Creating and maintaining the right personal image for you and your company

I took a day off today to lend a hand for my grandmother's move from her apartment to a seniors' home. My grandmother lived most of her life by herself. She used to be very independent. Her talents include cooking and knitting. As I flipped through her old photos, I noticed she had another talent - that she really knew how to put together a great image for herself. She was one beautiful woman. She didn't finish elementary school - yet she had a great fashion sense. She always loved putting on great outfits, even now in her 80's. My mother inherited this from my grandmother. I guess I have too, otherwise I wouldn't be an image consultant. I've added many more elements -one of them is to put together outfits in such a way that money is not wasted on extra items that clients will not wear. Just have something for every occasion that a client will attend to each year. Isn't this like evolution? In our family, it's an evolution from nice outfits to trendy fashion to total image management. It must upset her a great deal when me, my mother, my aunt and uncle helped her move today, since we had to get rid of many things from her home. A room in a seniors' home doesn't allow for so many belongings to be kept. I guess this is like a step closer towards the end of a life - we can't take anything with us when we die, not even our bodies. While we were setting up in her new home, 2 nurses came in to take information about her. Nurses are not allowed to wear make up, as the fragrance and ingredients may cause allergic reactions in some seniors there. I doubt that even hair styling products are allowed. So these nurses look plain and boring. However, they don't have to stay plain and boring. Without make up and hairstyling products, many women would be upset indeed - some would probably refuse to go out. But the nurses have no choice, as their profession demands the strict no cosmetics policy. If you are one of those who absolutely cannot wear make up and styling products for whatever reason, here are some tips to make most of what you have naturally: * glasses: if you wear glasses, you may choose a pair that is bold in color. Glasses are a necessity to some, and it is also an accessory - bold stylish glasses are great. * eye brows: it is easy to let the image fall by the wayside when one is not allowed to "pretty" up. Do pretty up, however, because it will make you look and feel better. Pluck stray hairs from the brows and trim them if necessary. Great eye brows frame the face beautifully. * smooth skin: exfoliate is key! Smooth skin will make any woman look pretty, and any man handsome. * moisturize the skin: I cannot emphasize enough how important this is, with or without make up. Even more important when one cannot hide under foundation or concealer. Moisturize so that the skin stays plump. With this, drink 5 to 8 glasses of water a day. Your skin will thank you for it. * hairstyle: have a haircut that you do not need to style using products. Ask your hairdresser for ideas - haircuts that you can wash and blow dry without styling products. Or better yet, wash and dry without a hairdryer! * exercise: I have heard of too many excuses of why a person does not exercise. The most commonly used excuse was time - no time! For those who want to be healthy and beautiful, cardio exercises are important to get the circulation going. This is what gives the cheeks a healthy glow, wtihout blush! * matching sweaters/cardigans: even though there are uniforms to wear, you can buy a sweater or cardigan that matches the uniform, so that it looks together, rather than something that seems to belong to another outfit. If you have burgandy glasses and purple uniform, choose a burgandy sweater so the outfit looks complete. * voice /eye contact /smile: a gentle, smooth voice, soft eye contact and a smiling face always make a face more welcoming. As I helped and watched my grandmother settling in, I made a promise to myself that from now on I would do my best not to accumulate too much belongings. I can see that there may be much suffering when I must let go of them at some point in my life, especially if I am very attached to them.