How are you doing with your New Year’s beauty resolutions?
Image source here.
Spring is here, and like many others, I set resolutions and goals for myself at the beginning of the year. Sure, I make the big, career-oriented resolutions, but I like to balance those with some fun, beauty/self-care related resolutions and goals as well. Here are a few of my beauty resolutions that I’ve been sticking to:
Find a solid skincare routine
When I think back on all the times I went to sleep with my makeup on in college, I shudder. Also, why didn’t my mom tell me to wear moisturizer and eye cream when I was a teenager or in my early twenties? WHY?! I’m 28, so I think it’s about time I find myself a solid skincare routine and stick to it.
Some products I’ve been loving are the Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask from Herbivore and the T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum from Drunk Elephant. Both of these products contain BHA (to help unclog pores) and AHA (to exfoliate skin) to reveal a clearer, more even complexion. I’m personally on the hunt for a hydrating eye cream to play well with my concealer.
Finding a skincare routine that works well with your skin type is important, and it can take time to find the right combination of products. Sephora is great about giving samples, so just drop by your local store, ask a sales associate about products for your skin type and concerns, and try them out!
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Wear hair natural more/heat style less
If any of you are like me, you heat style your hair more often than you should/is necessary.
I’ve got naturally coarse, very thick, wavy hair and I am absolutely terrible at styling it. I haven’t found styling products that I love for my natural hair. I think a great beauty resolution is to find holy grail styling products that allow you to embrace your natural hair.
If you do heat style, make sure to use heat protectant products to keep hair healthy. I’ve been loving the Cloud 9 Collection from Beautopia Hair – the heat protectant spray makes my hair shine like none other. I use the Vibrastrait Pro 1″ Flat Iron with the Cloud 9 products. The flat iron vibrates when you use it (weird, I know), but the vibration shuffles the hair between the plates. This prevents hair from being compressed, which then prevents damage.
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Stop picking at and touching your face
I am the weirdo who loves extracting my boyfriend’s blackheads, which means I go to town on my own face. It’s so bad, I know. As I’m doing it I say to myself, “This isn’t a good idea. You’re going to regret this. There’s no way this is going to end up better than if you left it alone”, and yet I still do it. It just creates even more of an issue and causes redness, and potentially scarring.
I also find myself resting my hand on my chin or cheek when I’m reading or doing work – another habit I’d like to break. I find myself breaking out in those particular areas, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence. Think about it – we turn doorknobs, shake hands, hold the rail on the subway, and obsessively check our phones all day long. Touching your face is an easy way to transfer germs and make skin more prone to breakouts. I’d like to keep my hands off my face unless I’m applying my skincare or makeup.
Curate a makeup collection made up only of items you love
As I get older, I realize how much more quality matters to me than quantity. I used to love watching my makeup collection grow, but things have changed. I would much rather have a collection of quality products I know work for me and that I love.
In Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she details her method of decluttering and how it can greatly improve your quality of life. A question she asks about material things is, “Does it spark joy?” I’d like to get my makeup collection to a place where it’s made up solely of products that spark joy.
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Wash makeup brushes more frequently
We’ve all been there: taking you favorite eyeshadow blending brush to apply a soft crease color for a natural look and, BAM! That deep purple shade from when you went out two nights ago ends up on your face. Thoroughly cleaning brushes is a process but a very necessary one. Bacteria can live in the bristles, and without proper cleaning can be spread. A good goal to aim for is to clean face brushes at least once a week, and eye brushes every other week. I like to use Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap to deep clean my brushes because it’s certified organic and works extremely well. You know how it seems impossible to get every bit of foundation out of your makeup sponge? Not anymore.
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