Looking your best is a great way to boost your confidence.
You may argue that it shouldn’t, but the reality is that your grooming and dress style can make a big difference to the way people respond to you.
Perhaps more importantly, it can change the way you feel about yourself – adding a little spring to your step and twinkle to your eye.
If you’d like to make a few tweaks to the way you present yourself, try these 7 ideas for improving your personal presentation.
Get Organized For Personal Style: 7 Dos & Don’ts
1. Do Have A Professional Bra Fitting (For The Girls)
An ill-fitting bra instantly frumpifies you.
Get a professional fitting at a department or lingerie store, and invest in at least a couple of flattering bras with excellent support.
They’ll refresh all your outfits, improve your posture and make you look and feel slimmer. That’s time and money well spent.
And avoid clutter – toss out the ill-fitting numbers immediately.
2. Don’t Keep The Same Hairstyle Year After Year
Fashions change and so does your outlook on life.
Keep yourself looking and feeling fresh by updating your hairstyle from time to time. Cut out pics from magazines and ask your hairdresser to suggest styles that would suit you.
If you’ve had the same cut and color for years and you’re not Anna Wintour (some might argue, especially if you are Anna Wintour), then get a style revamp and re-do your ‘do.
3. Do Make Only One Fashion Statement At A Time
If you’re wearing statement heels, statement earrings and a statement top, then your clothes are having way too much to say.
Tone down your look and tone up your style by limiting yourself to only one item per outfit that’s bold and eye catching.
Of course, if you’re a veteran fashionista and confident in your choices, then you can do whatever you want.
But if in doubt, impose good manners on your outfits and stop your clothes from talking over each other.
4. Don’t Wear Leggings With Short Tops
The only people who can get away with this look are TYTs (taut young things).
For the vast majority of us, though, the buttular region requires more support than is afforded by leggings. The same goes for jeggings, unless they’re very structured.
To maintain a flattering look, pair your leggings with a longer top or jacket that covers your bottom. You’ll be good to go – and it won’t matter if people watch you when you do. 
5. Do Work A Uniform
If there’s a particular type of outfit that suits you, feels comfortable and goes with your lifestyle, then consider making it into a ‘uniform’ of sorts.
Skinny jeans, hoodies, and boots can be ideal work wear for home-based business owners.
T-shirts, jeans, sneakers, and cross-body bags might work perfectly for on-the-go moms.
Straight-leg trousers, tailored shirts, and structured jackets can be just right for some professionals.
Having a basic go-to style can save heaps of time and bother, and provide an excellent template for your daily dress code.
Just be sure to keep your look fresh by varying colors and fabrics, and opt for more adventurous outfits on weekends and nights out.
6. Don’t Glam Up Eyes And Lips
Avoid using strong make-up color on your eyes and your lips.
For a night out, smoky eyes look great with a nude or subtle, browny-pink lipstick.
Rich red or magenta lips can work beautifully with a toned-down look on the eyes.
But the two together are best reserved for Priscilla Queen of the Dessert parties. The rest of the time, opt for one or the other.
7. Do Check Yourself In a Full-Length Mirror
It’s a common mistake to ruin an otherwise great look with a bag, shoes or coat that’s too chunky, too lightweight, or simply doesn’t go.
The mistake is easily avoided by checking your entire outfit in the mirror.
If you don’t have one, invest in a full-length mirror. Place it near your closet, or if your shoes and coats are somewhere else, place it near them.
That way you can run an eye over your complete outfit before you head out. How you doin’?
More Personal Presentation Tips?
Disagree with any of my tips? Got your own ideas to share?
Please let me know what you think!
[Image by: by howlita]
Love them all but #4 is my favorite.
Thank you for your kind words, Beth. M 🙂
I love all your ideas and It is so totally true that when you look good you feel good and it doesn’t take much to look good. I say have your bread and butter pieces (the foundation of your wardrobe) and mix them with a few special items that you can build on. Its so important though to take the time at night to really have a smooth morning, whether you are my 11 year old daughter who I keep reminding to get her book bag ready and by the door at night or a mom with a gazillion errands and a million things to accomplish everyday. Taking the time to really get organized helps everything. It’s sort of like being thin makes your life easier like organizing does too. Weird analogy?. Very sorry about your father. I lost my grandfather a year ago and it still is very painful. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
@Gail: Being able to make your own clothes is a real asset. As you say, you can make things that suit your shape. I envy you! 🙂
These are some great tips (although I probably won’t be able to bring myself to change my hairstyle).
A few years ago I started making my own basic pieces to complement my body. The internet makes it so easy to get great material and patterns. It’s ambitious, but I’ve been much happier with my wardrobe since I started making my own things.
@Julia: Thanks for these ideas! I totally agree about having a simple make-up routine, using quality products. You might also like this post:
Organize Your Grooming Supplies in 5 Minutes. 🙂
Have a simple makeup routine using good makeup. Even if it costs a bit more, keep it just to the basics (foundation, powder, blush, mascara, lip gloss) and then glam it up a bit for the occasional night out (eye shadow, lipstick, eye liner). Throw out the rest. I stick with mineral based makeup because it works and is easy and I don’t have to think about it.
Also stick with primary colors in your wardrobe, so you can grab and go without a lot of thought.
Last suggestion, I’m small up top (B cup) and bought what I call my hooter bra – a bra that adds a little padding but also lifts well. It makes me look a size larger. Looking just a little bit larger (for some scenarios) makes me look a little skinnier, and that works for me!
@Angel: Thanks for asking, Angel. I don’t have any products for Android at the moment, but I definitely plan to! I’ll let you know via Facebook and the Get Organized Tips newsletter.
Hey, I was just wondering is there/will there be an app of the “52 organizing missions” for Android? I think that’s a brilliant idea but I don’t have an iphone.