[General] to within an inch of her life self

[dilermando]

worse for wear. = did not look well. She was suffering the effects of something.
groomed to within an inch of her life self. = When she arrived she was extremely well dressed and made-up, even more than her usual elegance. This is journalistic writing of a fairly low grade style.

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by dilermando

worse for wear. = did not look well. She was suffering the effects of something.
groomed to within an inch of her life self. = When she arrived she was extremely well dressed and made-up, even more than her usual elegance. This is journalistic writing of a fairly low grade style.

Sorry, sorry - hit the wrong button! I did not mean to edit your original post.

[dilermando]

Originally Posted by Anglika

Sorry, sorry - hit the wrong button! I did not mean to edit your original post.

No trouble! Thank you for your priceless help!

The post was:

Elizabeth Hurley has perfected the art of red carpet glamour.

But even she succumbed to the lure of the free bar at last night's star-studded GQ Men of the Year awards and left the event looking uncharacteristically worse for wear.
The 43-year-old former actress arrived earlier looking her usual groomed to within an inch of her life self.

[Anglika]

Thanks!


As to the second one, it should be read as ["groomed-to-within-an-inch-of-her-life"] self.

She is normally exceedingly well turned-out for these events.