It’s a new year, which means the majority of us are making New Year’s resolutions and setting goals to improve ourselves. Many lists include hitting the gym more and eating lots of leafy greens, but there’s more to New Year’s resolutions than being healthier. Now is also the time to make some beauty resolutions.
Even if you’re the biggest makeup hoarder and skin care connoisseur, it’s always good to take a look at your routine and see if there are any areas that need improvement. Chances are, there are a few. The good news is that you probably won’t need to make any drastic life changes (unlike your goal of running that marathon next month). What’s more, you’re probably more likely to stick with your beauty resolutions because if you love beauty, adhering to them won’t really seem like a chore.
Here are 12 beauty resolutions you should add to your 2018 list.
Take Your Makeup Off Every Night
Removing your makeup basically requires as much effort as putting on your pajamas, but it’s much more important. No matter how tired you are, resolve to properly cleanse your face before you go to sleep every single night (no cheating!). If using a cleanser and water takes too much effort, opt for a time-saving cleansing wipe instead. Your skin will thank you.
Focus on Application as Much as Product Choices
You spend ages looking at reviews and scoping out the best beauty products, but when it comes time to use your five-star products, do you basically just slap them on? The way you apply your products is crucial to their efficacy. Ensure that you’re applying your skin care products in the correct order and that you’re letting each one absorb properly into your skin before applying the next one. Don’t rush.
Wear Sunscreen Every Single Day
If you’re going to have only one beauty resolution this year, it should be to wear sunscreen every day. Regularly wearing sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays and the premature signs of aging. Commit to applying sunscreen 365 days a year, including the winter months. Not wearing sunscreen because you don’t like the formula isn’t an excuse: these top-rated sunscreens aren’t greasy or chalky.
Don’t Forget About Your Body
We’re often so focused on our faces that we tend to neglect the skin on our bodies. You may think that soaping up with your body wash and loofah is sufficient, but that probably isn’t enough. Try to show your body the same love as your face by using body scrubs regularly and remember to moisturize.
Get Familiar With Your Skin
After living in your skin for so many years, you may think that you know it inside and out, but do you really? Do you know what your undertone is? Do you know whether your skin is oily, dry or a combination of the two? You may think that you do, but it’s worth consulting an expert, like a makeup artist or dermatologist, to figure out things for sure. That way you’ll be able to choose products that are better suited to your needs.
Make Moisturizer an Essential Part of Your Regimen
Moisturizer is as important to your skin care regimen as your cleanser. It doesn’t matter whether you have sensitive, dry or oily skin, you need to apply moisturizer regularly. You even need it in the summer months. If you don’t like using moisturizer because you find it greasy, there are lots of lightweight formulas that won’t clog your pores to choose from.
Exfoliate Regularly
As great as your moisturizer is, it cannot do all of the work. You need something that will remove those dead skin cells that build up. That’s where exfoliating comes in. You can choose whatever tools or products you like, the important thing is that you make exfoliation a regular part of your routine as opposed to something you do every couple months when you remember.
Quit Picking Your Face
This is one of the harder ones to quit, but doing it will majorly benefit your complexion. No matter how tempting it is, make it your goal to stop picking your face. That includes squeezing pimples, removing blackheads and scratching scabs. Remind yourself that messing with your face just creates additional problems, including more breakouts and even scarring.
Store Your Products Properly
Finding a good spot to store your beauty products is about more than organization or decorating. It’s also about maintaining the products themselves. FYI: Storing your products in an Instagram-worthy spot often isn’t the optimal place for them. Many cosmetics can deteriorate if they’re exposed to light, humidity or extreme temperatures, so choose a location that will help preserve them and keep you organized.
Toss Expired Beauty Products
If you’re decluttering your wardrobe for the new year, make it a priority to go through your bathroom vanity too. Toss out any expired beauty products (check out this guide to cosmetic expiration dates). If you don’t remember when you bought it, toss it. Same goes if it has a funky smell or has changed color. It doesn’t matter how expensive it was, throw it in the trash.
Stop Constantly Switching Products
It’s great you want to try the latest beauty launches, but don’t do it to the point where it negatively impacts your skin. Results are never instantaneous. You might need to wait six weeks or more to notice any changes in your skin, so resolve to give new products time to work before moving on. The only exception is if you try something and it gives you an allergic or cosmetic reaction.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
You may already have this resolution on your list, but it’s important from a beauty perspective too. Getting a full night of sleep doesn’t just prevent raccoon eyes, it is also the time when your skin regenerates. If you want to further improve your skin while you catch some zzzs, you can try an overnight beauty product.
