How to Make Style Automatic Over 40

There’s a lot of buzz in certain circles about mindfulness, and I get it. We want to be intentional with our lives, our time, and our relationships so that we don’t go through life on autopilot. However, there are some things in life that we just need to dial in and automate, so that we can stop overthinking and start enjoying. Style is one of them.

Sometimes, we just need to get dressed and feel cute. Actually, all the time. Just get up, put cute clothes on, and feel cute so that you can get on with your day and do ALLLLL the things. Or none of the things. That last part is up to you.

But how? How do we make style simple and stop agonizing over each outfit or, worse, wearing the same thing every single day? We don’t want that kind of autopilot. That’s the bad kind. :)

Today, I’m going to talk about how to use formulas and how to predecide certain things so that you can automate your style in 2024 and feel your best, most stylish, and most confident self more often.

Take a Stand For Your Style

Great style is not wishy-washy. It’s directional. It’s focused. And it’s unwavering. It involves putting your metaphorical style stake in the ground and saying: This is who I am. Whether that means embracing your love of color or your penchant for loafers, it’s about giving yourself permission to decide who you are, stylewise, and go all in on it.

Evaluate Occasionally, Automate Daily

So how do we automate style without wearing the same old outfits on repeat? It’s simple. Automate the daily activities in your style, from getting dressed to putting on your makeup, from planning your outfit for the next day (or week) to scheduling appointments for your hair. If those tasks are automatic, and they are working for you, you will have that daily consistency in your style that we all crave.

Then, occasionally, check in with your style. You might want to set these up on your calendar. Every 3 months, or 6 months, or annually, depending on how your style evolves and how eclectic it is, give yourself an hour or two to reevaluate your style. Ask yourself:

• What has been working for me?
• What hasn’t been working for me?
• What would I like to do/wear more of?
• What would I like to do/wear less of?
• Which new trends would I like to work into my style?
• Which dated items do I need to phase out?

When you schedule these regular check-ins, then you will feel more comfortable making the daily process of getting dressed an automated thing, because you know that you’re going to be evaluating and fine-tuning at regular intervals.

Have a Style Vision

Pinterest isn’t just for recipes. :) Whether you go old-school with a paper style vision board, or use screenshots on your phone, Pinterest, or some other tech tool to build a style vision board, you need a vision for your style if you want to achieve the look you’re going for. Refer to it weekly when you plan your outfits, and refer to it when you’re doing your occasional style evaluations. Tweak and update accordingly.

Find Your Beauty Formula

Automating your beauty routines so your favorite look is on repeat is essential. This isn’t about settling for the same old look, however. It’s about finding your BEST look and doing that daily. And that involves having a beauty formula.

What elements need to be in place for you to look your best, from a hair/makeup/nails/grooming perspective.

For example, this year, I’ve decided that I will ONLY wear red lipstick and red nail polish. Every. Single. Day. This eliminates the decision fatigue and the constant hemming and hawing over what color to wear. I came to this revelation after watching this IG reel. It occurred to me that I, too, prefer short red nails over everything else. And that I prefer red lipstick over everything else.

So why would I choose to wear a non-favorite over a favorite?

Then I watched Jennifer Jenkins video on her Beauty Formula, and I knew that I needed to dial in my own beauty formula and make it a habit. And this is what I came up with.

This is my Beauty Formula. I could have added long curly hair, but that’s a given so I didn’t feel the need to include it.

How do you keep from getting stuck in a rut? Refer to point 2, above. Automate Daily, Evaluate Occasionally.

Find Your Style Formula

Your style formula is a little bit different than your beauty formula, in that it includes both words, phrases, and elements that comprise your style. There’s a trending aesthetic called the “Mob Wife Aesthetic,” and if I was describing this style, it would be:

• Big hair
• Lots of jewelry
• 80s excess
• Vintage furs or faux furs
• Tight clothes
• Lots of animal print
• Spiked heels

That is the Style Formula for the Mob Wife Aesthetic. And this is my style formula.

Write Your Style Statements

An extension of your Style Formula, your style statements are a way of further driving that style stake into the ground. These are Always/Never statements that can further help you define your style. Try this exercise for yourself. It can be really eye-opening.

Here are my Style Statements.

Pick 3 Go-To Outfits

This is a simple but powerful exercise that can help you create consistency in your style. Here’s how to do it, step by step.

1. Pick 3 areas of your life that you get dressed for (i.e. work, church, and date night).
2. Pick one outfit for each of those areas. Here’s the key. It needs to be your best/favorite/most confidence-inspiring. So, with the above example, you’re going for your FAVORITE work, church, and date night outfits.
3. Write a formula for these outfits.
4. Duplicate that formula with other items in your closet.
5. Use that formula to Set The Bar for other outfits. Decide to never wear an outfit to Work/Church/Date that isn’t as cute as or cuter than your chosen outfit.

This is a go-to Smart Casual outfit for me, and one that I have used to Set the Bar in my own wardrobe.

Have a Focused Color Palette

This isn’t about your neutrals, although decided in on your best dark, medium, and light neutral is an important part of building a wardrobe. This is about your COLORS. Choosing 2-3 pop colors for your wardrobe, and choosing those colors MOST of the time, is a shortcut to style.

My colors are red, wine, and hot pink. When I choose these over other colors, I love my outfits more and feel more like myself, because these are my favorites from the colors that suit me best.

Have a Trademark

Every style icon has a trademark, and so can you. The easiest trademark is something you can wear almost every day. Sunglasses or eyeglasses, makeup, hair, jewelry, shoes. These are all items that can become your trademarks.

My hair, red lips, and sunglasses are my trademark. So much so that an artist created my logo, without any initial input from me, based on the pictures she saw of me on my site.

Have Go-To Items

What is it that you can never resist buying and have in multiples? This is a key to your style and to the goal of making it automatic and consistent. For example, I can never resist a short printed dress. If the print is one that I love and the dress checks the boxes for me, I WILL buy it. And I will wear it on repeat. Short printed dresses are a go-to for me and something I wear almost year round here in Florida.

So that’s it! My guide to making style automatic and consistent in 2024!

Which of these tips did you find the most helpful? And which will you commit to using to uplevel your style in the new year? Let’s discuss in the comments!