Also, getting my hair cut every 5-6 weeks goes a very long way towards making me feel and look put together. It grows fast, and I have a short cut, so it's Yeti land by week 6.

Desmo April: *maintained* is exactly the word I've been looking for.

If I felt like I was capable, I would love to join Team Polished. But I don't think I am! I always feel unkempt and sloppy. Grr! I try though...

I, too, would love team polished. But I just don't have the energy. I do want to get better about maintaining my hair and I need to commit to that.

For me, it is a matter of looking too "precious" . I am not precious and neither is my life. I am going to end up messy at some point, so I like to give it a head start in the morning. Maybe when my kids are older and I go back to work, I may end up more polished.

I like R&J's idea of a scale. I am probably a 6.

Team Rough for me! Half-tucked shirts, never-curled-or-clasped hair, minimal makeup (blush and lip gloss only), minimal jewelry, and also on Team Unmatched when it comes to color coordinated. Even though I like to tuck and wear belts at work, I think the "rough" part still comes through with my slouchy bags, loose hair, and refusal to color-coordinate.

I think this comes from 1) a desire to be unconventional and not look like a mannequin at the mall and 2) a desire to seem more relaxed and approachable, since I'm not naturally outgoing.

I heartily disagree that polish has anything to do with being dressy, and I definitely don't think straight hair or even styled hair is a prerequisite for polish, as long as it looks healthy and neat.

Agreed, Maya! To me being really polished is about being *well groomed/maintained* in all areas. I guess *well groomed/maintained* can be subjective and open to interpretation..

I figure because I lazily let an area of attention slide (i.e. needing haircut, more often needing hightlights to hide roots, nails needing attention, etc.), then I am a bit RATE.

Can one have a "polished rough" look? I feel like I'm 50-50 on this one.

I interpreted Una's comment to refer to your intentional look - ie what you deliberately aim for. For example, Kim commented that she 'undoes' her look a little after it's done. And Aida's fab no-make-up look is very intentional, as is Cilleena's radiant make-up look.

I'm definately team Rough Edges, and if I had a personal make-up artist and hairdresser every morning, I would choose natural over red-carpet, and loose up-do rather than sleek.

Does this make sense?

I'll need you ladies for this one, because my perception of myself may differ wildly from reality. Left to my own devices I would put myself on team polish without a moment's thought. I style my hair with a dryer and round brush every day (not a ton of effort but definitely some), I always leave the house wearing perfume, concealer and lipstick (not to mention a scarf or piece of jewelry), I have my brows waxed and my hair cut every six weeks or so, I am rigorous about maintaining my skin, and my classic dressing style is a further extension of all these things. That said, since I can't peak in the mirror every day, I may not look as polished as I wish to. And I certainly am not a big makeup wearer -- the aforementioned lipstick and concealer is the limit for everyday wear, and I may spring for foundation and blush when I go out at night, but that's about it.
So, you can assign me to a team!

Michelle, I can honestly say you are probably one of the most polished people I know. You, Taylor, and Sarah are the first three people that come to mind when I think of polish.

Polish suits your styles well, I must say.

I was thinking about this and I don't think being ultra polished really works for my style. Angie's description of London street style really hit home for me: "It’s not a crisp, chic and polished sense of style like you’ll see in HK. It’s much more gritty, punk, arty and goth, with loads of attitude to boot." That feels much more "right" to me.

Yep, Michelle, you are team polish! I am thinking I am more team natural or carefree than rough or polish. Not to say I don't shave or pluck! But I don't like the look of heavier makeup on me and prefer to accent the natural and hide the imperfections more than anything. And when my hair was recently 'done up' at the salon I felt ridiculous. Again, looser wavy styling suits me.

I choose Team Rough, but only because I feel like I naturally fall into a more polished look. My hair is naturally very sleek, I can't stand things to be uneven, and I tend to overdo the last minute fixes. I think those things tend to make me look polished, and I don't think that it matches my lifestyle and personality, so I intentionally try to rough it up around the edges.

My god, by the time I get done with the back-end maintenance and tasks (hair removal, haircuts/root touch ups, skin care + clothing/shoe selection, tailoring, shoe polish/fixes) I'm exhausted!

Since I can't bear spending too much *more* time on makeup, nails, or hair it's rough and ready Team RATE for sure. Which is a better match for my personality, anyway!

To me, there is "done" and "overdone." And then there is polished. I feel that most of you who say you are not on team "polished," actually look polished to me, just not done.

I don't do anything to my hair, just a blunt cut. I don't do anything with my nails except clip them when too long. I do wear some eye make-up/mascara and chap stick. Yet I feel polished, because I care how I look.

So I think you can be polished but still cultivate a casual, un-done vibe.
-- Denise

I know which team I am on, but it has nothing to do with time in the morning or hair type or anything like that. It has to do with how I like to feel and the looks I admire. There are so many aspects of style that sometimes it is hard to classify something like this into two teams. I have been thinking about it --- I think maybe RATE is the female equivalent of what we might call rugged or more rocker style on a man.

I could pull off polished. I have the naturally straight, silky hair. I used to do stage makeup and was known for doing the most natural looking faces. My red lip, porcelain skin look takes me 5 min and lasts all day. I even have the figure for pencil skirts and ballet flats. But, that isn't my style.

I like to incorporate some polished elements into my style to contrast with my RATE elements. I am big on groomed eyebrows and I choose to keep my nails short so the always look shiny, clean, and healthy. I also wear foundation almost everyday and the rest of my makeup varies from natural to dramatic. I think I am pretty well groomed and maintained, but that doesn't mean I am polished. I too am one to dishevel my hair although it hangs naturally like somebody went at it with a flatiron. I love my chunky boots and scrunched sleeves. I always like to have an element of mischief in my outfits, like I am always ready to rock n' roll or get into trouble.

Hello everyone! My first YLF post ever after having discovered this site this past Friday. Love the site and this topic! I'm a lifelong RATE who is struggling up the ladder towards Polished. My excuses: always bit my nails, have hair that is "unpolishable", have struggled with acne for 38 years (no kidding), and have eyebrows that could stand twice weekly waxing. At 50 though, I've found that a little more polish is almost a necessity. As in...unpolished at 30 can be fresh and cute, unpolished at 50 easily borders on frumpy.

A big part of my move towards being polished was getting my hair cut this summer to a style I can actually keep looking good. I'll post a pic later but my haircut is very similar to Angie's and I LOVE it! Previously, no matter what I did to it, my hair was lank and tired looking just a few hours post-styling. Now it looks good all day, every day with very little effort. It takes so little time to get to a more polished look that I really don't have a good excuse for not doing it.

I've also stopped biting my nails as much (still an issue) but am trying to at least maintain my cuticles and keep my little itty bitty nails nicely filed. My makeup is minimal- a mineral powder foundation, mascara, and my sacred lipstick because I really have never gotten the hang of applying anything else. Blush tends to make my narrow face look narrower, eye shadow makes my small eyes look smaller. Maybe less really is more sometimes!

The shift has definitely helped my confidence level. I feel good!

This is an interesting one and I can only answer in relation of my perception of both RATE and polished. But I'd prefer if there was a grey scale on offer in between these two extremes.

For me, anything that involves contentious effort to put a decent, presentable appearance that shows respect for yourself and the others is polish. So, one can have no make-up or un-ironed hair or short un-manicured nails, but be polished in my eyes, because their general attitude show they care about themselves.

With that in mind, I'll go and sit on the Team Polish bench.

This is a tough one for me. I don't leave the house - ever, without make-up, and I always have manicured fingers and toes. I "do" my hair everyday. But my hair style is a little on the messy side of the spectrum - and my style is pretty casual and relaxed - so, what does that make me???? I really don't know!

For someone who's on Team Polished, you'd be surprised at how often and how quickly I become un-polished. My hair gets messy or starts to bend (not quite wave) in weird or inconvenient places. I spill things on myself. I trip or bang into things. I get hangnails frequently and can't maintain a chip-free manicure or pedicure (so I've given up trying.) My layering rarely stays in place and my skirts or pants like to twist to the side throughout the day. Basically I end up perpetually fussing and fidgeting. It's not as inconvenient as it sounds - it just always ends up that way.

Oh, I just love a discussion like this... I agree with Maya that polished and dressy do not necessarily equate. Rachel Aniston is a great example - she is often in jeans and a t-shirt, but her hair is always sleek and done, and her make-up impeccable even when minimal.

I guess the original question could be refined to reflect intention as Lynne said. Do you AIM for polished? I don't think you can be polished without aiming for it. On the other hand, you can be RATE whether you intend to be or not, it seems.

Love you all for taking the time to answer. And feel free to keep going. *Total nerd alert* My friends and I had once a very silly and shallow discussion about the men in the "Lord of the the Rings" movies that came down to whether we preferred Strider/Aragorn (the very definition of RATE) vs. Legolas (sparkling clean and polished elf). A very polished friend's response was that she just couldn't find dirty fingernails attractive, no matter how heroic the guy.

I'm team almost polished. I wear make-up and style my hair, and I try not to have wrinkles in my clothes, but I don't have a crisp and sharpness to my look that I associate with polished.

Okay, Una, I'm switching teams. I'm batting for Team Polish and I'll take the elf!

Una your "nerd alert" post made me laugh--- and I think dating men that are prettier than me is a recipe for disaster (and sorta creepy). Viggo Mortensen wins over Orlando Bloom any day (especially in a blonde wig). Your friend obviously has never dated a man that worked with his hands for a living, after awhile you figure out that it isn't actually dirt-- but it is stained and ingrained in the skin. If it doesn't come off with goo gone then it isn't going to come off one anything else and is therefore harmless, that is my theory anyway. I definitely like my men RARE, although I make exceptions for men like my grandfather, old school guidos-- working class (Italian) men that were impeccably groomed.

Elly, I'm Team Strider too. Though actually my friend is a plumber's daughter. She and I went to Hawai'i together and argued about whether she REALLY needed to blow-dry her hair before we drove to the beach in a convertible. Meanwhile she accused me of leaving sand in the bed (we were sharing a room at a friend's house.) Lucky we're such good friends.

I like Viggo as an actor, but it's the character of Strider that I ADORE. We did wonder how long it took to get his look so perfectly scruffy... Can't remember where I read a comment that the elves looked like ticked-off Swedish hairstylists.

I think some women need more to look and feel polished.
I have never been one who looked great rolling out of bed in the morn...throw on any old thing add lip gloss and out the door. HOWEVER my very best friend can do just that...not a stitch of make up...just gloss and a pony tail...she is also 53 , but has the most beautiful skin tone...no dark circles and whatever else that makes it work....just natural beauty, and that is rare at any age
I would love to do less to achieve a polished look!

Elly, you've got me on your Italian men comment :). My grandfather was Italian, too.

Una, DH is definately team polish - I wouldn't say he was 'prettier' than me but he wears a suit and tie to work and spends longer in the bathroom than I do :). But I much prefer him in his weekend gear....so I guess I'm team RATE in men, as well :).

Una, Angie is going to pass out when she sees this 'rough around the edges' thing going on in the forum.......once she is revived I'm sure she'll give us the perfect alternative team name :)!

I'd love to be Team Polish but I am simply Team Sloppy.

I admire team polish but I'm on team RATE. I rarely do my nails, make-up is mostly non-existent, and hair is a frustrating battle to look decent.