Women: Nails are a major element to grooming and come in on different shapes including pointed and square contours. Colors range from dark purple to multicolored to different colors for each nail! Nail shapes and colors should complement your hair and add a polished look to the rest of your image.

Men: Nails should be cut short and stay clean under the nail. However, I am seeing more men get lax by letting nails grow too long with jagged cuticles and dirt underneath the nail itself. Keep nails short (cut at least once a week). I recommend a manicure for a guideline on length and to keep cuticles neat. Nails too long and with rough cuticles are not acceptable if you want a polished elegant image.

Gray will not age a man if he is wearing an age appropriate hair style. Brian Williams, the anchor on 11th Hour on MSNBC, has streaks of gray hair. It would age him if he tried to dye his hair.

Recently, I was at an event where a man looked older because the dye in his hair looked so fake it aged him. Once a man begins to color his hair it is hard to keep the color from fading. It ages instead of making him look younger.

Recently, I was traveling on a combination of work and vacation time. Several parts of the trip went well. The travel itself was easy and many resources were available to help navigate between work and pleasure. However, when the weather did not cooperate it became challenging leading to lesson number one.

Lesson number one is to never make a decision in haste. For example, take my hasty haircut adventure. The weather plays tricks on my hair. It causes it to lose body resulting in a very flat and straight appearance. So, instead of investing more in products, like a Paul Mitchell Daily Body Boost, I went and got a haircut.

Never go to a salon thinking you will get lucky on a haircut! In my case, what was supposed to be a slight trim turned out as a very bad cut. It took my own hair stylist, who used her magic scissors, to make the cut work. Even with her skills, it will still take a few months, if I am lucky, to get my hair style back to normal. Sub-lesson one…never get an out-of-town haircut unless it’s from a stylist you know or received a reliable recommendation on.

For women who fervently oppose makeup, try tinted moisturizer (We all need moisturizer.), a well-defined eyebrow and a bit of color on the lips and check. Burt’s Bees is one of many brands that offer a lip stain combined with a chap stick. Women’s lips never should look dry.

For men, even those who prefer a shadow beard, the rest of the face must be well groomed, with trimmed eye brows and no other facial hair out of place. It is amazing how popular men’s products for the face, moisturizers and exfoliates currently are. Also, instead of the heavy colognes of yesterday, light fragrances are the rule now.

Today, I was at the Judicial Courthouse supporting a friend going through a difficult time. In the building, the only folks who can use a cell phone are attorneys. While in the elevator, I noticed a young woman wearing dressy open toe sandals (more for night wear), very worn jeans and a makeshift jacket who tossed hair and shifted her armload of papers and began using her phone. I casually asked, “You must be an attorney? “Yes,” she replied. I was thinking OMG.

When I got off the elevator, I saw that my friends’ attorney was wearing a lightweight dark suit, modern under pining and great ALG flats. She had long hair and was beautifully groomed.

We saw an attorney (with a phone in her hands) on another elevator ride who gave off an air of poise and confidence. I would hire her in a minute.

My friend thought maybe the first attorney I saw was only an associate. That may be true but it is still no excuse; you always want to look like you are ready to take the next step.

The woman wearing a neutral color says, my hands are well taken care of. They are a critical part of my image but not the only element.

For men, the message is the same, well-groomed nails indicate elegance and conservative look. Dark polish shouts- a performer and an artist. What is your message?

While long hair has been the rage among old and young, shorter hair appears to be making a comeback. Lately I have seen women favoring haircuts to ear and chin lengths for a change. It can make for a fresher look.

If you go short, consider changing your clothing choices. Shorter hair styles can create too bare a look, especially if you have a long neck. Be sure to add collars to your shirts and the appropriate jewelry choices to balance your new appearance.

It is interesting to note that ponytails on men gave signals that they might be artists (very popular in European countries) or musicians. There has also been an uptick in ponytails for technology entrepreneurs.

The neatly kept ponytail and freshly washed hair always looks smart. As long as the rest of the person is well groomed, appropriately dressed, with clothes neatly pressed, it can be a unique look.

A recent Facebook posting showed a woman having one foot up on the arm of the seat in front of her. Please! But maybe the women had a leg problem. I would have asked the flight attendant to move her to a row where there was an empty seat so she could put her foot up.

This brings me to men who take off their shoes and have a pronounced odor coming from their feet. I get it if is a long flight but ask for a pair of slippers or bring a pair with you.

Food smells are another problem. If you are going to bring food on the plane to eat choose items that do not have a strong odors. Be a good airline travel pal.

Cropped slacks are still much in the scene. I, myself, am not in favor of them for workplace. First of all, they can make you look shorter and cause your legs to appear stumpy. I understand the popularity of them, especially when you think about the nuisance of hemming pants. A nice alternative is the slim ankle length pant where you do not have to worry about the length. They can give the illusion of height and make you look at least five pounds thinner.