The thing about grooming is that it’s usually the tiny stuff you stopped noticing about your face or body that could be the exact stuff somebody else notices first.
Dirty or neglected fingernails
The fact that you might have clean clothes and good hair is important, of course. But it’s a different story when somebody sees your hands because dirt under the nails makes people think that you’re dirty.
It’s especially obvious when you’re handing over something to them, or you have your hands out for whatever reason. Your hands don’t even need to be filthy or anything. No, sometimes just a bit of buildup in the corners or split cuticles is enough to make people judge you.
Overgrown nose hair
Your nose hair has an actual job for your body, so you don’t need to start attacking it with tweezers. Plucking it too much can actually irritate your skin. But there’s a point where your ‘useful’ nose hair becomes a hair that’s clearly hanging out of your nostril while you’re talking.
It makes you seem quite untidy. It’s even worse when you get older because these hairs get longer and coarser, so it becomes a lot harder to miss them. You might not see them straight on. Everyone else standing a few feet away absolutely can.
Eyebrows
It’s wrong to think your eyebrows have to look professionally shaped because, really, perfectly sculpted brows are a whole different look anyway. The issue comes when you allow a few hairs to get much longer than the rest, or perhaps you let them start curling downward.
It’s also a problem when they grow far outside the natural brow shape. These changes tend to happen so slowly that you stop seeing them in your own face. But they make people around you think you don’t take care of yourself. You simply need to trim or remove stray hairs, that’s it.
A beard with no defined edges
Here’s a bit of a strange one. Long beards can look tidy, and short beards can look unfinished. It’s all to do with your edges and how you trim them. Any hair that’s creeping high onto the cheeks or spreading down the neck doesn’t look good.
It actually makes it seem like your whole beard hasn’t been touched in a while. Don’t go too far, though, because natural beards aren’t supposed to look like you’ve drawn them on with a ruler. Be careful with the neckline.
Visible dandruff on dark clothing
Black clothes might be slimming, but they’re also not forgiving for anyone with dandruff. Those flakes become way too visible on your clothing. It’s a shame, honestly, because you might not even recognize that anything has landed on your shoulders.Â
You can check your hair in the mirror and see that everything looks completely normal from the front. But there might be little white specks sitting across the back of your jacket. Just three or four of them are enough to catch someone else’s eye and make them think you’re dirty.
Greasy hair at the roots
The oil in your hair doesn’t always spread evenly, and that’s why it can be such a problem. Your ends may look perfectly fine, but the roots around the part might be shiny and flat. They could even start splitting into sections.Â
Anyone with an oilier scalp may need to wash more often. That does depend a lot on your hair type, though. What makes it even more confusing is that brushed hair can still look greasy, and so can styled hair. Pay attention to what’s happening right at the scalp, especially under bright lights. Those are seriously brutal.
Makeup that stops sharply at the jawline
One of the most common mistakes has to do with makeup, and it’s one that’s almost invisible from straight ahead. But take one look from the side, and it becomes extremely obvious. Yes, it’s when you leave your foundation in a clean stripe at the jaw.Â
The face is one shade, and the neck is another. It looks like there’s a border between them, and that’s definitely not a good look. You’ve got to make sure your foundation is matched around the jaw to help connect your face and neck. Blending slightly downward can soften the transition.
Lipstick on the teeth
You probably don’t even realize it’s happened. Your lipstick looks neat, sure, but there might be a small streak on your front teeth because your lips rub against them. It’s so easy to leave marks on there after eating, or maybe just pressing your lips together can do it.
It becomes obvious when you talk and even clearer when you smile. Make sure to blot or remove any excess color from the inner lip as soon as you’ve applied a shade. You don’t want people to start thinking you’re careless or anything.
A mustache growing over the upper lip
There comes a moment when a mustache stops looking intentionally full and starts covering your mouth. It usually starts with a few hairs hanging over the lip, and then a few more join them. They end up bending inward when you talk or drink.Â
It makes you seem kind of dirty, in all honesty. You’re totally fine to leave the rest thick and natural, just make sure you trim along the lip to keep the shape looking deliberate. That’s how it’s meant to be.
One immaculate grooming area while everything else is neglected
A perfectly shaped beard may look good, but it looks anything but when it’s paired with dry, flaky skin. It’s the same story when you have glossy nails surrounded by ragged cuticles. Putting extra effort in one spot makes the forgotten areas nearby stand out more.
Truth is, people may not have immediately noticed it otherwise. But now the contrast is there, their eyes go straight to it, and they start wondering what other things you don’t put equal effort into.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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