The Well-Groomed Lady
By Rexanne Mancini

One Good Reason - Keith McDowell

Being well-groomed is an essential aspect of being a lady.
 

The "little" things matter. It's in the "grooming" and being well-groomed that sets you apart from the crowd. As I've said many times to friends and anyone who questioned my grooming habits: "Scheduled hair cuts and color, manicures, pedicures and facials are not luxuries, they're  necessities." I'm one of those women who feels uncomfortable going to the market without looking "groomed." It's work, sure, but the rewards are great. Knowing that my nails, hair and skin are always presentable is a big part of the package.  It's easy to throw on a pair of sweats and still look well-groomed when your hair, skin and nails all look fabulous and healthy.

I am positively fanatical about my nails looking perfect at all times, which is not a problem because I schedule bi-weekly manicures and monthly pedicures. I love OPI nail polish, which is chip resistant and comes in gorgeous, stylish colors and I always use dishwashing gloves when my hands are going to be in water or if I'm using cleaning products. If my hair is trashed, I've learned to work with scrunchies or hair clips and pull it up into the best looking, tousled do I can manage.

My skin looks great because I take care of it and I use the best products for my skin type to maintain a healthy complexion. My daughters use skin care products that work for their skin types, usually a natural product with tea tree oil to help control any acne outbursts. I will never recommend a product that I've found doesn't work for me or my daughters or others I know, even if those products are advertised everywhere else and have great sales hype that makes them seem like a perfect remedy for whatever plagues your skin.

Skin care products I highly recommend:

• N.V. Perricone Skin Care for Adult Skin

• N.V. Perricone M.D. Neuropeptide Eye Area Contour

• Plazan Placenta Collagen Mask

• Mario Bedescu Drying Lotion (AKA Pink lotion) - For all ages, especially teenagers - Zaps zits overnight.

Yes, some of these products are expensive although when you consider how so little goes such a long way and they will last much longer than the same amount of a less expensive product, the prices are actually reasonable. Most importantly, they work!

Tanning your skin until it looks like worn leather is never good. A little sun is healthy and will give your skin a radiant glow, but dark, weathered looking skin is not attractive. Your skin should feel soft and supple, no matter your age. The right skin care regime will do this for you and you'll feel and look great. Yes, sunscreen is essential to maintaining youthful, healthy skin. Most good moisturizers contain sunscreen and the combination type is easier to incorporate into your daily skin care routine.

Another all-important grooming essential is scent. Use it sparingly, please. Overpowering scent on a woman is obnoxious and all you need, EVER is a tiny dab or spritz - You want only a person very close to you to be able to catch a whiff of your perfume or cologne. Subtle is key and "less is more" absolutely applies to perfume, cologne or scented products. I don't leave the house without a dab or spray of my favorite scent but it's always subtle.

Please don't shortchange yourselves when it comes to grooming.

Good quality clothing is another part of looking your best. If you love that raggedy T shirt from the Grateful Dead concert you attended in '74 or the one you found in a thrift shop that just screamed "YOU" all over it, that's fine. Just wear it with a pair of great fitting (not necessarily expensive) jeans; shoes boots or sneakers you love, that fit well and look awesome; perfect accessories and you'll look great because you'll feel great. I tend to spend more on accessories than clothing which works for the "casual "funky elegant" look I love.

Essentially, being well-groomed entails being clean, smelling wonderful, shaving, tweezing or waxing needed areas of your body regularly, having your hair cut (and colored if necessary) once every 6 to 8 weeks and using the best hair care products for your hair type. Maintaining your nails with regular manicures and pedicures, treating your skin well at all times and using the best skin care products you can afford for your skin type, maintaining your wardrobe in perfect, clean, pressed condition and maintaining your health, which is the foundation for always looking and feeling your best.

My recommendation for the best health-related book is "Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau.  All you'll ever need to learn about maintaining optimum health and your optimum weight is answered in this book. Kevin Trudeau brings you practical, sane and excellent information about your health and the health of your family in his groundbreaking book. You can order it online through Amazon.com.

Josie Maran Drawing - Dale Cogan