Seven Kids: 7 Beauty Basics I pass on to my daughters

Three tips are detailed at Aspiring New Moms, a blog I discovered through WFMW last week.

She said: 1.  Make your hairstyle last 3 days.  2.  Invest 5 minutes into skincare.  3.  Wear quality basics.

To those I'll add:  4. Use a nail brush and pumice stone.  5. Buff, not paint, your nails.  6. Exercise and stretch morning and night.  7.  Smile.

The hairstyle thing seemed hard for me since I have been keeping a short hairstyle.  Can we adjust her tips for short hairstyles?  I find that honestly, washing your hair too much does more harm than good in the long run. We stopped using shampoo years ago, but since we moved to a new climate started using some again- but try to limit it to once or twice a week.  How we do manage between days?  I do like to wet mine on between days, sometimes scrub my scalp with just water and I'd just as soon use only conditioner rather than shampoo.  But I have found that headbands and scarves are fun, funky, and beautiful!

Skincare- what can I say about it?  I mean, that Susan and Chloe haven't said? Look, ladies, we all know that there is only ONE thing I have that you don't have.  About ten years.  Yep, that's about it.  Ten years.  So, this is why I read your blogs daily-- to take advantage of those ten years.  And so far I can attest-  the five minutes a day on the skincare routine is absolutely the beauty secret you cannot afford to ignore.  I remember as a child, watching my grandmother perform her skincare rituals of cleansing and moisturizing each night, and I'd pat her face. It was so soft and wonderful. She was in her 50s, and I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. I'd look at pictures from her Mad-Men 30-something years and pat her beautiful soft face, with total conviction that she'd only grown ever more beautiful.

Quality basics- here is MY secret to the high quality basics: Thrift stores.  Clothing on the rack at a retail store can fool you-  it's all primed with fabric starches that make them look crisp.  Who knows what will happen to those clothes with the forces of nature and laundry?  Shop at the thrift store and choose the clothes that stood the test but were passed on because the owner changed sizes or simply buys new each season.

Nail brush and pumice stone-  in the shower, every time.  I use them after I've done the general cleansing of body and hair. I brush under the nails and the cuticles of both hands and feet.  Follow after toweling off with a good moisturizer. Personally, I use a salt scrub in the shower- I like the Lavendar one from Trader Joe's.  I live in the city, and the oils and exfoliation combat the skin fatigue from sun and smog.  I'll toss in the next tip here, I like buffing my nails rather than polishing.  Polish leaves chips and is hard to maintain.  I can keep a buffing tool in my purse and to tell the truth I use it at red lights. Holding the buffing tool in the car keeps you from the lure of texting, too.

Ten-twenty minutes in the morning, ten minutes at night. Stretch, some push ups, crunches, balance poses. It's a combo of yoga, pilates, even the calisthenics from grade school.  This was something else I learned from my grandmother- who stayed supple and limber through knee replacements and right up until arthritis and a broken hip slowed her down. I hula hoop to get my blood flowing - with a full cup of water, it's more effective than the first cup of coffee.  Several days a week of more serious exercise is needed to do weight-checks and keep my pants just right, but we're still just talking about 45 minutes of brisk walking like my grandmother did (5 miles every day, rain or shine, for over 30 years).

SMILE.  Do you ever catch what you look like when you are not smiling?  Smiling reminds you that you have to choose happiness in life. It looks kinder and is more appealing to others.  And it really can lift your spirits.

Linking this post with WFMW.