I just want to be pretty!

Get your nails done no tallons but just a calgel overlay - I always feel pretty with nice nails even in jeans and a jumper!

I am actually back into dresses - not formal ones but loose,in linen or wool type fabric. I wear them with leggings and big earrings and hope no one is looking at the wrinkles!

Very useful tips from everyone Tonic. Invest in a good jacket to go with your jeans or trousers - great with a blouse or jumper and scarf - wear with ankle boots/boots or loafers. If you are happy with your hair leave it - but a good blow dry will give it a bit of height / shape. A tinted moisturiser / lip liner / lipstick and mascara always helps. Touché Eclat by YSL under the eyes is my tip. You are lucky being a size 10 - lots of clothes choice.

I must admit I spend a lot of time in jeans, good skinny ones for going out to Lunch teamed with smart blouse/shirt or nice sweater in winter, classic style jacket & new trainers or smart flats, maybe a scarf, earrings & smart watch. Always have nail varnish on, make sure it's not chipped & for day-time only wear mascara & lipstick. I can't wear foundation but always use a moisturiser.

I have smart trousers, leggings & boots for winter, also maxi skirts, I have a lovely black one & a long denim one, great with boots. Scarves are a great accessory.

My biggest tip is feel comfortable & confident in what you wear. Short hair can look fab with a good cut, mine is sadly very fine & difficult to style so I tend to wear it long & coil it into a bun held with a clip.

Good luck finding your "style"

radicalnan at a size 10 you have nothing to worry about. You can always find something to make you look glamorous, not like us size 16s! I hope you find the 'look' you want.

I had my youngest late. When he was 12yrs old I was walking him to school going past a house being renovated when this man gave the loudest wolf whistle you have ever heard! My son's chest stuck out and he looked so shocked. He couldn't wait to tell the others that I had been whistled at by a man. That was years ago of course. Now I live in trousers and top and feel nice and warm and comfortable.

This weekend I am going to a christening. I did not know what to wear as I have not worn skirts for years. I do not like showing off my legs these days as I had keyhole surgery on my knee. Anyway in the end I opted for a nice smart pair of trousers with a matching jacket and a fancy blouse. I feel comfortable, I look alright and I had my hair cut specially for the day.....and also to make me feel confident and respectable. Will I do?

Look on the website Seasalt - they are relaxed but in my view elegant clothes, tunics,dresses lovely skirts etc. I also agree about accessories can really make an outfit.

I think also have somebody who will be honest with you when you are wanting to update your look and try things on that they suggest, sometimes you are surprised at the outcome, we all get stuck in a rut with the same old style sometimes and it does you good to look outside the box, little changes make all the difference. It's the same with make up.

Size 10 ?????? You must look like a teenager! Dainty is always feminine.........lucky you.

You say you like skirts... They don;t have to be dressy. A pretty skirt with layered vests (£4 each from Peacocks or similar) picking out colour of skirt and topped with a cardie can look oh so feminine and not dressy at all. It is all about discovering your style. Don't be frightened of experimenting. Oh and short hair can be feminine...you don't have to grow it.

I feel much the same...some of the time. Was brought up and live in tropical climes and feel pretty and confident there, but am lost when I head north! (Like now, I'm ar Rome airport admiring all the fashionable styles around mw while I am in the same old jeans, jumpers and shoes.) And my skin, nails and lips crack and my hair sticks out everywhere, whereas at home it's fine. I try to doll up with an exotic scarf and a few beads...

I would reommend you get a trusted elegant friend to go shopping with you. Don't go all out and change everything...just get a couple of neat, simple outfits that you are confident you will wear.

At the age of 14, I was the 'model' for our art class - a face only painting. One girl did a really lovely painting - agreeably not me, but very pretty, our art teacher, a Miss Bell (you don't forget these folk do you) on inspecting the picture, rose on her toes, as she always did and said loudly "No!, No!, No! - D...... is NOT a pretty girl," - so much for self esteem. Obviously did me no harm, but it is something I have never forgotten, didn't tell my mum, she would have been furious, always wanted me to be 'pretty', which I clearly am not, but hopefully my face now has character.

When I told an acquaintance that I was nearly 70 she had a really good look at my face and said "well, nature has been kind to you." I took it as a compliment.

Wobbly - you are naughty. Didn't know you were still working. I thought you were a retired type, or were you speaking retrospectively.

A work mate of mine, a well endowed lady, but very slim, said she had to go on a crash diet, my comment was that if she lost much more weight she would be "tits on a stick"

I parked my car over the allotted bay markings the other week and a couple were going past. Not being used to parking in disabled very much yet, I asked the couple if I would get in trouble for being over the line. The man turned round and said, "They wouldn't book anyone as bonny as you are". It has been years since anyone called me bonny so it really did make my day.

You might find a tinted moisturiser looks better and less "made up" than a foundation. I find that I hardly ever wear dresses now because they seem to look too dressed up. With skirts I try to go for a fairly casual look, with perhaps a plain top and a scarf or a pair of earrings.

Mrs P had a free make over at a big store -- it was awful IMO and hers, she looked like something from a side show, it got taken off as soon as we got home.

I was always too embarrassed to have a makeover at the beauty counters in a dept. store when offered. However, I was in Rome recently on holiday, went into buy my favourite Italian lipstick, when the assistant offered to do my make up. I immediately said "No", my DH said "Yes, go for it".WoW! I didn't recognise myself at the end of it! My broken veins and eczema had disappeared, my eyes looked brighter. What a difference. I ended up buying 50 euros worth of make up, but it was worth it.
Sometimes, it's better to make one little change, nothing too drastic, then if you are happy with it, try something else. Your transformation can be gradual. Look at sites like Pinterest for inspiration.

Accessories, accessories, accessories!

Earrings, necklaces, scarves, (charity shops are a good, cheap hunting ground) even try quirky things, bright coloured shoe laces in boots/trainers, hair clips and bands, just to decorate your hair, you don't need to actually "need" them to hold you hair, if you get my meaning!

I always think of little girls as being 'pretty', grown women as being 'attractive', even 'lovely' - lucky them!

I am, never have been, any of those things so making the best of myself is the most I can do. However, I do need help so will keep reading this thread!

Holdthetonic. From a male point of view, do you want to look pretty or sexy ? And do you want this just for yourself or do you want to be more attractive to others. From my view pretty and sexy aren't quite the same, sexy definitely means confident whereas pretty can mean demure. In my opinion, jeans can be very sexy -- but that got me in trouble once before so 'nuf said.

You can still get your colours done. I had mine done and ditched my favourite black. I'm much braver about colours and feel more confident. I had mine done by colour me beautiful!

Accessorise everything and get a makeover at Clarins or Clinique- they don't lard it on like some of the other brands- less is more.

Goddaughter had a personal shopper at Debenhams when she was looking for a special,outfit. Person had lots of great ideas and suggested colours and styles she hadn't considered. There was no pressure to buy and I believe it was a free service. However she came away with a couple of outfits she loved, thanks to the Bank of Mum of course.

Go to a department store likeJohn Lewis and book yourself in for av make up lesson with one of the better cosmetic brands- Clinique , Lancôme , MAC, talk about what you want and they should help you find a look you like - they will want you to like it as they will hope you'll buy some of their stuff. Have you got a friend whose style you admire? You could go shopping together. Find a new hairdresser- again ask someone whose hair you like where they go, have a chat with him/ her about what colour / style you could aim for, it will take a while to achieve if you aim to grow it a bit, but well worth it. Have your eyebrows threaded and go for a manicure/ pedicure. 53 isn't old- you can certainly be stylish and why not? Have fun!