fake or natural!

I love make-up, but I like to stay natural in every other way. Real nails, hair, teeth, features, etc. look much nicer and inconspicuous, IMO. Even in instances when certain attributes are not the 'best' nature has to offer, I think a cared-for authentic look is always best.

well my hair is cut into a short crop, so hair extensions are out. Never had the urge to wear fake nails, did try stick on ones once. Not good.

Love my makeup though. Never tried false eyelashes either, have nightmares about not getting them off.

I love my makeup, as well. I'm not in love with how I look without it, but I'm comfortable enough to go bare-faced to work and such. As I said on the style thread, I like to look my best with as little effort on my part as possible. Treating your skin and your body right goes a long way! I tell myself I'll do certain plastic surgery procedures later, but that's more to placate myself in case things go wa-a-ay far south (literally and figuratively, lol.) Time will tell what will come to pass. I'm pretty much aligned with what you said, Hillaire, although I do currently whiten my teeth. That's about as fake as I'll go at this age.

For what it's worth, as a (straight) man, I personally find the 'natural(ish)' look far more appealing. But that's just my preference. Nobody's dressing to please me and quite rightly too !

Well, I color my hair and wear makeup, but that's it.
I think natural(ish) with a little help always looks better.

I think there are some things that are more in the line of maintenance rather than enhancements. For instance, I don't mean to offend anyone, but there are very few women who are not aged by letting their hair go gray. And it's amazing how a bit of teeth whitening can take years off. I'm not talking about glow-in-the-dark whitening, just removing years of coffee and tea stains.

And as far as enhancements go, I don't see anything wrong with a few hair extensions for special occasions, any more than a woman's make-up for those occasions is usually a bit more dramatic as well.

No fake nails or hair extensions for me simply because I don't think they are good for you. I mean extensions may cause hair loss and your nails may suffer . I'm all for hair coloring and other bits of beauty maintenance though.

In theory I love hair pieces and fake eyelashes. In practice I kind of love them too, but I can only very rarely be bothered, although I may start experimenting more with hair pieces if/when I go back to my natural(ish) hair colour and chop my hair off. I dye my hair a colour that is very far from my natural one and have been doing so for 15 years, though, and I'm all for people experimenting with mad hair, nails, make-up and whatever strikes their fancy.
At the moment I aim for a comparatively "natural" look, but that hasn't always been the case, and I don't pretend that it's anything close to actually going au naturelle; those "natural" looks so rarely are...

For me, though, extensions are too messy, expensive and possibly damaging, and I don't even paint my nails, far less wear fake ones - I use my nails too much. I can think of hundreds of things I'd far rather spend the equivalent of $5000 on than plastic surgery, so unless I ever become filthy rich that's out too; not interesting enough. Generally speaking, I spend time and energy on other aspects of my looks and style.

I disagree. As gray hair is usually a lighter shade than the natural shade before going gray, it brings light to the face. Dyed hair, especially when it's dyed a darker shade (black is the worst!) only underlines wrinkles.

Very true, in my experience. Unnatural-looking dark hair against an aged face often looks very harsh and strange, while one of the most arrestingly beautiful older women I've seen lately had naturally blonde hair going grey - which is something I've been dreading a little myself, as a natural blonde, and in this nation of blondes hardly anyone does; they all tint it. Granted, she was a beautiful, well-groomed woman with great, curly hair, which is something of an unfair advantage perhaps, but that silvery, ashen blonde was almost otherwordly.

Natural nails and natural hair. Dyed hair can look good on a young person with just a bit of grey.

Dark hair on an old person (male or female) can look atrocious unless you have the personality to pull it off...like the late, great Diana Vreeland.

I also prefer a natural look. A little make-up to jazz up at events in the evenings, sometimes. Mostly, I prefer the natural look because I'm so damn lazy.

But it is interesting to me, that people try to homogenize so much. Example: Jennifer Grey

She was so distinctive pre-surgery. Unmistakeable features/face. I saw her recently in a video somewhere, and I couldn't recognize her. She looked. . . the same as a number of other people whom I don't remember either.

Anjelica Huston is another actress who is unmistakeable. I personally think she is magnificent. If she had plastic surgery to create a look that is more "textbook pretty," I would be very sad.

On the subject of dying hair, my grandfather went prematurely grey, and dyed his hair black since his 20's. He always had a puffy red look about his face, until he finally got tired of dying his hair and stopped. The puffiness went away, and when his roots grew out, he had a shock of BRIGHT WHITE hair. It was awesome! It turned out, he was allergic to that dye he'd been using for decades. His skin cleared up, and he just looked overall so much better! And that shock of white hair! It was just amazing. Silver, really.

I enjoy wearing makeup but apart from that, all natural. I dislike extension and fake nails. I find them very cheap looking. But in saying that, it's all about personal preference.

I like to stay all natural 90% of the time, not even makeup. My skin can take it lol but I am a sucker for change so yes, for the 10% I can choose to wear makeup, hair extensions, hair colours, etc etc. I am not into fake nails though. I bite my nails a lot so yea, I like them short lol! I like to play with nail polish every once in a while. Neon colours are awesome

I have an addiction to short hair so there is no way I will be letting my hair grow long lol! I just can't stay away from the barber's chair!..... The general feeling of lightness when I shave my hair, the feeling of the delicate whistling of air on my scalp or the soft droplets of water when it rains (or when in the shower) is just WOW!! It is an indescribable bliss! Yea, my mum hates my short hair but the way I see it, why go into rehab when a quick hair extension will suffice?

Agreed. Fake nails are for tacky footballers wives.

au naturel!

I agree with Hillaire. I love makeup, but I wouldn't alter my looks with the help of extentions, fake nails/lashes, botox ... I respect the choice of nature, and I think we should just relax and like ourselves the way we are.

No hair dye, no makeup...it goes with my personality, I think, and I am comfortable this way. I also happen to think I look good anyway (and my husband agrees )

My mother still looks beautiful (she has amazing skin with hardly a wrinkle) and she is in her 80s.

Grey/white hair looks fabulous if it has a great cut and is well styled. Most people find it aging but I'd love to wear my hair natularry white or silver when the moment arrives.
That said, I'm in my late 30s, with a few white strands that I prefer to color at the moment.

I let my hair go natural (silver & gray), and it was the best thing I ever did, hair-wise. I like the color, and staying away from the toxic hair dyes - I needed touch-ups every 3 weeks with strong permanent chemical dyes - is probably a good idea, too. Going natural was liberating for me for a few different reasons. My hair's texture feels better too. I have no problem with anybody using whatever cosmetic enhancements they like, but I have better things to spend my time and money on. I like to look well groomed with minimal natural-looking makeup, short nails, natural hair. It is my best look anyway. Using all the fake stuff is fun for costume parties, though. I enjoy giving vent to my dramatic streak on those occasions. And there are other special dress-up occasions when I would do extra-special make up and hair. For everyday life, I like my grooming to be simple and natural.

From my personal perspective (im a guy), Natural is beautiful in every sense..

When you are wearing make up, keep it simple ladies.. Eye shadow, eye liner is fine.. But keep foundation & bright red revlon lipstick back in your purse. Use a nice lip gloss or keep it simple with a neutral coloured lipstick.

Natural long hair is sexy, but hair extensions aren't. If you aren't happy with your current hair, invest that money in a new look hair do by a professional reputable hairdressor. Short, medium, long it doesn't matter, keep it natural & use coconut oil or moroccon oil to keep it soft, shiny & healthy..

(.)(.)'s ? Size does not matter.. Natural wins..

Botox? hmmm.. Aslong as you can still perform facial expressions, I don't see the harm in hiding the signs of ageing.

Nails? Short or long it doesn't matter, aslong as they are healthy and don't look like the ends have been chewed off by rats. No need for acrylics =]

Coloured hair? Express yourself, you aren't chaging your features, just altering the colour. Nothing fake about that, your'e just having fun & flirting with colours.

Coloured contact lenses? Nothing wrong with wanting to have different coloured eyes for a day. Just dont turn your lenses into an everyday fashion accessory.

Tan? Im sure everyone thinks a natural tan can look nice, but avoid fake tans like sprays & tan beds. You don't want to look like a orange, stick to a natural tan via sunlight & don't go overboard with trying to get darker.

I recommend hiring a model with a career in voice-acting to stand in for you. Just give them the lines ( why not hire a script-writer, too? ) and away he or she goes!

How can you tell? My cousins regularly get their hair done, and I had always noticed their long hair in the profusion of pictures they post, but had no idea that they had extensions until they mentioned the cost of them in one of their many status updates.

I would have never guessed!

Hair color I love to see bright colors, and personally do look a lot better when I cover the gray - I have dark hair and use henna, which I guess is a natural product resulting in an unnatural hair color? Anyway, get compliments on the color so it's good.

I do not straighten my hair. I LOVE to see natural texture of hair on ladies.

Makeup I love but over time it's had to become more subtle/natural of a look. Do not like the idea of botox or lash extensions, would consider rogaine or latisse for lashes or brows if they thinned, though. Those make a big difference in your look IMO.

My body is natural, most ladies my size in the U.S. seem to get implants so you see a lot of skinny ladies with boobs that make them look like they will fall over forward, but I can tell ya natural and small wins over time. Nursed 4 babies and they are still pretty much in the same place.

I guess I like a pretty natural look, in terms of personal preference, but do not like a puritanical insistence on it; I hope that people feel free to change the way they look to suit themselves.

As a geek, I prefer this new beauty product!

I'd love to have the time and energy to have perfect hair and nails or even a perfectly made up face. I adore that groomed look. But I'm bone idle and prefer an extra 30 mins in bed in the morning.

I have had surgery though. Not face or boobs but had the ravages of abdo surgery and an Enormous baby taken care of

I agree both of you.We should be satisfy on what nature give us.

Natural hair and natural nails. I had my hair very long until I've turned 14, then chopped to mid-back, and then shorter. I let it grow now and then just below the shoulder blades, then get bored with it and get a bob or some variation of it. Never had a desire to have fake nails, find them harsh looking, IMO. Had false eye lashed done twice. It was fun, but no thank you, would not do it again any time soon.

Agree with many here, it seems....no hair dye/extensions/straightening/etc., no fake nails, no beautifying surgeries.

I have black hair with some pretty dramatic silver gray, which I started to get at age 16. Whenever I've messed around with hair dyes, I was disappointed in the result and didn't feel as much myself. I also missed the almost daily compliments I get on the black/silver thing I've naturally got going on.

That being said, I love makeup. I find it relaxing and fun to apply and play with, and that it really helps me feel more awake and together and puts a pep in my step. Works better than coffee in the morning. I do it for me, not to impress anyone or because I feel I have to. And I definitely tend toward a more natural look overall, though I adore a great red lipstick and colored eyeliners (not together).

To me, there is a difference between temporary dramatic makeup (for face or hair) and the over the top world of hair extensions, plastic surgery, and fake nails.

Makeup is fun - and removable. The other stuff screams hollywood insecurity / " trying too hard" and that is never attractive to me.

I would like to say I was natural as I don't wear fake nails, eye lashes or extensions but I do dye my hair and like to look pretty with my make-up. Agree with the comment above 100%...make-up is fun and can be removed whereas the other stuff is more permanent and a bit vain (I am talking mostly about things such as plastic surgery and the likes). Don't get me wrong I agree with plastic surgery where it is needed e.g. bad accidents but just to change your nose shape because your not happy with it being OTT.

Agree.