dry it, and straighten it. ( some days I kremp it to make it wavy). Then depending on how I feel I might pull some of it back with a barrette or pig tails

[anu-la1979]

What I hate is taking my makeup off at the end of the day. I've yet to find a makeup remover that really gets all the mascara off. I spend more time the following morning cleaning up the traces of raccoon eyes than I do putting new makeup on.

Have you tried jojoba oil? That's what I use and it gets 99% of my eye makeup off-the only stuff it doesn't get is where I've tightlined or lined the inside of my eyelid.

[Avarie537]

30YO, married almost 10 years, hair is somewhat wavy when short, but fairly straight at this length - to the shoulders. I am pretty low-maintenance.

Hair: Shampoo and condition every shower (not every day). Towel dry. Comb out. Blow-dry if leaving the house soon or in the winter - takes less than five minutes. Brush when dry. I used to get it cut on a very irregular basis. Now I'm growing it out. I used to dye it at home. Now I'm leaving it alone. I try to leave it down, but it mostly ends up in a pony tail.

Face: Wash with Mary Kay cleanser in shower. Follow up with "day solution" and moisturizer. (You're "supposed to" cleanse/use night solution/moisturize at night too, but that only ever happens if I wear makeup and need to take it off.) Occasionally use microdermabrasion set in shower. I'm a former consultant, so I have three different eye creams that I use on various areas (upper lid, lower lid, crow's feet area). Not a daily makeup wearer ... I'm a SAHM, but I can do a full face in less than 10 minutes (concealer, foundation, eye primer, 3 eyeshadows +/-liner, blush, mascara, powder, lip color). That's typically only for "special occasions". If I'm not feeling totally glamorous, or for a simple outing, I'll do a tinted moisturizer, one eye shadow, mascara, bronzing powder, and lip gloss for lighter look.

Body: I only wash the necessary areas each shower (pits, groin, and feet). I don't get dirty on a daily basis, but I will scrub/exfoliate all over once a week or so, then follow up with lotion. Shave the pits as needed, shave legs occasionally in winter and 2-3x per week in summer, trim/shave girly bits as needed. I use an after-shaving moisturizing spray to ward off razor bumps/itchy bits.

My nails get trimmed/shaped/filed as needed. I almost never put polish on my fingernails. It just doesn't last. I'll do my own toenails occasionally in the summer, maybe ever 2-3 weeks. I pluck random eyebrow hairs weekly or so to keep them shaped. I do not have good brows. :(

[The Last of the Puritans]

Hair: Buzz cut to scalp ala model Alek Wek (not bald, though). Rinse daily in shower, oiled and brushed. Cut every two weeks at barbershop; eyebrows groomed there as well. Total time, 2 mins.

Beauty: Wash face with hot water and face rag. Sunscreen/moisturizer; eyebrows; eyeliner; mascara (Love Maybelline "The Falsies"!); neutral pinkish/brown lipstick and gloss. Blush if I feel I need to warm up my complexion a bit. Always use primer under eyes or else I look like a raccoon at the end of the day. Nails are kept short and rounded, toenails done on the regular in the summer. Perfume, always. I just don't feel completely dressed without it. Matching bra and panties on workdays. (Not that anybody's gonna see 'em, just makes me feel sexier and more put together). Work inside in an office so nice shirt, pants, heels and jewelry.

Routine: Shower every morning, pits and "Betty" shaved as needed, daily in the summer. Soap dries my skin out something awful, so I use a salt or sugar scrub. Grease up with raw shea butter and perfumed lotion. Deodorized and powder the bits and I'm good to go. All total, 25-30 mins.

[CrazyCatLady]

Hair: baby-fine, stick-straight, prematurely graying, not quite shoulder length. Shampoo and condition every other day or so, up in towel while dressing/eating, then a touch of spray gel, and five minutes with a round brush and dryer. Brush out on non-shampoo mornings. Color at home every 3-5 months as motivation strikes. 5-10 minutes total.

Face: wash with exfoliating cleanser in shower, then moisturize. Five to ten minutes of makeup if someone's getting married or buried, or we're having a special night out, but usually a minute or less.

Body: shower daily, shave pits every week or so, legs as inclination strikes or wardrobe dictates, usually about every other week in warm weather and every other month in cold. Exfoliate/lotion as needed, varies from 3x/day to every week or so, depending on weather and hormonal swings. Powder and deodorant under boobs in warm weather. 10-15 minutes, depending on shampoo/shave needs and strength of residual bed gravity.




Writing it all down like that it seems like more time than I'd realised, but not too much time, bearing in mind I'd feel unattractive and lacking in confidence if I didn't do it.

See, that's the sort of thing that makes guys think women are often slaves to beauty routines. That's just not a thought process that ever occurs to most men, the idea that they're unattractive and shouldn't feel confident just because they haven't spent the better part of an hour smearing things on their faces, hair, and bodies. They always look mystified when I tell them about this sort of feeling so many women have. And I understand the mystification, because a lot of the women I know who feel that way are better-looking without any help than I am after an hour or so of primping. That they feel so much worse about the way they look than I do makes me all :confused: :( :mad:.

And yeah, if you're one of the umpty-jillion women who will NOT leave the house without makeup, you kind of are a slave to your beauty routine, by definition.

[moi]

Age: 32

Hair: Very short, very fine, straight.

Job: I work from home, but I try to make an effort.

Morning: I shower every other day. (12 minutes) After a shower, I apply moisturizer to my body and face and mousse (with heat-reactive polymers! I love this stuff!) to my hair. I then blow dry my hair and style. (15 minutes) After my hair is done, I clean my nails, brush my teeth. Just before I'm ready to get dressed, I put on makeup. I used to do things in a different order, but I haven't perfected using mineral powder foundation while dressed without dusting my clothes. So, powder foundation, lip gloss and mascara on a light makeup day or I add in eyeshadow and eyeliner if I'm going all out. (10 minutes) Total time = 37-40 minutes

Evening: Wash my face. Apply nighttime moisturizer to face and body. Brush my teeth. Total time = 10 minutes

Misc:

I shave as needed; during the summer, I like to get in at least one really luxurious shave once a week involving a pre-soak in the tub and then old fashioned shave soap applied with a brush.
Once a week, I do a face mask thingie.
I dye my hair once every 4-6 weeks and should get my hair cut as frequently, but I usually forget and go more like 10-12 weeks. When I'm in the salon, I usually get my eyebrows waxed, too.
I keep my nails short and unpainted because of the cooking and art-making I do. If I have an uberprofessional event, I'll buff them and get 'em shiny. I'd like to get my toenails done during the summer, but usually can't be bothered and only manage to paint them myself once or twice during sandal season. I obviously need a pedicure buddy.